Students Invited to Compete at 'HackRiddle' on Oct. 15
Students will have 24 hours to design apps, interactive video games and anything else their imagination holds during HackRiddle, a hackathon on Oct. 15 -16 at Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach Campus.
The event will bring together more than 250 students, industry leaders, judges and mentors to create projects over a 24-hour period. Inspired by events that bring computer programmers and software engineers together, Embry-Riddle students organized a 12-hour hackathon last spring that included awards for the best projects.
Organizer Jeremiah Lantzer, a Software Engineer student, said the event will be much bigger this semester thanks to the support of industry partners. The event is open to non-Riddle students and Lantzer expects to draw hundreds from out of state and the country. Students are encouraged to break into teams and design software for the web and mobile devices as well as hardware.
“We are trying to help people create what they are most passionate about,” Lantzer said.
Last semester’s winning projects included a video game that simulated the student experience, an app that helps consumers keep track of coffee consumption and an app to help aerospace students with calculations.
The challenge and draw of a hackathon for many is the endurance required to create projects in an intense 24-hour period with the resources available. During the events, industry leaders will host workshops on topics such as hardware, software engineering and technology. The late hours of the evening include a cup-stacking contest, midnight snack and paper airplane competition. A full schedule of events can be found at hackriddle.com
During an expo and closing ceremony on Oct. 16, students will showcase their projects and judges will announce the winners at the Willie Miller Instructional Center.
Lantzer said that a hackathon is a great way to create community among software developers, computer programmers and engineers.
“Hackathons are what you want them to be,” he said. “You can build a project and get guidance or you can use them as a platform to get a venture off the ground. HackRiddle is a great way to get students involved and for people to see that Embry-Riddle is about much more than just aerospace engineering and aviation.”
Students interested in participating in HackRiddle must submit at online application by Oct. 3 on the event’s website.