From quantum computing to sustainable innovations, new ideas flourished at the 2025 ATOM x AIS Technology Innovation Challenge, hosted by FIU Business in February. The competition featured six teams ready to impress the judges with their cutting-edge solutions to real-world business problems.
Taking home first place was “Team E,” Taniel Gunter, Alexander Chirinos and Julian Arias with their idea, EduSync, a web-based AI-powered chat bot “study buddy” to help students succeed in school and stave of academic pressure.
“We did some groundwork in terms of research and found that students do struggle with three things that cause academic pressure including productivity, time management and also motivation,” said Gunter, who is in the Master of Science in Information Systems (MSIS) program. “So they start off strong every year, like we all do, and then things disintegrate in the middle of the semester.”
The EduSync website focuses on personalizing study plans, enhancing motivation, and improving time management for students by integrating with existing educational infrastructure like Canvas, Moodle, and Blackboard, offering a competitive edge over other study tools.
As first place winners of the challenge, the students gained $2,000 in scholarship funds and will head to compete at the Association for Information Systems (AIS) Student Chapter National Leadership Conference in March.
Laura-Elise Guis (BBA ’23), a business intelligence analyst for Assurant and a judge for the competition, remembered sitting on the other side of the podium, having competed in the ATOM Pink Tank and AIS challenge. She connected with the judges after winning her challenge, and soon after was offered an internship and later a full-time role.
“Whatever opportunity comes your way, make sure you take that opportunity, even if you feel like you don't have the time or the ability, move things around, take that opportunity,” said Guis. “I never thought that the competition I was going to attend would be the competition that opened the door to my career, and to my professional growth.”
For Gunter, an international student from Jamaica, that’s exactly the outcome she hopes for as well.
“I'm an international student so opportunities are a little different for me, so I take these challenges as ways to network with companies, getting my name out there, learning new skills,” Gunter explained. “There's some of the platforms, some of the software that Julian used that I've never used before, and so it's a learning opportunity for me as well.”
Earning second place in the competition was “Team B,” Yeimy Padilla Godoy and Anna Kozhan, who presented a roadmap for sustainable water usage in the papermaking industry. “Team C” members Amaury Sainvil, Katheryne Mena, Denise Nguyen and Bradley Mitial took third for their fintech idea “Trust Tracker,” a credit scoring system geared towards students.
The event was supported by Gold Sponsor Assurant, and Silver Sponsors Deloitte, Southern Glazers Wine and Spirits, WiSource and NextEra Energy.