By Mykiell Pagayonan
People behind the success of the Solve Fest Visayas 2024 Day 2 – Symposium and Finals held at the Rose Memorial Auditorium.
Solution Challenge Visayas, a Visayas-wide student tech competition, reached its thrilling conclusion on the 4th of May 2024, at the Rose Memorial Auditorium, Central Philippine University. The grand finalists from Cebu, Negros, and Panay traveled to Iloilo to present their innovative projects, marking the culmination of months of intense competition.
From an initial pool of 35 teams hailing from 15 different universities across the Visayas region, five exceptional teams were selected as the top teams, showcasing their projects before a panel of esteemed judges. After deliberation, the teams that came up on top are:
Champion: “USC Campus Crushies,” University of San Carlos
The incredible team from Cebu created a fully deployed and fleshed out web application that would help connect Cebu’s out-of-school youth with training centers and local companies. Their innovative platform facilitates skill-building, job matching, and employment opportunities, addressing the pressing issue of youth unemployment and promoting economic empowerment in the region.
Second Place: “4 Bored Guys,” Central Philippine University
The group of passionate developers, hailing from our very own university, presented “Signify” – a web platform designed to meet the demand for inclusive and engaging educational resources for learning American Sign Language (ASL). Their innovative solution provides interactive lessons, gamified activities, and a typing race game incorporating hand signs to make the process of learning ASL enjoyable and accessible. The talented team, composed of Ian Clyde Tejada, Chad Denard Andrada, John Patrick Pineda, and Prince Nesher Magno, pursuing degrees in BS Software Engineering and BS Computer Science, showcased their commitment to creating inclusive technology through this remarkable project.
Third Place: “PapaBoLong,” University of Negros Occidental–Recoletos
Coming from the island of Negros, the student developers presented “Ka-Halaman” – a complete crop management application designed to revolutionize agricultural practices in the region. This innovative solution leverages advanced technology to provide farmers with real-time data insights, optimized resource allocation, and personalized recommendations tailored to their specific crop and soil conditions.
The other grand finalists include:
“Visayan Voyagers” from West Visayas State University, developed “VInacular,” a language learning app tailored for learning local languages in Region VI, aiming to connect linguistic gaps and foster a deeper understanding with Western Visayas communities.
“Four” from Cebu Technological University, presented their project “ShareSurplus” – an innovative Food Surplus Network platform. Recognizing the concerning issue of food waste, this talented group of students developed a comprehensive solution that connects food establishments with surplus inventory to organizations and communities in need.
Solve: Solution Challenge was organized by the Google Developer Student Club Chapters of Visayas, powered by Primof, supported by Central Philippine University, the University of San Agustin, & Innovate Iloilo, in partnership with Devcon Iloilo, Tech For All, and the CPU Republic. Partnered student organizations are the Philippine Society of Software Engineers, the Computer Science Society – CPU, and the WVSU College of Information and Communications Technology Student Council.