A group of four full-time MBA students have placed third in the 2020 international IBM Technology Case Competition. Normally held at Georgetown University, Washington DC, this year due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, the event was held using a virtual format.

The team comprised of Sreelakshmy Koonath, Daniel Duignan, Keelin O’Connor and Yassine Jelassi.

As part of the process, the team submitted a video entry and were one of only 30 teams from around the world selected to compete. The event is extremely competitive and 10 teams advanced to the finals including University of California, Berkeley and University of Michigan.

The challenge was to provide a solution using IBM tools and present as if they were IBM consultants to an IBM client university. This year, the topic was around building an innovative, profitable, and long-lasting product that positively impacts the higher education industry and its stakeholders.

Specifically, the judges looked at managing and tracking a large population of university stakeholders during an on-campus emergency. They created a solution incorporated with IBM Watson visual recognition, mobile application and IBM analytics prediction.

The group won overall third prize and received a cheque in the amount of $1,000.

Congratulations to the team on this achievement!