Thank you for your interest in serving as an alumni mentor to current Watson students in preparation for HackBU's Hackathon!
The HackBU student organization within the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science is expanding its annual Hackathon this February 2024 and is seeking alumni mentors for interdisciplinary projects!
The Hackathon is a 24-hour event during which each team of 1–4 students builds an innovative project from the ground up. The event starts on Saturday, February 17th, and extends into Sunday, February 18th, with students having uninterrupted “hacking” time followed by project judging. Students come from many different majors (most commonly Computer Science, Engineering, and Business Administration) and with different skill levels. The projects explore various facets of Computer Science. For example, in past years, some notable projects included:
* Web Development: Our 2023 “newbie” winner developed a website for students to submit music requests in the Binghamton University dining halls
* Game Development: We see teams creating video games such as 2D platformers, as well as teams using Unity to simulate real-world settings
*Data Science: Our 2023 winner created a Python script to predict low glucose events based on historical trends
* Tooling: Some teams work on tools for developers, such as templating languages and continuous integration systems
To ensure that everyone has a fulfilling experience, HackBU is looking for alumni mentors to support teams during the 2024 Hackathon. Mentors will not be assigned to specific teams or students but rather will be floating around between teams that need assistance. Help can range from brainstorming project ideas to helping troubleshoot tricky bugs. Alumni mentors must be present for a time window of at least a few hours on Saturday, Feb. 17.
HackBU is also inviting alumni to participate in the judging of projects. This takes place during the “Judging Expo,” where judges are stationed at assigned tables to have teams present their projects. Judges must be present starting at noon on Sunday, Feb. 18 and stay with us until the judging is finalized around 3:30 PM.
If you are interested in mentoring students and/or the judging process, please indicate your interest below by Wednesday, Feb. 14. A HackBU student representative will be in touch with you to provide the next steps. Questions? Email hello@hackbu.org any time.
