AccuWeather Congratulates University of Kansas HackKU winning team, CrossGuard

AccuWeather Congratulates University of Kansas HackKU winning team, CrossGuard

Team of undergraduates celebrated for major victory at competitive gathering of future tech leaders

AccuWeather Global Weather Center, March 18, 2020 — Global weather and digital media leader AccuWeather was pleased to recognize, CrossGuard, the winning team at University of Kansas’ annual HackKU hackathon. As a silver level sponsor to encourage the next-generation of technology disrupters and innovators, AccuWeather evaluated 11 teams of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) students and enthusiasts as they developed the best use of the patented weather API. Of those 11 teams, only one emerged victorious.

CrossGuard, driven by a spark of innovation and desire to help visually impaired people, utilized AccuWeather’s API to develop an app that, in part, supports blind individuals in need of assistance navigating outdoor walks and avoiding hazards caused by weather.  In addition to its creative, altruistic teamwork, CrossGuard was celebrated as being one of the most diverse teams at the competition. This signified AccuWeather’s continued encouragement of young people to embrace the various opportunities available within a STEM career.

“We are pleased to recognize this team of talented students, who had the vision to create an app that was both purposeful and in alignment with the core values of AccuWeather to help people prosper,” said Senior Director, Enterprise Solutions Information Technology at AccuWeather, Bill Vincent. “This exercise combines the invaluable qualities of teamwork and commitment, where participants share in a learning experience of team-building and problem solving for the benefit of the greater good.”

"AccuWeather provided HackKU with invaluable knowledge and support. Their mentors helped cultivate a lot of interest in the AccuWeather API which inspired 10 different projects ranging from a Minecraft Weather plugin to an app to help the blind navigate a busy city. The HackKU team is very grateful for all of the time and support AccuWeather provided during the event!"

The annual HackKU event runs for 36-hours at the University of Kansas, where students have the opportunity to innovate new ideas, discover new paths of learning, and push the boundaries of technology. This environment is rife for the opportunity to meet mentors and understand the benefits that companies such as AccuWeather provide to people every day.  As a sponsor of the event, AccuWeather re-confirmed its commitment to growing awareness of the role that weather plays in impacting people’s lives, and the importance of the development and mentorship of students interested in pursuing the myriad fields, which embrace technology to advance the science of weather and weather-related issues.

MLH, the official student hackathon league, powers over 200 weekend-long invention competitions every year, such as HackKU. These bastions of creativity and innovation bring together more 65,000 students around the world, building a community made up of the next generation of technology leaders and entrepreneurs.

About AccuWeather, Inc. and AccuWeather.com — AccuWeather, recognized and documented as the most accurate source of weather forecasts and warnings in the world, has saved tens of thousands of lives, prevented hundreds of thousands of injuries and tens of billions of dollars in property damage. With global headquarters in State College, PA and other offices around the world, AccuWeather serves more than 1.5 billion people daily to help them plan their lives and get more out of their day through digital media properties, such as AccuWeather.com and mobile, as well as radio, television, newspapers, and the 24/7 AccuWeather Network channel. Additionally, AccuWeather produces and distributes news, weather content, and video for more than 180,000 third-party websites. Among AccuWeather’s many innovative and award-winning features available free to the public are MinuteCast^® Minute by Minute™ forecasts with Superior Accuracy™. Furthermore, AccuWeather serves more than half of Fortune 500 companies and thousands of businesses globally. Dr. Joel N. Myers, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, established AccuWeather in 1962 and is considered the “father of modern commercial meteorology.” Dr. Myers, a leading creative thinker and visionary, has been named “the most accurate man in weather” by The New York Times and one of the top entrepreneurs in American history by Entrepreneur’s Encyclopedia of Entrepreneurs.

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