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Principia College ACMC takes six awards in AI Hackathon

At Principia College, no student is limited by their experience, grade level, or major. Every student has a chance to design their own path.  

Ivan Vashchenko decided his path was to create a new club. In February 2025, Ivan with faculty sponsor Jonathan Langton (US’97, C’01) designed and created the Applied Computational Modeling Club (ACMC). Having recently passed its one-year anniversary, ACMC has already earned significant recognition. 

For their third-ever hackathon, ACMC decided to participate in the LIVE AI Ivy Plus Hackathon. Judged against elite institutions like MIT, Harvard, NYU, and Duke, the Principia College team rose to the occasion. ACMC delivered their most dominant hackathon performance to date, earning top placements across multiple categories. 

Members of the club present about their club's performance at the Ivy + Hackathon.

“A huge part of [our success] came from our preparation beforehand, the way we intentionally structured the team, and the discipline everyone had in doing their part well for the sake of the whole product,” said Vashchenko. 

Seniors Klaudija Klava Bumane and Kesiena Berezi, juniors Ivan Vashchenko and Prem Pun Magar, and freshman Volodymyr Hrimov, each brought a distinct perspective shaped by their unique academic paths. Every member of the team is double or triple majoring, collectively spanning disciplines as diverse as Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, Business Administration, Visual Arts, Digital Media, and Philosophy. 

Junior Prem Pun Magar (L) and Freshman Volodymyr Hrimov (R) present in Wanamaker Hall.

In the LIVE AI Hackathon, the premise was to design, develop, and demo an application incorporating themes of AI or Blockchain in the medical or financial fields. At the end of the hackathon competition, the team submitted a four-minute video pitching their product.  

In the 36-hour weekend, the team designed Argus, an AI financial tool that acts as a safety net for companies using AI shopping agents.  

As companies increasingly rely on these AI tools to automate their large purchases, vulnerabilities are evident. With no precautions, these AI shoppers can significantly cost companies by purchasing products at inflated prices, in wrong quantities, or even buying the wrong items.  

Principia’s team envisioned a system that can block unauthorized purchases and designed a dashboard for easy tracking. 

With over 400 participants, the Argus team was recognized in almost every category:  

  • Global Overall Honorable Mention 
  • Global Best Demo 
  • Financial Tech 2nd Place 
  • AI/Machine Learning Honorable Mention 
  • Design Honorable Mention 
  • Product Honorable Mention 

Along with these high accolades, Argus is being evaluated for potential investment funding up to $25,000. 

“These recent accomplishments are the confirmation that the direction we have been building toward is working,” said Vashchenko. The club is preparing for three more competitions this semester: STL TechWeek’s University Pitch Competition, a Datathon at UHSP, and a hackathon involving Geospatial Video Intelligence. ACMC is also currently planning their first hackathon to be hosted at Principia next school year.  

“It has been amazing to watch students genuinely care about what they are building, get excited to attend events, represent Principia, and later share how the things they learned through ACMC helped them in the classroom or at internships,” said Vashchenko, reflecting on the experience. 

From studio art to journalism majors, ACMC’s success is rooted in the diversity of its members. The club continues to demonstrate that its highest achievements are driven by collaboration across disciplines.  

Learn more about ACMC's Argus Model and watch their official pitch.