Join Hackathon
Why should I join the Hackathon? Benefits of participating
Whether you want to compete or volunteer, joining this hackathon will give you the opportunity to meet students from all disciplines and work together toward an uplifting goal. If you compete, aside from the opportunity to compete for cash prizes, this event will give you insight into how tools are created in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors to address community needs, helping build #techforgood.
This experience will expose participants to ethical, social, and environmental responsibility perspectives of product creation, while also providing real-world experience working with multidisciplinary teams on open-ended challenges. Throughout the event, mentors will assist teams as they work on problems and test their prototypes. The final day of the hackathon will include a 10-minute pitch presentation to a panel of judges selected from multiple fields. At the end of the competition, the judges will select three winning teams. Volunteers will also have the opportunity to work with teams on specific aspects of organizing the event while learning new skills and connecting with students, faculty, and alumni. Participants will be able to apply the lessons and hands-on experience gained from the hackathon to future classes, projects, and career opportunities while building valuable connections.
This is the first Social Justice Hackathon on campus, and the hope is to make it an ongoing collaboration between colleges and student groups so it can become an annual campus event.
I’m excited about being part of the team bringing a Hackathon to our very own WWU community because I see a need to connect the talented people of WWU with the local community in a way that is reciprocally beneficial, and I see a need to bridge gaps between the numerous colleges which tend to be siloed. I’ve never attended a Hackathon before because of lack of access (distance, time, cost, etc.), and because many of the ones I’ve seen online have been held for the benefit of the tech community and not society as a whole. I’m excited to bring a Hackathon here and make it beneficial to as many people as possible
Abdiel Ramires
WWU Alum, Computer Science
“With so much happening every day, it is easy to feel helpless. We want to provide an opportunity for students to use the very skills they are learning here at Western to make a positive impact in the community. No one is truly helpless, and now more than ever it is important to use collaboration as a tool for change."
Anabel Bedlam, WWU CS Department Computer Science
How do I join a team?
Teams will be created on the evening of October 23 after the keynote speaker. To sign up to compete, visit our devpost page, where technical submissions will be made. Because we want teams to be multidisciplinary, participants will have the opportunity on October 23 to meet one another and join a team working on a challenge of interest. To join a team, fill out the form on Devpost.