Seven ETSU students participate in Core4ce’s 2025 Innovation Challenge Pitch Event. ‍

Seven East Tennessee State University College of Business and Technology students took part in Core4ce’s 2025 Innovation Challenge Pitch Event, which culminated on Friday at Tennessee Hills Brewstillery.

With both prizes and bragging rights on the line, the students competed in teams alongside nearly 40 Core4ce team members to collaborate virtually and rapidly to develop a functional software prototype and demo video over the span of just 10 days.  

Who is Core4ce:

Core4ce is a national security company that works across disciplines, including cybersecurity, analytics, engineering and mission solutions.  

ETSU CBAB student Justin Dubin watches the presentations during the Core4ce Innovation Challenge Pitch Event.
Justin Dubin

The Challenge:

Create a functional, interactive prototype that combines disparate HPAI A (H5N1) data sources into a unified platform, with the goal of better managing and mitigating the spread of bird flu, ultimately protecting both animal and human populations.

“At the ETSU College of Business and Technology, one of our core goals is to provide students with transformative learning experiences that prepare them to excel in their careers,” said Dr. Tony Pittarese, dean of the ETSU College of Business and Technology. “The Core4ce pitch competition gives students a powerful opportunity to apply what they learn in the classroom to a real-world business challenge.”

ETSU CBAT student Samuel Deaton delivers his team’s pitch during the Core4ce Innovation Challenge Pitch Event.
Samuel Deaton

The Participants:

Across various teams, ETSU students contributed innovative concepts and practical implementation. Leveraging their ETSU Department of Computing backgrounds, they provided technical expertise for both the front-end and back-end of bio-event tracking systems, ensuring a seamless and user-friendly way to monitor real-time data in one centralized platform. “It is a highly motivating way for them to sharpen their skills and see the direct relevance of their studies,” states Pittarese.

The seven ETSU students who competed were:

  • Noah Ashmore
  • Samuel Deaton
  • Justin Dubin
  • Samuel Caleb Nkrumah-Appiah
  • Luke Seal
  • Gracie Wright
  • Lydia Yoakley

The Results:

ETSU students took home some hardware as Justin Dubin’s team came in third place.

"I believe events like the Innovation Challenge are among the most important things to participate in as a student,” said Dubin. “They allow us to bring classroom concepts into real-world use cases, while also creating networking opportunities and giving us more visibility into industry practices today."

Hands-on learning opportunities like this are at the heart of ETSU's education philosophy, which centers on community-engaged learning. For example, ETSU's Office of Community Engagement works with faculty and staff to design innovative curricular and co-curricular opportunities to support community projects while the ETSU Research Corporation helps leverage classroom learning and research as drivers of innovation throughout the region. Explore the many ways ETSU students, faculty and staff enrich the region at etsu.edu/go-beyond.

ETSU CBAT student Luke Seal answers questions during a break at the Core4ce Innovation Challenge Pitch Event.
Luke Seal

The ETSU Research Corporation — through programs such as the iLab — helps bring industry partnerships, innovation projects and applied research opportunities directly into the hands of ETSU students and faculty.