UH-Hilo’s Team No Sleep opens eyes at Imagine Cup

The University of Hawaii at Hilo took part in the 2016 U.S. Imagine Cup championships March 30-April 1 in San Francisco.

Computer science professor H. Keith Edwards said the team performed exceedingly well in its booth demonstration segment and in all-around sportsmanship.

UH-Hilo students Pauleen Pante, Reuben Tate, Bryson Fung and Anthony Vizzone formed Team No Sleep as part of their senior software engineering project. The project was titled “Restoring Ecosystems Services Tool,” or REST, which uses PCA graphs to identify plants that are functionally similar to one another for the purposes of ecosystem restoration. The project initially was undertaken for the USDA Forest Service and the UH-Hilo Biology Department.

Some of the highlights for students included meeting contacts from throughout the Silicon Valley, admission to the Microsoft Build 2016 Conference, an Imagine Cup address by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and soft skill training for students in entrepreneurship.

“(Imagine Cup) gave exposure for UH-Hilo on a national stage,” Edwards said. “UH-Hilo was the only comprehensive, primarily baccalaureate granting institution to participate in the U.S. finals.”