MONDAY, JANUARY 28 | SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 | © 2019 STUDENT MEDIA
WILD ART
Abby Collida — THE BATTALION
Texas A&M’s hackathon provides an environment for students to come together and work on creative, technical projects.
Hackathon ignites Aggie creativity 24-hour event challenges teams to make the most of technology Megan Cusick — THE BATTALION
Thirty-six canine teams geared up Saturday and Sunday for deployment training at the 15th annual FEMA Canine Search Specialist Training Weekend. The workshop — sponsored by Texas Task Force 1 and held at their Disaster City training facility — is known for being a top program for canine search specialists.
By Sanna Bhai @BhaiSanna TAMUhack offers an opportunity for students to come together for 24 hours of coding, teamwork and new experiences. The fifth annual hackathon was held in the Memorial Student Center on Jan. 26 through 27. As computers play an increasingly prominent role across all fields, computer science senior and TAMUhack president Muin Momin said hackathons bring people together to do something fun, creative and useful. “The best way to describe a hackathon is a 24-hour invention marathon,” Momin said. “Students form teams of four and they just work on any
technical project they want. They can build an app, a website, a robotic arm… They just put a bunch of technologies together and create it.” Sponsors are an integral part of the continued success of TAMUhack. In addition to helping fund the event, some sponsors have representatives available to consult with students and conduct interviews on the spot. Josue Martinez, senior program manager at Microsoft, said these types of events are ideal for students to get acquainted with major companies and gain a more in-depth understanding of their work. “It is not just an opportunity for us to have conversations with the students about the technology that we are building and what we are doing, but also for students to get to know us,” Martinez said. “We are a large corporation. We are a big name, and not everybody
UPSET PROVIDED
VIXIV players learn to overcome environmental obstacles, including pollution, disasters and overpopulation.
‘Game of survival’ Aggie-created board game teaches players about ecosystems through strategy and competition By Giselle Warren @GiselleWarren6 Players race to build the strongest ecosystem with ever-changing elements including viral outbreaks, pollution and overpopulation in a new board game designed by Aggies. While driving back from a wildlife education presentation, Dillon Jones, Class of 2018, and Corey Batson, Class of 2016, decided they wanted to create an enjoyable way for kids to learn about the environment. The pair combined the fun and strategy of a board game with educational components about ecology to create VIXIV: The Game of Survival. In VIXIV, players are tasked with creating the perfect ecosystem while trying to thwart their opponent’s ecosystem. The founders are working to raise $25,000 by Feb. 8 so they can sell the game online and in brick-and-mortar stores. In VIXIV, there are seven boards that each represent different ecosystems for players to choose from. Cards depicting types of events such as “wildfire” are disasters that might be used to damage the ecosystems and make the game fall into disarray. The goal is to gather the most points throughout the game by mastering species interaction and survival. Batson said that while the game is meant to be fun and competitive, the educational aspect was heavily emphasized when the game was being created. BOARD GAME ON PG. 4
Cassie Stricker — THE BATTALION
Texas A&M sophomore guard Kayla Wells finished Sunday’s game against the Wildcats with 20 points.
knows what we do or why we do it or what we are passionate about.” One trio at this year’s hackathon – engineering freshmen Shion Ito, Anh Hoang and Hanh Nguyen – worked on an app that can identify a skin disease through a picture, assessing the symptoms and recommending a proper treatment. Hoang said that although he and his teammates are young and new to the industry, the event was a great way to get their feet wet. “I think it’s a great start for all of us,” Hoang said. “TAMUhack specifically said that anyone can join, even if we are first-timers, because there are going to be workshops, and those who didn’t have team members can create their own team. They are creating an opportunity for all of us. Equal chances to work together and do something.”
Texas A&M women’s basketball team edges out Kentucky, extends streak to five victories By Brian Bass @brianbass4 No. 24 Texas A&M upset No. 15 Kentucky 73-71 at Reed Arena Sunday night. After an up and down first half, the Aggies hit their stride late in the third quarter with a pair of three-point shots from sophomore guards Kayla Wells and Chennedy Carter for A&M’s first double digit lead of the game. Kentucky started off slow, only scoring once in a span of five and a half minutes to begin the game. Kentucky attempted 29 shots from three-point range throughout the course of the game, but never found a rhythm offensively. With a crowd of 4,752 in attendance for the Sunday afternoon game, the Wildcats struggled on the road shooting 38 percent from beyond the arc and never leading during the game. A&M, on the other hand, had one of the most efficient nights from three-point range this season. A&M shot 52 percent from the field and 75 percent from three-point range. Carter and junior guard Shambria Washington created plenty of good looks to teammates for the majority of the night. Carter found herself in the zone from three-point range, hitting four out of five shots down the stretch. Carter was also responsible for two other three-pointers, assisting Wells and Jada Walton in the second and third quarters. Wells and Carter both finished with 20 points each. With the Wildcats placing most of their defensive attention on Carter, Wells was often left with an open lane to shoot. “That’s basically every game, they try to take away Chennedy and then take away me,” Wells said. “But with them trapping Chennedy, that gets me a lot of looks, especially early.” Redshirt sophomore center Ciera Johnson was a constant throughout the game, only missing one shot. She finished 8-of-9 from the field with 19 points and six rebounds. Kentucky could not keep up with Johnson’s length in the paint throughout the game. The other winning factor was their plan and execution to feed Johnson the ball all night. “Credit to the guards for just giving me the ball in BASKETBALL ON PG. 2