Bowie State Students Compete for Pride and Prizes

Team Readies for HBCU Battle of the Brains

MEDIA CONTACT: David Thompson, dlthompson@bowiestate.edu, 301-860-4311

(BOWIE, Md.) – Everyone who attends an HBCU or graduated from one already knows about the Battle of the Bands that many say is the primary reason they attend football games in the fall. Many fans say the Battle of the Bands is more important than the outcome of the game for bragging rights. But there’s much more at stake at the HBCU Battle of the Brains Challenge than school pride on March 9-13 in Austin, Texas.

In its fifth year, the annual event will have teams of students from Bowie State and other HBCUs across the nation competing to determine which school is the Battle of the Brains champion. The students from each college or university will have 24 hours to develop a solution based on business challenges presented to their teams with judges selecting the winners. The institutional scholarship prizes are $50,000 for first place; $20,000 for placing second; and $10,000 for third place. Ebay is providing two $5,000 individual scholarships while Dell Technologies is giving six $2,000 scholarships to students.

A marketing plan and a go-to-market strategy must be included in technology solutions to meet competition requirements. HBCU colleges and universities are encouraged to send their strongest teams to compete in the Battle of the Brains Challenge due to the competitive spirit that was exhibited by students in past events.

“Bowie’s team has attracted some of the university’s brightest students in computer technology, finance, data science, and other areas,” said Professor Jainaba Ceesay, faculty coach for Bowie’s team. “We know that the students will be asked to incorporate business, design, and STEM components into their business solutions which is why the team is composed of students with different backgrounds,” she said.

Bowie State’s Battle of the Brains team includes Aaron Beach, junior, computer technology major; Brandon Craig, senior, computer technology major; Maya Noel, senior, business administration major; Abisola Olanipekun, management information systems graduate student; Tyren Walker, senior, computer technology major; and Josiah Weekes, junior, business administration major.

“I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am of the team,” said Noel. “We’ve spent countless hours practicing and emulating real-world scenarios to improve our ability to analyze problems and present technology driven solutions. This competition pushes you to excel and learn how to collaborate with others,” she said.  

The HBCU teams will be evaluated based on their ability to effectively assess business problems and solve real-world issues for corporations, start-ups, and industry partners. Students will participate in tours to Dell Corporation and other businesses in the Austin area and workshops facilitated by senior corporate executives.

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About Bowie State University
Bowie State University (BSU) is an important higher education access portal for qualified persons from diverse academic and socioeconomic backgrounds, seeking a high-quality and affordable public comprehensive university. The university places special emphasis on the science, technology, cybersecurity, teacher education, business, and nursing disciplines within the context of a liberal arts education. For more information about BSU, visit bowiestate.edu.