Hackathon brings students together to solve energy challenges | MyNews | Seneca Students

Energy was everywhere at this year’s Hackathon – and not just because it was the theme of the competition. 

There was a buzz in the air all week, from the virtual reveal of this year’s challenge on May 24 to the in-person finale at Newnham Campus on May 30. 

Between those two milestones, 40 teams of students, graduates and associates brainstormed workable solutions to challenges around clean energy, community energy and smart grids, considered feedback from mentors and prepared presentations for a panel of judges. 

The top 10 teams advanced to the finale, where the judges had the difficult task of picking just one group as an overall winner. 

That honour went to the Fusion team of Artem Huziienko, Vladyslav Huziienko and Sean Muniz, the latter two of whom are students in the Honours Bachelor of Technology – Software Development program. 

Their solution to the competition’s clean energy challenge involves creating a data-driven platform that can provide homeowners with personalized solar feasibility and savings assessments and connect them with qualified local solar installers. 

Fusion was then invited to visit Esri Canada’s Toronto office on June 1 and share their solution with company representatives. 

Students who attended the finale also heard from an impressive lineup of guest speakers, including: 

• David Smith, MPP for Scarborough Centre and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Energy and Mines
• Christine Blake, Associate Vice-President, Students
• Kacem Habiballah, Dean, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering Technology
• Alex Smith, Spatial Data Scientist, Esri Canada
• Geri Yin, Vice-President, Green Energy and Technology Centre, Alectra