Published November 6, 2026

CAPTION: ULM computer science students Pankaj Bhatta (left) and Jeevan Parajuli (right) placed in the top 5 at the HackRice 16 competition at Rice University in Houston, Texas.  

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MONROE, La. – Two ULM Computer Science students, Jeevan Parajuli and Pankaj Bhatta, recently participated in HackRice 16 (2026) at Rice University in Houston, Texas, on Sept. 11-13, 2026. 

HackRice brings together creators, developers, and designers together under one roof to develop and showcase their creative and entrepreneurial talent. The competition is an opportunity for students to build a network of creators, receive internships and job offers from world-class sponsors, and learn about modern tools and systems.  

Parajuli and Bhatta teamed up to create their project “Casey,” which combines several emerging technologies, including ElevenLabs for interactive voice conversations, Google Gemini for AI-powered reasoning challenges, and TigerData for a shared leaderboard. 

Their project was selected as one of the top five projects, giving them the opportunity to present Casey to the judges and a large audience. 

“We are very proud of Jeevan Parajuli and Pankaj Bhatta for representing ULM Computer Science at HackRice 16 and for having their project selected among the top five out of 119 projects,” said Dr. Pransanthi Sreekumari, Associate Professor of Computer Science. 

“Their achievements reflect the creativity, technical skills, and dedication of our students. Experiences like this provide valuable opportunities to apply classroom knowledge to real-world problems and to engage with emerging areas such as artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. We are pleased that the ULM Computer Science department, with support from the cybersecurity project fund of the Cybersecurity Education Management Council (CEMC) and the Louisiana Board of Regents, was able to help make their participation possible,” added Sreekumari.   

Although the team did not receive the final winning prize, being selected among the top five projects out of 119 submissions was a significant accomplishment. 

The hackathon provided Parajuli and Bhatta with valuable experience working under competition pressure, collaborating with talented participants, interacting with experts, and exploring current developments in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies. 

The experience also gave them an opportunity to see how other teams approach real-world problems, contributing to their technical and professional growth. 

Parajuli and Bhatta expressed their appreciation for the support they received from ULM throughout the process. 

“We are extremely thankful to the ULM Computer Science Department, especially Professor Sreekumari, for supporting us throughout this opportunity,” they said. “From the beginning, when we shared our interest in attending HackRice 16, Professor Sreekumari supported and encouraged us. The Computer Science department assisted us with travel authorization, funding arrangements, and the overall process of participating in the hackathon.  

“We are also very grateful to the College of Business and Social Sciences for helping make this opportunity possible. This was a meaningful experience for us, and we truly appreciate the encouragement, trust, and support we received from the department and the college.” 

Learn more about the HackRice competition at https://hackrice.com.  

Learn more about the ULM Computer Science program at https://www.ulm.edu/cbss/computerscience/program.