Aiming to create intelligent solutions that make traffic systems safer and smarter through artificial intelligence and data science, the 2025 USC-IMSC Hackathon was successfully held on Saturday, July 26, at the University of Southern California (USC) campus.
The event was jointly hosted by the USC Integrated Media Systems Center (IMSC) and Soongsil University’s Spartan Software Education Center, with material sponsorship from Korean-American retailer Wang Global.
Participants competed by developing AI-powered models capable of detecting road damage from image data, demonstrating both technical insight and creativity. The hackathon ran for 12 hours, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., with 69 students from high schools and universities forming 20 teams to collaborate and showcase their programming skills.
Students from a total of 16 universities and 10 high schools across the United States and South Korea joined the hackathon, bringing together a diverse range of students.
“Last year, we unfortunately had to cancel the event, but this year we returned with a more innovative and challenging theme, which sparked strong interest and participation,” said Dr. Sunho Kim, Director of USC IMSC. “I was amazed by the students’ passion and their ability to develop creative ideas and technical solutions in such a short time.”
Echoing this sentiment, Professor Yongtae Shin, head of the Spartan SW Education Center at Soongsil University, added, “I was deeply impressed by the participants’ problem-solving skills and focus. I hope this hands-on experience in a global setting becomes a major turning point for the students.”
In the university division, Team “Charmander” — composed of Seong Hyeon Noh, JiYoon Kweon, Gaeun Lee, and Graham Kim — took first place.
In the high school division, the winning team included Ray Yoon, Aiden Chang, and Sara Wang, who are currently participating in the Korea Daily Data Science Project, a summer program for high school students.
High school participant Aiden Hwang shared, “Watching how the college students approached the problem and wrote their reports helped me learn how to analyze and approach future challenges. It changed the way I think about problem-solving, beyond just the technology.”
Joonhyung Park, a senior at Kyonggi University, noted, “Our team used a YOLO-based image detection model to identify road damage. It was a meaningful opportunity to experience the real-world applicability of the technology.” He also expressed interest in pursuing graduate studies in AI and data science in the U.S. in the future.
The success of this year’s hackathon signals growing interest in global AI collaboration and hands-on education between Korean and American institutions.
[Winners]
University Division
▶ 1st Place:
– Team name: Charmander
– Team members: Seong Hyeon Noh, JiYoon Kweon, Gaeun Lee, Graham Kim
▶ 2nd Place:
– Team name: Okapi
– Team members: Incheol Park, Seungwoo Lee, Hahyun Song
▶ 3rd Place (Tie):
– Team name: CRACKPINK
– Members: Dahun Kwon, Minhyuk Cho, Jimin Yu, Ryan Yoo
– Team name: Three Guys
– Members: Yunju Kang, Yuri Im, Junhyeong Park
– Team name: BTS
– Members: Geon Lee, Sangyeop Kim, Yunha Seo, Jihun Kim
▶ Honorable Mention:
– Team name: KBS
– Members: Yongjae Shin, Sohee Baek, Juhee Kim
– Team name: Supernova
– Members: Eunjin Kwak, Doyoung Kim, Jiwon Hwang
High School Division
▶ 1st Place:
– Team name: Ray’s Team
– Members: Ray Yoon, Aiden Chang, Sara Wang
▶ Honorable Mention:
– Team name: Diane’s Team
– Members: Diane You, Julia Han, Aiden Hwang, Jaden Shim
– Team name: AI Force
– Members: Samuel Sun, Woorin Paik, Daniel Han
[Participating Universities]
Soongsil University, Sookmyung Women’s University, Sunmoon University, Pukyong National University, Korea Aerospace University, Dongguk University, Kyonggi University, Sejong University, Kongju National University, Sunchon National University, Chonnam National University, University of Seoul, Jeonbuk National University, Gyeongsang National University, University of Southern California (USC), University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
BY GYEONGEUN PARK [park.gyeongeun@koreadaily.com]
