In October, BYU-I students began their overnight Hackathon projects at the Science and Technology Center. William Clements, a computer science and electrical engineering faculty, oversaw the event and gave instructions.
Students brought week-long preparation to the second Hackathon. The participants were eager to begin their second Hackathon event.
William Clements presenting during hackathon. Photo credit: Ty Williams
Global competition was no longer the students’ focus. Now, each participant’s objective was to out-compete those on campus. Students remained all night on campus to finish by the 24-hour project deadline.
“Around 160 people have joined (the) BYU-Idaho Hackathon event,” said Hackathon organizer Annaka Mcclelland. “Around 38 (were) teams made.”
The winners of the BYU-I Hackathon included the following projects: GP teacher, Canvas Discord bot, Itch programming for young learners tutorial and make Ohio voter data accessible.
Hackathon teams receiving their certificates. Photo credit: Spencer Driggs
The groups faced new challenges and collaborated to overcome their problems. Students gained skills in coding and research. Each team learned how to make plans a reality.
Hackathon participants waiting for the award ceremony. Photo credit: Spencer Driggs
Students united to develop many different projects: A scanner that converts notes to flashcards using artificial intelligence; a Canvas Discord bot to help video gamers keep track of assignments; a beginner coding website for young learners; making Ohio voter Data accessible; a web application designed to take advantage of grocery deals in Rexburg, Idaho. Each team had the same goal: Make the world a better place.
“We have the Ohio voting file,” said AJ Averett, a student working on the “make Ohio voting data accessible” project. “We are going to find out who’s registered and not voting and we are going to make maps … This will revolutionize and democratize this energy.”
The Student’s Computer Society and Computer Science and Engineering Department will shortly be announcing their next hackathon scheduled the 2024 fall semester, visit the BYU-I Hackathon website for updates.
