The School of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Westminster hosted its annual Problem-Solving International Hackathon, seeing over 150 students from the University and three international partner institutions solve questions in maths, logic and programming.
The hackathon was held on 24 February and hosted simultaneously across all four institutions. Bringing together students from first year to final year across all undergraduate computing programmes, the event created a unique, collaborative and international problem-solving environment. Westminster was joined by three of the University’s Global Partner Network: The Informatics Institute of Technology (IIT) in Colombo, Sri Lanka; Westminster International University (WIUT) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan; and The Westminster College (TWC) in Lalitpur, Nepal.
Grouped in teams of three or four, with a total of 43 teams representing one of the participating universities, students had 60 minutes to solve as many questions as possible in maths, logic and programming.
Javohir Ismatullayev, Akbar Avazbekov, Rashidjon Shukurov and Muzaffar Nurillaev from WIUT’s Nano Banana Team secured first place in the hackathon, with Javohir Hasanov, Amir Kuldashev and Abdullakhon Rahmatov from WIUT’s Psh Team receiving second place. TWC’s Makalu Team, consisting of Prabin Khatri, Suprim Karki and Purnaman Rai, was named in third place.
The hackathon was organised by Dr Andrea Martina, Director of Global Engagement for Westminster’s School of Computer Science and Engineering, who was supported by Senior Lecturers in Computer Science and Engineering Kumudini Sarathchandra and Dr Quang Nguyen as well as Nargiza Akramova, Course Leader of the Computer Science BSc Honours course at WIUT, Lakshan Costa, Senior Lecturer at IIT, and Arun Lal Joshi, Head of TWC.
Dr Andrea Martina said: “It was truly inspiring to see students competing in a friendly, international environment that embodies the spirit Westminster proudly promotes, as events like this support students beyond teaching by encouraging them to step outside their comfort zone, tackle unfamiliar challenges and work collaboratively toward shared goals, while also strengthening employability skills. Similar events are just one of the many ways the School of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Westminster supports students while strengthening our international partnerships with overseas partners to cultivate a global community of problem solvers ready to make a lasting impact.”
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.
