The inaugural Computer Science Innovators Challenge was hosted by West Georgia Technical College’s Computer Information Systems (CIST) program, in partnership with Southwire’s IT Department. The event aimed to inspire creativity and innovation among participants of all skill levels, by challenging them to develop original projects within a limited timeframe, addressing unfamiliar concepts.
Tara Shackleford, Program Chair of CIST at West Georgia Technical College, highlighted the opportunity for students to showcase their skills, problem-solving abilities and potentially impress future employers like Southwire. This exposure could lead to internship opportunities and future career prospects.
Three teams participated in the challenge and presented their projects at the event. The first-place team, composed of Glenn Freeman, Kristy Bishop, and Christian Putman, developed “Know Your Power,” a power consumption calculator in natural language to understand appliance power draw. The second-place team, John Paschal and Taylor Lowery, created “Streamline, Simplify, Scale (Waybridge SAP/ER)” to automate the scaling process for transportation and direct trucks and trailers. The third-place team, Robert Galan and Kevin Keeler, designed “The Future of City Exploration,” a traveling tool that uses AI to guide users and provide historical data and fun facts.
Each team received Visa gift cards ranging from $50 to $150 for their innovative projects. To learn more about West Georgia Technical College’s CIST programs or the Computer Science Innovators Challenge contact Tara Shackleford at tara.shackleford@westgatech.edu or visit www.westgatech.edu
