UITS Hosts AI Hack Day to Boost Student Innovation

University of Information Technology and Sciences (UITS) organized the “Build with Artificial Intelligence Hack Days” through its Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) and Institutional Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC). The event was supported by Machine Learning Bangladesh, Major League Hacking (MLH), Google for Developers, Gen.xyz, and Featherless AI.

The mini hackathon was held on May 12 from 1:00 pm to 6:30 pm at the AI Laboratory of the UITS campus with invited students participating in the event. The primary objective of the program was to enhance technological skills, encourage practical software engineering practices, and inspire innovation through the use of modern AI ecosystems.

The event was inaugurated by CSE Department Head and Associate Professor Al-Imtiaz and IQAC Director Engineer Md. Safayet Hossain. They highlighted the importance of accessible AI education. Founder and CEO of Iconic, Shaiful Islam, attended as a special guest.

The trainers included Upay Software Engineer Md. Harun-Ur-Rashid and Machine Learning Bangladesh organizer Shahriar Azad Evan.

Following the inauguration, a special technical workshop was conducted for participating students. The workshop provided hands-on training on vibe coding, low-code workflows, Gemini API, Google Cloud, Vertex AI, and Google AI Studio.

After the workshop, 50 students participated in a one-hour competitive hackathon. Using the Devpost platform, participants developed various software solutions within the allotted time, including web applications, mobile apps, APIs, Chrome extensions, and chatbots.

The judging panel consisted of Shaiful Islam, Md. Harun-Ur-Rashid, Engineer Md. Safayet Hossain, Al-Imtiaz, and Shahriar Azad Evan. Projects were evaluated based on problem relevance, use of AI and GCP tools, technical effectiveness, UI/UX design, and development ethics.

The day-long event concluded with a prize-giving ceremony at the Ratnagarbha Tahmina Rahman Multipurpose Hall. Winners received “Build with AI” swag, Google swag kits, Gemini postcards, and Featherless AI inference credits.

Participants were also awarded Google Cloud credits, MLH stickers, and .xyz domain rewards.

During the ceremony, special honors were presented to CSE Department Head Al-Imtiaz and IQAC Director Engineer Md. Safayet Hossain.

Organizers said the successful event marked the first phase of a broader initiative aimed at delivering free AI education to more than 20 campuses across the country.

DBTech/SI/MUM/OR