Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Crowns Winners of Industrial Hackathon

A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
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Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Crowns Winners of Industrial Hackathon

A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Industrial Development Fund (SIDF) Bandar bin Ibrahim Al-Khorayef and Prince Sultan bin Khalid bin Faisal, CEO of the SIDF, crowned the winning teams of the second edition of the “Industrial Hackathon”.

Launched by the SIDF to encourage youth contribution in developing industrial sectors, the Industrial Hackathon introduces innovative solutions to the challenges facing national manufacturers through three aspects: design, production, and sustainability.

In the design track, the PSU Industry 4.0 team secured the first-place position, with the THROUGH team taking second place. In the production track, the BRDAN team claimed first place, while the Mankhal team earned the second-place spot.

In the sustainability track, the HEXA team emerged as the first-place winner, followed by the E-VIVE team in second place. The RedNest team was recognized for presenting the most outstanding solution to the challenge posed by the Red Sea International Company (RSI) during the hackathon.

The first-place winning teams received a prize worth SAR 50,000, and the second-place winning teams won a prize of SAR 35,000, while the winning team in the Red Sea International Company (RSI) Challenge received a prize of SAR 25,000

Al-Khorayef congratulated the participants, extending his gratitude to all the entities supporting the Hackathon from the public and private sectors.

He reiterated that the Hackathon reflects the Industrial Fund’s continued commitment to supporting national manufacturers, embracing and supporting innovators, being one of the most important platforms that gather talents and creative ideas in a number of diverse industrial fields and challenges.

He pointed out that the Hackathon aims to support national companies and factories by devising creative solutions to the challenges that the manufacturers face and contributing to the growth of national products and promoting them at the local and global levels.

The Hackathon aims to bolster national companies and factories by devising innovative solutions to the challenges they encounter, helping with the advancement of domestic products and enhancing their visibility both locally and globally, he added.

The Industrial Hackathon is an opportunity to learn about the creative potential in Saudi society that can help in achieving the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 and the National Strategy for Industry.

The total prize pool for the second edition of the Hackathon amounted to more than SAR 1,000,000.

This edition was held in partnership with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) as an innovation partner, Riyad Bank as a financial partner, and Sipchem Company as a Platinum sponsor.



World War II Sergeant Whose Plane Was Shot Down over Germany Honored with Reburial in California

This 1944 photo provided by Honoring Our Fallen shows WWII veteran US Army Air Force Tech. Sgt. Donald V. Banta from Los Angeles. Banta, 21, was killed in action in early 1944 when his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire over Gotha, Germany. On Thursday, July 25, 2024 community members lined the roads to honor Banta as he was brought from Ontario International Airport in southern California to a burial home. (Honoring Our Fallen via AP)
This 1944 photo provided by Honoring Our Fallen shows WWII veteran US Army Air Force Tech. Sgt. Donald V. Banta from Los Angeles. Banta, 21, was killed in action in early 1944 when his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire over Gotha, Germany. On Thursday, July 25, 2024 community members lined the roads to honor Banta as he was brought from Ontario International Airport in southern California to a burial home. (Honoring Our Fallen via AP)
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World War II Sergeant Whose Plane Was Shot Down over Germany Honored with Reburial in California

This 1944 photo provided by Honoring Our Fallen shows WWII veteran US Army Air Force Tech. Sgt. Donald V. Banta from Los Angeles. Banta, 21, was killed in action in early 1944 when his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire over Gotha, Germany. On Thursday, July 25, 2024 community members lined the roads to honor Banta as he was brought from Ontario International Airport in southern California to a burial home. (Honoring Our Fallen via AP)
This 1944 photo provided by Honoring Our Fallen shows WWII veteran US Army Air Force Tech. Sgt. Donald V. Banta from Los Angeles. Banta, 21, was killed in action in early 1944 when his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire over Gotha, Germany. On Thursday, July 25, 2024 community members lined the roads to honor Banta as he was brought from Ontario International Airport in southern California to a burial home. (Honoring Our Fallen via AP)

After 80 years, a World War II sergeant killed in Germany has returned home to California.

On Thursday, community members lined the roads to honor US Army Air Force Tech. Sgt. Donald V. Banta as he was brought from Ontario International Airport to a burial home in Riverside, California, The AP reported.

Banta, 21, was killed in action in early 1944 when his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire over Gotha, Germany, according to Honoring Our Fallen, an organization that provides support to families of fallen military and first responders.

One of the surviving crewmembers saw the plane was on fire, then fell in a steep dive before exploding on the ground. After the crash, German troops buried the remains of one soldier at a local cemetery, while the other six crewmembers, including Banta, were unaccounted for.

Banta was married and had four sisters and a brother. He joined the military because of his older brother Floyd Jack Banta, who searched for Donald Banta his whole life but passed away before he was found.

Donald Banta's niece was present at the planeside honors ceremony at the Ontario airport coordinated by Honoring Our Fallen.

The remains from the plane crash were initially recovered in 1952, but they could not be identified at the time and were buried in Belgium. Banta was accounted for Sept. 26, 2023, following efforts by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency within the US Department of Defense and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System.