Purdue student combines hackathons and quantum computing, recognized on MLH Top 50 List

10-28-2025

Shay Manor, a junior at Purdue University studying computer science

Shay Manor, a Mountain View, California native and Computer Science student at Purdue University, class of 2028, has been named one of 2025's MLH Top 50—a list compiled each year by Major League Hacking (MLH) of the organization's most inspiring community members. The recipients are recognized for their exceptional contributions to the tech ecosystem and STEM education. 

Manor earned his place on the list through his unique combination of hackathon excellence and quantum computing research. At BoilerMake XII, he won the MLH Best Use of Gen AI category and received a Caterpillar prize, leading to a summer AI/ML internship offer at CoreWeave. His hackathon journey began at age 12 when he attended Capitol Royale 2019 with his siblings, building a basic music editor. 

"The energy, the creativity, and the sheer excitement of building alongside others pulled me in instantly," Manor says. 

At Purdue, Manor serves as a member of the CTF Team and is applying to organize a Quantum Hackathon. His technical interests span from traditional software development to quantum computing, where he placed fourth at MIT's IQuHACK as a freshman. 

Manor's approach to innovation involves exploring unconventional solutions. He built a sentiment analysis neural network using quantum annealing, achieving 82% accuracy compared to 85% with classical methods, but with faster training times. 

His projects have found real-world applications through building a suite of AI-powered study tools that condense lecture notes into flashcards and summaries for fellow students. Beyond technical achievements, Manor demonstrates creativity in practical applications, including building an automatic fish feeder for his dorm room using a Raspberry Pi kit. 

"Being selected for the MLH Top 50 is an exceptional honor, as each recipient is chosen from our community of more than 500,000 developers worldwide," says Mike Swift, MLH CEO and Co-Founder. "These 50 individuals represent the most innovative and impactful members of the next generation of technologists, and we're proud to celebrate their contributions to the global developer community." 

About Major League Hacking

Major League Hacking (MLH) is a mission-driven organization and certified B-Corp focused on empowering the next generation of technologists. MLH runs the largest community of early-career developers worldwide with more than 500,000 developers around the world. Each year, we power hundreds of weekend-long invention competitions that inspire innovation, cultivate communities, and teach computer science skills. Through programs like hackathons, internships, and workshops, community members count on MLH to gain practical hands-on experience, build their professional networks, and ultimately launch their careers. MLH works with employers to identify, train, and hire amazing, diverse technical talent directly from that community.

About the Department of Computer Science at Purdue University

Founded in 1962, the Department of Computer Science was created to be an innovative base of knowledge in the emerging field of computing as the first degree-awarding program in the United States. The department continues to advance the computer science industry through research. US News & Reports ranks Purdue CS #8 in computer engineering and #19 and #16 overall in undergraduate and graduate computer science, respectively. Additionally the program is ranked 6th in cybersecurity, 8th in software engineering, 13th in systems, 15th in programming languages and data analytics, and 18th in theory. Graduates of the program are able to solve complex and challenging problems in many fields. Our consistent success in an ever-changing landscape is reflected in the record undergraduate enrollment, increased faculty hiring, innovative research projects, and the creation of new academic programs. The increasing centrality of computer science in academic disciplines and society, and new research activities—centered around foundations and applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning, such as natural language processing, human computer interaction, vision, and robotics, as well as systems and security—are the future focus of the department. cs.purdue.edu 

Writer: Joseph Caputo, MLH