The student-run organization TAMUhack hosted its eighth annual hackathon on campus earlier this year in collaboration with the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University. It is one of the largest hackathons held in Texas annually.
The two-day event serves as a space where students can connect and collaborate with other hackers, network with the industry representatives in attendance and learn new skills. In addition, participants can also attend corporate-sponsored workshops and mini-events, like this year’s paper airplane challenge hosted by American Airlines and a capture-the-flag competition. These events served as fun ways to help sharpen students' skills and boost overall morale.
This year, 620 students from 24 schools across the United States participated. According to TAMUhack, roughly 50% of the students were first-time attendees.
The current organization members were grateful to have been able to host so many students in person again and make their first hackathon experience a memorable one.
During the event, the teams had the opportunity to work on various unique challenges presented by several company sponsors, including Ford, which challenged the teams to build a hack that improves the way we travel.
The Office of Sustainability at Texas A&M, which served as a partner for the hackathon, challenged students to develop an innovative solution to help disenfranchised communities manage food, energy and water challenges during and after a natural disaster.
TAMUhack would like to thank all its sponsors, volunteers and mentors for helping it make this year's hackathon a success. The students look forward to organizing more events for their fellow hackers.