for the eagle
HUNTSVILLE – Wiregrass student team Viridian won the high school division at the 7th annual Hudson Alpha Tech Challenge (HATCH) held March 1-3 in Huntsville, competing against 80 high school students, college students and professionals. You have to participate.
Members of the winning team included home-study student Caleb North from Enterprise, Rachel Davis and Destin Martin from Houston Academy, and Samantha Orange from Enterprise High School. Viridian has built a platform that analyzes multiple sets of DNA to identify genetic variations and recommend nutritional changes for people with dietary issues.
“We are honored to host the Hudson Alpha Tech Challenge this year with a record crowd,” said Hudson Alpha Economic Development Specialist and HATCH Director Tyler Clark. “Our presentation was standing room only. It’s great to be able to help students and professionals across Alabama learn how to do biotechnology, coding and bioinformatics, and continue on that path.”
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The HudsonAlpha Tech Challenge is a life sciences hackathon where participants compete to solve real-world problems facing biotechnology researchers and innovators in genomics, genetics, and bioinformatics. Participants spent time coding throughout the weekend. HATCH was held at Hudson Alpha's Paul Propst Center in Huntsville. Participants competed to win more than $5,000 in cash and prizes in his two categories: high school and college/professional.
NutriSpace won in the College/Professional category. The team consisted of Mia Kotarik, Ethan Rush, and Karl Kotarik of Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. NutriSpace has built a comprehensive app, accessible on web and mobile, designed to ensure the nutritional status of astronauts. Tailor dietary recommendations to reduce the risk of health problems by accounting for individual genetic differences, especially when fresh produce is scarce and every gram of loading matters.
Mimic Sequence, a team of five students from Huntsville's Randolph School, took second place in the high school competition for their performance in the event. Team members included Davis Cook, Adi Gowda, Grayden Kutner, Noble Ligon, and Anna Pickle.
Comprised of Jesiah Powell and Ray Hatsuko of Eufaula High School and Wallace Community College, Tiffany Ewing of SAIC, Ethan Jones of UAH, and Phillip Ewing Jr., a graduate of Auburn University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The team, Nutricomp, took second place in the university. /Professional Division.
GeneHome Hub, a team of University of Alabama students Armandeep Singh, Sonam Lama, Uyen Truong, and Andres Aguilar, placed third in the college/professional category.
HudsonAlpha hosts annual events to spark creativity through collaboration and energize current and next generation problem solvers to devise and build innovative solutions to biotechnology challenges. Many participants from all over the country gather for HATCH, and the organizers actively support and encourage teams who wish to participate.