Students from Augusta University’s School of Computer and Cyber Sciences earned major awards at Vanderbilt University’s annual VandyHacks event, according to an April 22 announcement. Two teams represented the university for the first time on a national stage and competed against participants from institutions such as Purdue University, Rice University, and the University of Alabama.
The achievement highlights the growing presence of Augusta University’s technology programs in competitive environments. The hackathon offered students a chance to apply classroom knowledge in real-world scenarios while demonstrating technical skill and teamwork.
The Association for Computing Machinery team—composed of George Dorton, Christopher Guzman, Aden Kallery, and Viet Nguyen—won the Best Financial Hack award sponsored by Capital One. Their project was OFFRes + OFFPay, described as “a disaster-ready digital survival system designed to operate without internet or reliable power.” The system uses a Raspberry Pi with an offline large language model for medical guidance, resource mapping features for emergencies, and an offline wallet that allows transactions via QR codes even when connectivity is unavailable. “We wanted to build something that could help communities coordinate and transact during emergencies,” Dorton said.
In the health care track, Girls Who Code College Loop members Jade Huynh, Ericka Tyndall, Reagan Crockett, and Carolina De Sousa received the Best Design award for their project Uvie—a UV health companion powered by artificial intelligence. The application gives users local UV forecasts and customized sunscreen reminders based on skin type and activity levels. Crockett contributed original hand-drawn animations that helped set their entry apart. “I think our project drew attention because of how it looked,” Huynh said. “Reagan Crockett hand-drew the animations in the app, and that played a big role in why we won the Best Design award.” Huynh added: “We wanted something personal and approachable, something that helps prevent skin cancer.”
Both teams credited rigorous coursework—including data structures and systems analysis—for their success but also emphasized communication skills developed through public speaking opportunities during judging rounds. “In class you learn concepts; at a hackathon you actually build and present them,” Huynh said.
The competition experience has inspired leaders from both ACM and Girls Who Code to consider hosting a similar hackathon on campus next semester. Alexander Schwarzmann, professor and dean of the School of Computer and Cyber Sciences at Augusta University said: “We are very proud of our students and the organizations that they run…such as those who humbled the competition at this recent event!”
