Battle of the Brains

The University of Central Florida (UCF) team has claimed the 1st Place National Championship at the 2024 Hispanic Serving Institutions’ Battle of the Brains competition, marking their second national title. While competing against 17 teams, UCF’s students impressed judges with their innovative business and technology solutions during a grueling 16-hour case competition, followed by networking and professional development days. The team’s performance earned them the $50,000 top prize, adding to UCF’s consistent success at the event over the past four years.

This victory underscores UCF’s strong partnership with the College of Business, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, and Dr. Cyndia Morales Muñiz, the Director of HSI Culture and Partnerships. With students from business, science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) backgrounds, the team’s collaborative approach demonstrated UCF’s commitment to fostering excellence and innovation. Their win further solidifies UCF’s reputation as one of the nation’s top innovative public universities.

UCF’s winning team was comprised of standout students from both the College of Business and the College of Engineering and Computer Science, including two stellar Integrated Business (IB) students and an IB faculty member as team advisor:

– Julia Da Silva – Team Captain, Computer Science B.S. alum and current Engineering Management graduate student

– Katherine Beltré – Integrated Business undergraduate

– Jeff Linares – Integrated Business undergraduate and Professional Selling Program minor

– Daniel Millán-Nieves – Industrial Engineering undergraduate

– Caitlin Castro, Mariana Guerrero, and Isidoro Serrano – Accounting undergraduates

– Ignacio Battaglia – Business Economics and Finance undergraduate double major

Faculty advisor Dr. David Penn, an IB lecturer, attributed UCF’s success to “the incredible synergy of talented student leaders coming together, driven by a shared passion for integrating business and STEM. Their collaboration, mutual support, and commitment to mastering optimal IB-style presentation techniques fostered innovation and inspired the audience.”