Muntaser first found out about hackathons by showing up for free food at a Local Hack Day, something many of us are guilty of. There, he found the concept fascinating and he attended the next hackathon, KnightHacks, which got him hooked. The following semester, he helped organize a couple of small local hackathons and hosted impromptu workshops as a mentor.
Muntaser feels like hackathons and the hacker community have helped him grow tremendously as a person, as a student and most importantly, as a team player.
Muntaser has accomplished quite a lot since starting his hacker journey. Receiving his Bachelor of Science in Information Technology at the University of Miami, Muntaser went on to get a Master of Science in Computer Science from Abu Dhabi University, his Postgraduate Diploma in Software Engineering at University of Bradford, and his Masters of Science in Computer Engineering at the Florida Institute of Technology.
He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Computer Engineering at the Florida Institute of Technology and works as an Autonomous Systems Architect at Aeronyde Corporation.
When asked what his favorite hackathon project was, he compared it to asking a parent which child is their favorite. In his last semester, one of his favorite projects was built at Pitt Challenge 2019. He showed up alone with no expectations. Within 24 hours, five complete strangers (four of whom were first-time hackers) got together around a great idea that addressed the issue of dental hygiene among the general population. They built a smart brush, floss holder, and data aggregator that analyzed and recommended better brushing and flossing habits. The solution worked after a lot of hard work and sleep deprivation. Part of what made their team work so well is they all had different backgrounds. Their team was comprised of a dental student, a business major, a CS major, a CE major and Muntaser. Together, they were able to use their combined knowledge to build a unique product which resulted in them winning first place.
Quick Facts
Muntaser first found out about hackathons by showing up for free food at a Local Hack Day, something many of us are guilty of. There, he found the concept fascinating and he attended the next hackathon, KnightHacks, which got him hooked. The following semester, he helped organize a couple of small local hackathons and hosted impromptu workshops as a mentor.
Muntaser feels like hackathons and the hacker community have helped him grow tremendously as a person, as a student and most importantly, as a team player.
Muntaser has accomplished quite a lot since starting his hacker journey. Receiving his Bachelor of Science in Information Technology at the University of Miami, Muntaser went on to get a Master of Science in Computer Science from Abu Dhabi University, his Postgraduate Diploma in Software Engineering at University of Bradford, and his Masters of Science in Computer Engineering at the Florida Institute of Technology.
He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Computer Engineering at the Florida Institute of Technology and works as an Autonomous Systems Architect at Aeronyde Corporation.
When asked what his favorite hackathon project was, he compared it to asking a parent which child is their favorite. In his last semester, one of his favorite projects was built at Pitt Challenge 2019. He showed up alone with no expectations. Within 24 hours, five complete strangers (four of whom were first-time hackers) got together around a great idea that addressed the issue of dental hygiene among the general population. They built a smart brush, floss holder, and data aggregator that analyzed and recommended better brushing and flossing habits. The solution worked after a lot of hard work and sleep deprivation. Part of what made their team work so well is they all had different backgrounds. Their team was comprised of a dental student, a business major, a CS major, a CE major and Muntaser. Together, they were able to use their combined knowledge to build a unique product which resulted in them winning first place.
