Students from Jala University triumph at the NASA Space Apps Challenge 

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The NASA Space Apps Challenge Cochabamba 2025 —the local edition of the world’s largest hackathon— was a showcase for the talent we cultivate at Jala University. Our students not only participated but also demonstrated the power of a superior technical and human education by taking first and second place in the competition.

This event, organized by NASA to solve real challenges on Earth and in space, promotes innovation and collaboration. It brought together 28 teams, but our talent shone with its own light.

First place: Team CloudCatchers with WIRA

The CloudCatchers team, made up entirely of Jala University students, developed WIRA, an intelligent web application to predict air quality through interactive heat maps.

WIRA integrates data from NASA’s TEMPO satellite, uses a Machine Learning model for forecasting, and includes an AI chatbot to explain the effects of pollution in natural language. 

“Living the NASA Space Apps Challenge was an experience full of learning, dedication, and teamwork. With Wira, our little tech flame, we learned, pushed ourselves, and led with great enthusiasm. Winning first place in this hackathon reaffirms that when we combine knowledge, creativity, and collaboration, we can generate real impact.” — Luciana Flores Torrico 

“Participating and winning was an experience that reminded us that true innovation is born from teamwork and a genuine desire to learn.” – Catriel Pereira Torrez 

“An experience that integrated science, technology, innovation, and collaboration to drive change. Achieving the transformation of data into action represents an important step toward real impact.” – Johan Aguirre Apaza

Second place: Team Archi with “Will My Party Rain?”

The Archi team, including Jala University students among its members, took second place with the project “Will My Party Rain?”.

This innovative project uses NASA’s historical data and an LSTM neural network (AI with long-term memory) complemented by a RAG system to predict weather months in advance. Complex information is communicated in a friendly way thanks to a Gemini-powered agent and an interface developed in Angular.

“In the end, this award proves that collaboration and creativity are as important as code. I am very grateful for this opportunity and for connecting with such an amazing group of people. Huge thanks to the NASA Space Apps organizers and, of course, to my incredible colleagues from Team Archi!” — Daleth Vasquez

“Every event has a purpose. Persevere and keep preparing yourself, because the right moment comes for those who are ready to seize it.” – Douglas Mendez

The formula for success at Jala University

These achievements confirm that our career plan and theoretical-practical methodology, together with the real experience of our instructors, shape insightful professionals with critical thinking and the interpersonal skills demanded by the global industry.

“None of this would have been possible without Jala University, where we have built the technical foundation and human values that made this project possible. We are learning not only technology, but also communication, empathy, and leadership, which turned our effort into real teamwork and our project into something meaningful.” — Fernando Pinto, CloudCatchers team

“At Jala University we not only learned the technical part; we also developed soft skills such as teamwork, communication, and leadership. That combination of knowledge and experience was essential to achieving first place in this competition.” — Marcelo Choque Burgoa, CloudCatchers team

We are proud of the talent, commitment, and determination of our students. Congratulations to everyone for taking Bolivian innovation to the next level!

Full scholarships for all students

One of our pillars is inclusive education: that is why, at Jala University, all students receive a full university scholarship. We believe in the young talent of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico, and we want to ensure that no student is left out for economic reasons.

Learn how our practical curriculum works and begin your journey to becoming a software engineer with a vision in artificial intelligence.

This article was written in Spanish and translated into English and Portuguese with the help of ChatGPT.