University students to converge on McMaster for 24-hour hackathon for change
Hundreds of university students will be gathering at McMaster University for the third annual DeltaHacks hackathon for change on Jan. 28-29.
Organized for students by students, the event encourages participants from all fields of study to come together for an intensive 24-hour marathon event to tackle real-world problems by building applications that create positive change. More than 400 students from several universities are expected to attend this year’s event at McMaster University’s Engineering Technology Building (ETB).
The difference between DeltaHacks and other hackathons is that it embraces elements of design thinking to make “hacks” that solve real world problems. Last year’s winning teams came up with hacks ranging from ideas to redistribute wasted food to social agencies to flood detection to a web diagnostic tool to detect hipbone deterioration.
During the competition, teams of three to four students are formed to tackle a problem within our world, including healthcare, the environment, or any issue they feel particularly strong about. Representatives from City of Hamilton’s Our Future Initiative will present opportunities for students to make a difference in the community.
Mentors and free workshops will be available throughout the day to help attendees learn whatever technical skills their project requires.
DeltaHacks is organized by PhaseOne, which is a club for students interested in learning, building and experimenting with different computer and coding languages.
