The School of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Westminster hosted a Problem-Solving International Hackathon on 25 February, seeing over 200 students from four institutions across the globe solve questions in maths, logic and programming.
The Hackathon was simultaneously hosted at the four different institutions. Joining Westminster were the Informatics Institute of Technology (IIT) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Westminster International University (WIUT) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan as well as The Westminster College (TWC) in Lalitpur, Nepal, which participated in the annual hackathon for the first time. All universities are from Westminster’s Global Partner Network.
TWC (Nepal) students participating in the Hackathon for their first time
Over 200 students from the four institutions participated in the hackathon. Grouped in teams of three or four, with a total of 74 teams representing one of the participating universities, they had 60 minutes to solve as many questions as possible in maths, logic and programming. Students were part of the University’s undergraduate Computer Science and Engineering courses.
Bekhruz Ruziboev, Sohibjon Hayitboyev, Behzod Maksudov and Abrorbek Ibragimov from WIUT’s Kharezmi Team secured first place in the hackathon with 71 points, with second place tied between Dineth Athukorala, Thimasha Thakshali Urupelewwa Gamlathge and Javohirbek Qahhorov from IIT’s Rising Tech Dragons, and Elbek Usmonov and Sevinch Baxodirova from WIUT’s Lazarus Team, both scoring 65 points. WTC’s Team A, consisting of Abhishek Dhungana, Rishav Maharjan, Danis Rai and Suprim Karki, scored 64 points, securing third place.
The Hackathon was organised by Dr Andrea Martina, Director of Global Engagement for the School of Computer Science and Engineering, and supported by Shirin Primkulova, Course Leader of the Business Information System BSc Honours course at WIUT, Lakshan Costa, Senior Lecturer at IIT and Arun Lal Joshi, Head of TWC.
Dr Andrea Martina said: “In the spirit of innovation and collaboration, our Problem-Solving International Hackathon unites brilliant minds across continents to tackle challenges in mathematics, logic and programming. It was truly great and refreshing to see students competing in a friendly and international environment, embracing the spirit that Westminster proudly promotes. Events like this not only showcase talent but also strengthen the collaboration we already have with our international partners, fostering a global community of problem solvers ready to make a lasting impact.”
The winning team added: “Thank you for conducting such contests. They help us students improve our knowledge, skills in programming and logical thinking. The experience of discussing questions were both fun and exciting with our team. Especially, using papers instead of computers helped us to delve into questions in depth and use our logic rather than ready computers. We look forward to future events.”
The hackathon directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 4: Quality Education and 17: Partnerships for the Goals. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Learn more about the Computer Science and Engineering courses at the University.
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