ConocoPhillips is one of the world’s largest independent exploration and production companies in the oil and gas industry.  

They are known for their focus on technological innovation, environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility initiatives in the energy sector. 

After being selected, Missouri State University sophomore computer science student, Bakhrom Norkulov, attended the ConocoPhillips’ IT (Information Technology) Innovation Challenge, where his team took the first place.  

“I’m grateful to ConocoPhillips for giving me the chance to attend this event. It was an amazing experience,” Norkulov said. “I’m proud to represent my country, Uzbekistan, and Missouri State.” 

Creating digital dialogue 

The competition took place Sept. 5-8 at the company’s world headquarters in Houston, Texas. 

It provided students with special opportunities, such as: 

• Engagement with ConocoPhillips IT Leadership. 
• Hackathon competition with prizes awarded. 
• Experience what it’s like to be an IT intern/new hire at ConocoPhillips. 

At the competition, student participants formed groups. Bakhrom’s group was named “The Innovators.” 

Competing groups were tasked with creating an application programming interface (API), a software mediator that allows two applications to talk to each other. The API would be used to access a large language model.  

The Innovators created a knowledge chatbot using HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), JavaScript and Python. 

The chatbot they created was able to answer questions, such as “What is cybersecurity?” and “What is a computer virus?” in detail. 

Bakhrom and his team’s successful chatbot earned them first place in the competition. 

“Our team gained valuable insights through the experience of working on a real-time project and working as a team,” Norkulov said. “Our persistence while working through failures was worth it when we saw the result of our hard work.” 

Bakhrom and his team represented MSU well. 

“I want to congratulate Bakhrom and his team for representing MSU and the computer science department with such distinction,” said computer science department head Dr. Ajay Katangur. “Their achievement is a shining example of the innovative and impactful work that our students are capable of. 

“As Bakhrom’s success demonstrates, the possibilities in the field of computer science are endless, and the skills and knowledge students gain can lead to meaningful and rewarding experiences. I encourage all of our students to explore computer science opportunities and strive for excellence in their studies and projects.” 

Explore opportunities in computer science