CU Denver Students Turn DNA Data into Actionable Family Health Insights, Win Grand Prize at STEM Connect Hackathon

When CU Denver students  Lisa Cho, Chloe Ha, Sybil Raphael, and David Yee were given the prompt to “think of yourself 5 years in the future” for STEM connect they didn’t picture intelligent assistants or networking boards —they pictured Fred: someone ready to settle down, strengthen family bonds, and stay connected to the people who matter most. 

That persona sparked the idea for GeneGuard, a tool that translates complex genetic data into actionable health insights for families, and it helped the team take home the grand prize at STEM Connect, outshining 37 other competitors.

From Idea to Innovation 

“Our team was inspired by research one of our members, David, had done at Tufts University on disease-gene prioritization using network biology,” says the team. “We realized families can download raw DNA files from services like 23andMe and Ancestry, but then they’re left wondering what to do with all that data. Most dashboards either overwhelm people with scientific jargon or provide vague trait lists. We wanted to bridge that gap.”

GeneGuard allows users to upload genetic files and see disease risk assessments paired with practical lifestyle tips—turning abstract science into real, approachable guidance families can use to proactively take steps to keep their family healthy. 

CU Denver: A Launchpad for Success

CU Denver’s courses and faculty played a pivotal role. “Classes like Algorithms, Data Structures, and Web APIs gave us the technical foundation we needed to build GeneGuard,” the team says. “But beyond the technical skills, what really stood out was how supportive our professors were. When we told them we had to travel to Pittsburgh for STEM Connect, they were incredibly understanding and helped us manage our coursework around the competition.” 

Participation in CU Denver’s Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers SASE chapter also gave the team confidence.  “SASE has genuinely changed our CU Denver experience. We often talk about how grateful we are to have joined SASE and had the opportunity to go to Pittsburgh and work together as a team. SASE has provided us with so many opportunities to develop professionally. We’ve attended career panels, networking events, and workshops that have helped us prepare for our futures,” they say. 

Rising to the Challenge

The conference itself was a whirlwind of inspiration and growth. Technical difficulties during their pitch could have derailed them, but the team adapted on the spot and finished strong. 

“We learned how to work together under stress, trust each other’s strengths, and overcome obstacles as a unit,” says the team. “We’re still working on GeneGuard together today, which shows how much that experience bonded us.”

Winning the grand prize, especially for first-time hackathon participants, was surreal. “We looked at each other like, ‘Did that really just happen?’ It was such a validating moment because we had worked so hard… To have that effort recognized, especially against 37 other talented teams, meant everything to us.” 

“It also made us realize that we’re capable of more than we thought. We came in as students still learning, and we left as engineers who built something real and meaningful. That confidence boost has stayed with us.”

Beyond the Hackathon

GeneGuard continues to evolve. Since STEM Connect, the team added a proper PostgreSQL database, added secure authentication, and began to build features that allow families to compare multiple genomic files. 

“We genuinely believe GeneGuard has potential to help people, so we want to keep developing it.”  The team says. Their goal is to make GeneGuard a tool that empowers families to make informed health decisions together.

For the students, the experience has shaped more than just a project. It has influenced career paths, inspired ongoing innovation, and reinforced the power of teamwork. 

“Personally, this experience has shaped our career paths. Some of us discovered we love frontend development, others realized they enjoy working with biological data and APIs. We’re all pursuing internships and opportunities where we can keep building meaningful software that solves real problems,” they say. “GeneGuard showed us that we can take an idea and turn it into something tangible that helps people, and that’s what we want to keep doing in our careers.”

Your Pathway to Impact

Through SASE, CU Denver students didn’t just compete—they learned, led, and launched a solution with real-world impact. Projects like GeneGuard exemplify the College of Engineering, Design and Computing’s approach to student success: blending technical skills, hands-on experience, and real-world problem-solving, supported by courses, faculty, and student organizations that allow them to apply what they have learned with real impact.  Together, they tackle challenges, learn under pressure, and build solutions with lasting impact.

CU Denver is more than a classroom—it’s where students turn opportunity into action. By providing hands-on, career-making experiences like STEM Connect, the university empowers students to tackle real-world challenges, collaborate across disciplines, and create solutions that matter.

Turn your ideas into real-world solutions. Join SASE or another CU Denver student organization and gain access to hackathons, networking, and career-building opportunities that put your skills to work. Explore student organizations at CU Denver’s College of Engineering, Computing and Design.