For the second year in a row, Melissa proudly sponsored IrvineHacks, which took place from January 24 - 26. This year's event was a resounding success, drawing in 290 eager participants. As a leader in data management solutions, Melissa seized the moment to connect with budding data enthusiasts by hosting the "Best Use of Melissa API/Data Sets" data challenge.
On the first day of IrvineHacks, Melissa tabled in UCI's Student Center. Positioned as the first sponsor table among three others, we were impossible to overlook! The first 100 visitors were treated to exclusive Melissa-branded notebooks and tote bags, along with insights into Melissa's data challenge. Our dedicated team from the Database department, including Daniel K. Le, Chief Data Officer; Ha Phan, Software Engineer Team Lead; Anna Cheong, Software Engineer Team Lead; Jason Zhang, Database Administrator; and software engineers: Jessica Susilo , Qingyang Zhang and Yi Fang, were on hand to engage with students and provide valuable information about the challenge. They also introduced students to the Melissa for Education portal, a great resource offering complimentary access to Melissa APIs and data sets exclusively for students.
The "Best Use of Melissa API or Data Sets" challenge drew an impressive 11 project submissions. After thorough evaluation, our expert team announced "Unity Nonprofits" as the winner. This talented group, consisting of Tom Zheng, Daniel Wu, William Jiang and Candice Li, showcased remarkable innovation and technical prowess. Their prize includes a $50 Amazon gift card, 40,000 credits (valued at $160) for Melissa Lookups and Cloud APIs, and an exciting visit to Melissa HQ, complete with a lunch, tour and mock interviews.
Melissa is unwavering in our commitment to foster education and encourage innovative thinking among students. The Melissa for Education portal exemplifies this dedication, offering students free access to powerful data tools that enrich their learning journey. We are excited to continue supporting hackathons like IrvineHacks and anticipate more groundbreaking and creative projects in the future. For more information and to explore Melissa's educational resources, students are invited to visit our education portal. We look forward to inspiring and empowering the next wave of data enthusiasts!