Team Masala Papad wins top prize at UST’s D3CODE hackathon event for students 

Leading digital transformation solutions company UST has announced winners of the third edition of its ‘D3CODE’ (pronounced ‘decode’) hackathon for college and university students. This year, participants explored Generative AI and its potential to revolutionise creativity and innovation and how users will interact with the technology. 

D3CODE is held in the lead-up to the invite-only annual D3 (Dream, Develop, and Disrupt) technology conference, which will take place at Hyatt Regency, Thiruvananthapuram, on Thursday. The week-long conference, now in its sixth year, will feature various events, including a technology expo, a distinguished line of speakers, and a full-day conference on Thursday.  

Team J.A.R.V.I.S won the second prize at UST’s D3CODE hackathon event in Thiruvananthapuram.

Prize money for winners

A UST spokesperson said D3CODE brought together the next generation of digital engineers at its Thiruvananthapuram campus to network and further develop their programming and engineering skills. The winners received a cash prize of ₹7 lakh, the runners-up ₹5 lakh, and the second runners-up, ₹3 lakh. Two teams receiving honorary mentions were awarded ₹2 lakh each. Each member of the top five teams received conditional job offers to join UST, the spokesperson said.

The first prize went to Team Masala Papad (Alan George, Mihir Shinde, Harsh Bhavesh Shah, Manan Sanjay Shah) from Dwarakadas J Sanghvi College of Engineering, Mumbai; the second prize, to Team J.A.R.V.I.S (Prakash Devnani, Prakhar Saxena, Gyandeep Kalita, Eisha Halder) from National Institute of Technology, Silchar; and the third prize to Team Genesis (Sooraj Mathew, Rishin R, Siddarth Sajeev, Hari V) from College of Engineering, Trivandrum (CET).

Received 12,000 applications 

Honorary mentions went to Team CODE RED (Harshit Chaurasia, Prateek Pal, Himanshu Singh, Maida Iftikhar Chikan) from Institute of Engineering & Technology, Lucknow, and Team Zero (Pranav Satish, Sreehari S, Richard Joseph, Akhil Binoy Vettical) from College of Engineering, Trivandrum (CET). The hackathon had attracted close to 12,000 applications from across the country. It consisted of three rounds and shortlisted candidates had the opportunity to meet UST’s leading subject matter experts and innovators, followed by a programming challenge round, and video interviews. The top five were invited to Thiruvananthapuram for a 24-hour onsite hackathon from September 30 to October 1. 

Team Genesis won the third prize at UST’s D3CODE hackathon event in Thiruvananthapuram.

Line-up for D3 conference

Manu Gopinath, Chief Operating Officer, UST, said D3CODE Hackathon 2023 provided a platform for next-generation innovators. All participants offered innovative solutions and inspired others to rethink assumptions and challenge conventions. “We believe Generative AI is key to helping businesses strengthen operations at every level while preparing for future challenges,”he said.

The D3 conference will bring together industry leaders, digital strategists, and experts to discuss the latest trends and advancements in Generative AI and their value in the business. Among those delivering keynote addresses are Krishna Sudheendra, Chief Executive Officer, and Manu Gopinath, Chief Operating Officer, UST. Other eminent guest speakers include Henry Ajder, a globally recognised advisor, speaker and broadcaster; Jaspreet Bindra, Founder, Tech Whisperer ; and Zohar Bronfman, Chief Executive officer, Pecan. 

Panel discussion

Those taking part in a panel discussion include Rohini Srivathsa, Chief Technology Officer, Microsoft India and South Asia; Samit Gorai, Senior General Manager at Hero MotoCorp; Joseph Huang, Joint Executive Director, Strategic Research Initiatives, Stanford AI Labs; Heather Dawe, UK Head of Data, and Adnan Masood, Chief AI Architect, UST. The topic of discussion will be the potential, ethical considerations, and navigation of pitfalls of Generative AI. Niranjan Ramsunder, Chief Technology Officer, UST, and Arnab Bose, Chief Scientific Officer, UST Abzooba, will talk about the revolutionary impact of Generative AI on business.

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