RALEIGH, N.C. (November 30, 2016) - A team of Wake Tech students beat university competitors – some of them grad students – from Duke, UNC, NC State, and NC Central in an IT competition sponsored by the International Association for Software Architects (IASA). The “Student Architecture Showdown” took place on September 22 at the association’s annual conference in Raleigh. Wake Tech students Brian Coe, Chris Eissens, Stephen Jamieson, and Jamek Melvin made up the winning team.

 

The students were asked to come up with an end-to-end IT architecture solution for a small business – one that allowed customers to use their own devices, in store, for picking up and completing transactions, and to order through a web interface. Students made their presentations to a panel of judges made up of IT architects and other industry experts.

 

Wake Tech’s solution included installing hardware in each store and limiting internet communication to encrypted financial transaction data. Solutions from the university teams featured software APIs and mobile devices, predictive analytics, and cloud-based services. After an intense deliberation period, the panel of judges named Wake Tech the winner – based on the team’s “big picture” approach and technical knowledge. The students received a $5,000 prize and a chance to make connections with some of the Triangle’s leading corporate IT hiring authorities.

 

“We’re so proud of our students!” said department head Matt Zullo. “They stood up to some very stiff competition, and their expertise set them apart. They clearly impressed the judges!”

 

Team members Chris Eissens, Stephen Jamieson, and Jamek Melvin are earning associate degrees in Information Systems Security and Networking Technology. Brian Coe is a first-year student in the Data Storage & Virtualization program. Judges included Rama Kandala of Corning, John Walsh of MetLife, and Chris Houghland of IBM. The team’s mentor, Jeremy Puckett of Corning, provided guidance on selling ideas to management. Watch their winning presentation at http://iasaglobal.org/raleigh-student-architecture-showdown/.