Students from our branch campus in Cuenca won first place in the Safe and Sound Cities Hackathon, an international competition for students to work together, design and present innovative solutions to specific problems.

The competition was divided into two categories; in each category winners received $20,000. The first category was aimed at high school students aged 15 to 18, and the second category for university students from 18 to 24 years old. The university’s Coworking StartUPS office provided support and mentoring in order to develop innovative projects.
 
The awards ceremony was held at “Teatro Sucre” in the city of Cuenca, where students were awarded first place for their project titled “Arteria: De gris a verde”, a project aimed at recovering green spaces in urban areas by implementing sustainable methods. 

The event was supported by the municipality of Cuenca, Amaru Zoo, Integrar and Huasipichanga, organizations which seek to encourage innovation in high school and university students and make Cuenca a better place to live. 

We congratulate our students for this achievement and wish them the best of luck for their project. We also encourage them to continue exploring and continue using their creativity. 

The members of the winning team are:
 
•    Paula Betsabé Quintuña
•    Jeremy Mateo Litardo
•    Fabricio Alejandro Naranjo  
•    Andrés Eduardo Chacha 
•    José Carlos Sánchez