On Dec. 4, Fulcrum Technology Holdings hosted an alumni-sponsored case competition. The competition was part of the Frank Main Innovation Initiative, founded on behalf of Frank Main, Sci ’52, by his children Shane Maine, ArtSci ’92 and Elicia Maine, Sci ’93.

The case competition focused on artificial intelligence and data and their applications to the energy, mining, and financial industries along with alumni and working professionals as judges.

Julia Maine, Sci ’21 and one of the event coordinators, said the event gave students an opportunity to get hands-on learning experience while removing financial barriers. 

“The inspiration behind [the case competition] is to be able to connect with smart students and give them opportunities,” Maine said in an interview with The Journal.

Maine said societal questions around cybersecurity are important to understand—and students shouldn’t be left out of the conversation.

The winning team was comprised of Ben Minor, CompSci ’22, Sam Kimball, Comm ’22, and Cameron Jedemann, LifeSci ’22.

“The winning team was a multidisciplinary team, which we really liked,” Juliana Brown, Sci ’20 and analyst at the Fulcrum Technology Holdings, told The Journal in an interview.

“That’s what we’re trying to encourage—for students to work with people outside of class and worry about things outside of a traditional engineering degree or a traditional commerce degree,” Brown added.

According to Brown, Fulcrum Technology Holdings intends to host two more case competitions in March. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the dates are subject to change.

“We’re hoping to have more industry representatives attend and be there to foster mentorship with the students and get the students engaged […] in the alumni community,” Brown said.

“Those are the two goals in addition to having students be innovative and go beyond what their degrees are required at Queen’s.”