West Georgia Technical College’s Innovative Computer Science Challenge: Encouraging Creativity in the IT Department”.

West Georgia Technical College’s (WGTC) Computer Information Systems (CIST) program teamed up with Southwire’s IT Department to host the inaugural “Computer Science Innovators Challenge” at WGTC’s Carroll campus. The event aimed to promote creativity and innovation among participants of all skill levels, challenging them to develop original projects within a limited timeframe and provide solutions to unfamiliar concepts. According to CIST Program Chair Tara Shackleford, students demonstrated their skills and problem-solving abilities to impress potential employers like Southwire, opening up opportunities for internships and future career prospects.

The event saw three teams present projects, with each team receiving Visa gift cards ranging from $50 to $150. The first-place project, “Know Your Power” by Glenn Freeman, Kristy Bishop, and Christian Putman, developed a power consumption calculator in natural language to understand the power draw of appliances. The second-place project, “Streamline, Simplify, Scale (Waybridge SAP/ER)” by John Paschal and Taylor Lowery, aimed to automate the scaling process for transportation and direct trucks and trailers, with an emphasis on security aspects. The third-place project, “The Future of City Exploration” by Robert Galan and Kevin Keeler, was a traveling tool that utilized AI to guide users and provide historical data and fun facts during travel.

Individuals interested in learning more about WGTC’s CIST programs can contact Tara Shackleford at tara.shackleford@westgatech.edu or visit www.westgatech.edu for more information.