Alex Byaly, Steven Clontz, Zachary Sarver and Ph.D. graduate, Daniel Brice, all from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, won first prize at the Smart City Hackathon, a competition hosted in Auburn where teams build smart tools for the benefit of the city. Their team, “Math Department Team Alpha,” competed against seven teams of programmers and won $750. The app, “Is Toomer’s Corner Being Rolled Right Now,” uses linear algebra to analyze edge-detected screenshots of the City of Auburn’s live feed of Toomer’s Corner in order to determine if it is being rolled with toilet paper. If it is being rolled, the program posts to Twitter and updates their website. The team will move ahead to compete in the Smart City Hackathon’s global competition. 

Rob Pate, a 2002 graduate of the College of Sciences Mathematics, has been named Young Optometrist of the South by the Southern Council of Optometrists. The award recognizes an optometrist in practice for less than 10 years who has already made a significant impact in the field of optometry. Pate graduated from the University of Alabama School of Optometry in 2007 and joined EyeCare Associates in Hoover, Ala., as an associate. In 2014, he became a full partner of the practice. Pate is involved in both state and national optometric organizations including the Birmingham Area Optometric Society, the Alabama Optometric Association’s InfantSee committee and the Alabama Special Olympics Opening Eyes program. While at Auburn, he was a four-year starter for the football team. He has written, “A Tiger’s Walk: Memoirs of an Auburn Football Player,” and is a radio broadcaster hosting a live, weekly show providing commentary and analysis on Auburn football.