As business graduate student Samarth Shiramshetty earns his M.S. in management information systems from NIU’s College of Business, he cannot help but reflect on how far his interest in information technology has taken him.

Earlier this semester, Shiramshetty was part of a group who won the Grand Prize in Education at Stanford University’s TreeHacks competition for their HiveMind concept.

“HiveMind was born from a simple yet powerful idea: How can we support students who are struggling silently during virtual learning?” Shiramshetty said. “At hackathons, my team and I kept seeing the same issue — students weren’t engaging or getting the help they needed online. We envisioned HiveMind as a collaborative AI platform that integrates with tools like Zoom to assess students’ understanding in real time using quizzes, transcriptions and AI-powered insights.”

Based on performance, this tool groups students into peer nodes for personalized learning and support. Apart from Zoom, HiveMind also integrates OpenAI and Perplexity’s API for building, and it also includes new technology, such as deploying AI agents.

“The whole project was about building cognitive intelligence and learning from it,” he said. “Winning the Grand Prize in Education at TreeHacks validated the importance of this problem and our approach to solving it. Moving forward, we want to continue developing HiveMind to support hybrid learning environments, incorporate advanced analytics and, eventually, make it available to schools and universities around the world.”

The TreeHacks Education Grand Prize focuses on projects that leverage technology to enhance learning experiences, improve educational access, or increase student engagement. This prize celebrates projects that aim to redefine how people learn, connect, and grow, creating more inclusive and accessible learning environments, according to Zoom. The winner received $1,000 cash, four pairs of Meta Ray-Ban Smart Glasses and four Marine Layer Zoom Hoodies.

“It was surreal [to win the grand prize,]” Shiramshetty shared. “Being recognized at Stanford, competing against some of the brightest minds from top universities, and having our work acknowledged by Zoom, OpenAI and other industry leaders was an emotional and humbling experience. It felt like a tribute to all the years of hard work, the all-nighters and the belief that education can and should be more inclusive and intelligent.”

Growing up in Hyderabad, India, Shiramshetty was a part of a close-knit community where curiosity and creativity were always encouraged. From a young age, he was fascinated by how things worked, especially computers.

“I spent countless hours tinkering with hardware and experimenting, which gradually turned into a deep passion for software development,” he said. “I also had a strong interest in solving puzzles and logical challenges.”

When it came time to go to college, choosing IT was a natural decision. It was the perfect blend of his interests in problem-solving, innovation and technology, and he was especially drawn to the dynamic nature of the field, where there’s always something new to learn or build.

Shiramshetty was awarded a grant for a departmental project on deep learning, a subset of machine learning which uses artificial neural networks to analyze data and make predictions or decisions. These networks, inspired by the human brain, are structured in multiple layers, allowing them to learn complex patterns from large datasets. This was one of the earliest highlights in his burgeoning tech career.

After earning his bachelor’s degree in information technology from Osmania University, Shiramshetty carved out an incredibly diverse and enriching niche for himself.

“I’ve had the chance to work with amazing people in my life,” he said. “I got an opportunity to work for Accenture as a software engineer and worked closely with Microsoft, which was great exposure.”

He also did an internship for Webacy and Episensor before pursuing his M.S. in MIS at NIU’s College of Business. He is on track to graduate later this month.

“Right now, I’m focused on applying my skills in data engineering and AI engineering to meaningful, real-world problems. I’m also exploring internship and full-time opportunities where I can make a real impact,” Shiramshetty said. “The support from faculty and the strong sense of community have truly stood out. Professors like Biagio Palese have been incredibly encouraging and open to student-driven innovation.”

He also noted that he has also been pleasantly surprised by how much interdisciplinary collaboration is encouraged within the MIS program.

“It’s helped me grow, not just as a technologist, but also as a thinker and leader,” he said. “It felt like everything I had learned and experienced came together in that project. I’ve always been driven by the desire to create solutions that have real-world impact. Whether it was leading fundraising efforts in India or building passion projects with friends, I’ve always gravitated toward initiatives that allow me to innovate, collaborate and push boundaries.

Assistant Professor Biagio Palese has gotten to know Shiramshetty in class, and he has been impressed by the student’s hard work and vision.

“I couldn’t be prouder of Samarth for earning this prestigious honor and shining a spotlight on the NIU College of Business’ MIS program,” Palese said. “His achievement is a testament to what is possible when you step beyond your comfort zone and put classroom lessons into real-world action. I am especially glad he embraced the challenge and seized the opportunity to innovate, rather than just focusing on grades. Samarth’s journey is proof that our students have the talent and drive to make a meaningful impact on their own lives and in the world around them.”

Looking ahead, Shiramshetty’s goal is to become a leader in the field of data and AI, ideally working at the intersection of technology and social impact.

“In five years, I envision myself as a senior AI engineer or product innovator at a tech-forward company, or even running my own startup focused on AI for education or health care,” he said. “I want to keep building tools that solve meaningful problems.”