STUDENTS from the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology were victorious in the Asia Technological University Network Hackathon 2023 held in Malaysia last month.

John Dexter Callao and Jade Dungog of the MSU-IIT College of Economics, Business and Accountancy were declared the champions for their project “GreenGenius.”

The project analyzes and determines various soil types and generates tailored-fit tree recommendations, particularly endemic species suitable in ASEAN countries.

“Additionally, this is complemented with cutting-edge hardware that detects soil fertility, expediting tree planting, reforestation, and restoration initiatives across the region, harmonizing technological innovation and environmental sustainability,” MSU-IIT said.

Their teammates are from the Universitas Sebelas Maret, Indonesia; Universitas Multi Data Palembang, Indonesia; and the University of Technology Malaysia.

For their project “Farmsense”, Zaidbren Macabato from the MSU-IIT College of Computer Studies and her teammates from the University Malaysia Pahang, Universitas Sebelas Maret, and Phenikaa University placed 1st runner-up in the hackathon.

“Integrating intelligent sensors into an IoT hydroponic device, their project monitors plant fertilizer levels precisely. Local communities and households will be equipped with this technology under the team’s vision of sustainable growth,” MSU-IIT said.

A group that included CCS student Laurence Troy Sambaan Valdez placed 2nd runner-up for their innovative creation “Energauge.”

The innovation is a smart electricity socket equipped with an LCD screen providing real-time voltage and total energy consumption data.

Other members of the team were from University of Teknologi Malaysia, Universitas Sebelas Maret in Indonesia, and Universiti Malaysia Terengganu.

Vice Chancellor for International Affairs Dr. Joey Genevieve Martinez and Assoc. Prof. Lemuel Clark Velasco from CCS accompanied the students to the event.

Themed “Harnessing Innovation to Combat Climate Change,” the hackathon was hosted by UTM.