ULM Students Place Top Five at HackRice 16
Jeevan Parajuli and Pankaj Bhatta ranked among the top five of 119 projects with their app Casey.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Language Learning
Live Poll
Do you think public universities should fund student travel to tech competitions?
Jeevan Parajuli and Pankaj Bhatta, students from the University of Louisiana at Monroe, placed in the top five out of 119 projects at HackRice 16, held September 11-13, 2026, at Rice University in Houston, Texas. They presented their project Casey to judges and a large audience.
Why it matters
Casey combines ElevenLabs, Google Gemini, and TigerData, showing how students can build working projects from widely available AI and data tools. The result highlights the value of hackathon participation for students outside large research universities.
Parajuli and Bhatta placed in the top five out of 119 projects, though they did not win the competition. Their project Casey integrates ElevenLabs, Google Gemini, and TigerData, and the specific judging criteria used were not disclosed.
The players
Rice University
A private research university in Houston, Texas, that hosted the HackRice 16 hackathon.
University of Louisiana at Monroe
A public university in Monroe, Louisiana, whose students Parajuli and Bhatta attended.
The details
Parajuli and Bhatta teamed up to build Casey, which they presented to judges and an audience at Rice University's HackRice 16. The ULM Computer Science Department assisted with travel authorization and funding, and the College of Business and Social Sciences helped make the opportunity possible.
Timeline
- HackRice 16 was held September 11-13, 2026, at Rice University in Houston, Texas.
Season Trajectory
HackRice is an established student hackathon hosted by Rice University, and this year's edition drew 119 projects. Placement in the top five signals competitive results for a regional university team within that series.
Students interested in hackathons can monitor HackRice's official site for future competition dates and registration. Teams planning entries should account for the multi-day format and the project-building window before judging.
The takeaway
Hackathons give students hands-on experience with current AI tools and a chance to compete against peers from larger institutions. Participation can build practical skills that carry into future projects and careers.
Further reading
Explore more Language Learning coverage tied to the Houston education scene.
More information
Find details on upcoming events at HackRice competition information.
Source note: This article includes information reported by NPR News and Music for northeast Louisiana | KEDM.
Live Poll
Do you think public universities should fund student travel to tech competitions?
