Cambrian College holds first-ever Hackathon – April 6

SUDBURY, ON – Some Cambrian College students weren’t punished for their recent hacking activities: they were rewarded.

A team of five students placed first in Cambrian’s inaugural Hackathon. It was held in the Hanson Venture Lab, the entrepreneurial space on campus that is part of Cambrian R&D, the college’s applied research division.

Hackathon was sponsored by the Centre for Excellence for Mining Innovation (CEMI).

“We chose to sponsor the Cambrian Hackathon because we believe the most impactful solutions to the world’s toughest problems often come from the freshest perspectives,” explains Giah Sumalde, CEMI’s Marketing and Communications Manager. “Seeing students bridge the gap between classroom theory and real-world impact isn’t just inspiring, it’s essential for our collective future.”

In Hackathon, five teams of students from Collège Boréal, Cambrian College, and Laurentian University were presented with a real-world challenge by mining company Agnico Eagle.

Competitors were given a 3D model of an underground ore body.  They had to determine where to place stopes (excavation zones where the ore is extracted). The teams had to maximize the amount of gold they could extract while ensuring no two stopes overlapped. Finding the best combination out of countless options required efficient planning and optimization.

“I wasn’t sure what to expect going in, but the technical quality of the presentations and software exceeded my expectations,” says Victor Valdes, Senior Advisor, Project Evaluations for Agnico Eagle.” In just one month, the students delivered fast, well‑designed solutions with robust 3D data visualizations, intuitive input dashboards, and rapid graphical outputs.  This is exactly what is needed today in real‑world, production‑grade mining and geology workflows.”

Team OreVista, comprised of four Cambrian students, hacked its way to the top prize of $1,000. Team members were drawn from two of Cambrian’s programs: Game Design and Computer Programming – Internet of Things.

“Having the opportunity to work on a real-world problem such as this was an incredible learning experience,” says Zeus Tata, a Game Design student at Cambrian and member of Team OreVista. “Every team at the event brought forth truly remarkable solutions, and none of it would have been possible without the support from all of the amazing people at Hanson Venture Lab, Cambrian R&D, Agnico Eagle, and CEMI. So we want to extend our gratitude to all of them for granting us this great opportunity.”

Placing second in the Hackathon was Team StopeOpt v1.0, a tandem with a student each from Collège Boréal and Laurentian University. For its efforts, the team won $500.

“At the Hanson Venture Lab, we’re passionate about creating innovative opportunities that bring our broader community together, and Hackathon is a great example of this,” adds Pamela Drouin, Partnership Coordinator for Cambrian’s Hanson Venture Lab. “It was inspiring to see all three post-secondary institutions in Sudbury involved. This challenge highlights the strength of our local ecosystem and the importance of connecting students with real-world industry challenges, helping them build the skills and confidence to drive innovation forward.”

Delivering educational experiences that allow students to succeed in their careers, strengthening regional partnerships, and accelerating innovation are all among Cambrian’s strategic priorities.

For more information about the work of Cambrian R&D, visit https://cambriancollege.ca/rd.

To learn more about the activities of the Hanson Venture Lab, visit https://cambriancollege.ca/supports-services/hanson-venture-lab.