NATIONAL
HARBOR, Md., April 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Cloudforce,
a Maryland-based leader in Cloud
and AI technology, in collaboration with strategic partner
Microsoft, proudly set the stage to ignite young minds at the 2024
Bitcamp Hackathon co-hosted by the University
of Maryland (UMD) on April
19th to the 21st. The largest
collegiate hackathon on the East Coast, the event challenged
students to create technology solutions that address some of the
nation's toughest problems.
Bitcamp 2024 attracted a record 2,000+ registered
hackers to engage in the immersive 36-hour experience. In addition
to its AI focus, Bitcamp offered diverse learning paths across
Quantum, Cybersecurity, and App Development.
A Shared Vision for Empowering
Students
Bitcamp's dynamic environment, coupled with
Cloudforce and Microsoft's support, offered an unprecedented
experience for participants to build solutions with cutting-edge AI
technologies—an opportunity not yet possible at most higher
education institutions nationwide.
"Bitcamp is near and dear to Cloudforce as it not
only attracts exceptional talent to our hometown but also aligns
with our mission of leveraging the power of the cloud to make lives
better," said Cloudforce Founder and CEO Husein Sharaf. "Our collaboration with Microsoft
aims to expose young people to the transformative power of AI and
cloud technologies crucial for their career success."
Addressing Real-World Challenges
Dedicated to harnessing ingenuity to address
real-world challenges and contribute to the betterment of the
community, Cloudforce focused its prize category on the "Best use
of AI/ML innovation for the Francis Scott Key Bridge recovery
efforts." Through workshops and interactive sessions—including an
innovative prompt-a-thon—Cloudforce and Microsoft team members
provided hands-on mentorship to demonstrate industry-leading AI
services, including the Azure OpenAI Service and Microsoft
Copilot.
Cloudforce's 1st place awardee Kaushik Reddy Kanumuru earned a Microsoft
Surface device for his winning project, "BuildKey AI," which
leveraged GPT-based technology to assist emergency responders in
data retrieval and making informed decisions efficiently. "A
heartfelt thank you to the entire Cloudforce team for their
incredible support. I'm also grateful to their talented tech team
for patiently guiding me through Microsoft's AI services like Azure
OpenAI and Copilot Studio," said Kaushik. "Their warmth and
assistance were truly appreciated. This certainly reflects their
company's culture and talent."
Cloudforce also recognized the 2nd place winning
team of Preethi Narayanan,
Anuraag Tripathy, Swastik Agrawal and Priyadarshan Narayanasamy; and 3rd place
winners, Arman Mahjoor and
Joshua Cancio, for building
impressive AI-powered solutions to tackle unique aspects of the
bridge recovery effort.
Rounding out the event, Microsoft's Chief
Innovation Officer for Education, MJ Jabbour, took to the stage to
deliver a catalyzing closing speech and to congratulate hackers for
their perseverance over the weekend. Cloudforce joined in to thank
University President Darryll J. Pines; Bitcamp leadership
Veda Singireddy, Beatrice Chung, and Anjali Samavedam; and Cloudforce's own
volunteers Aylin Alptekin,
Aniya Young, Arija Rahman, Carlos
Miletti, Garrett Broady,
James Poindexter, Jesse Kellner, Jonathan
Segars, Kamal Cunningham,
Ryan Wessling, Ryland DeGregory, and Yayoi Vanzego for contributing significantly
towards the success of the weekend.
Bitcamp is Cloudforce's fourth co-sponsored
hackathon effort with Microsoft in 2024. Previous successful events
include Georgetown University's Hoya
Hacks, Howard
University's BisonBytes, and Duke
University's Critical Care Datathon.
About Cloudforce
Cloudforce is a nationally acclaimed consultancy
dedicated to revolutionizing the learning experience through the
transformative power of AI. As a Microsoft "Supplier of the
Year" awardee, Cloudforce stands as a leader in navigating the
complexities of bleeding-edge technologies, serving some of the
world's most notable educational institutions. For more information
about Cloudforce and its initiatives in Higher Education, please
visit www.gocloudforce.com.
Media Contact
Leslie
Bucher
lbucher@gocloudforce.com
(202) 803-6500
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SOURCE Cloudforce