Plan at least 30 minutes before and after the event for you to set up and tear-down/cleanup. Literally try to imagine how each registered participant will keep occupied at the event based on whatever information you know about them. ), Accessible entrances and wheelchair-friendly seating space (and if there is a stage, check if it is accessible, if applicable), Gender-neutral, single-occupancy, accessible bathrooms, Name (and possibly other information as required by venue security). Going all-vegetarian isn’t a bad idea. Have someone managing workshops. They might be recruiting/hiring and are looking to scout out your attendees, or they might be marketing a product that they want to promote. Mid-day activities such as lunch-time speakers and video calls with people off-site are incredibly distracting for participants who are now eager to get working on a problem. If you have too many lost participants and not enough help in getting them started on a project, they will leave — try to avoid that. Newcomers often suffer from “imposter syndrome”, the feeling that they don’t belong because they don’t have skills, aren’t smart enough, etc. Get them to record their progress on the tumblr. Hackathons have gotten a bad rap because of some that have an unhealthy, competitive structure, and for setting unrealistic expectations. For hacking, you will want a banquet-style setup with large circular tables that seat about 10 people each. Make sure workshops stay on schedule, that participants are understanding the leader, can hear the leader from the back of the room, etc. Set up a way for your participants to communicate digitally and stay in touch after the event. Workshops & Hackathons. He was recently awarded the SIGSOFT Outstanding Research Award in 2016, and previously the Alan Newell Award for Research Excellence in 2014. His research involves studying coordination and collaboration in open-source software. To avoid this, make sure you have enough workable projects for everyone ahead of the event. But then get started on securing sponsors early. You may want to email the registered attendees at this point with as much of the logistics information as you know, so that they can plan ahead. List of 20+ Simple Hackathon Ideas 2021 #Updated - We Observed Look for codes of conduct used at events you admire, or copy from Code for DC’s code of conduct or Tech Lady Hackathon + Training Day’s code of conduct. Start with a brief session welcoming everyone and laying out the day: In a small event (up to about 30 people), you can have all of the participants introduce themselves. What kind of hacker are they? Next Hackathon: Spring 2020 Co-hosted by the Learning Analytics Project, UBC LAVA (Learning Analytics, […] By this point projects may have a lot to say. Also read the Hopper Conference Diversity Guide’s section on this. Mornings are a great time of day for workshops because they don’t require … Just don’t. R. Stuart Geiger is an ethnographer and post-doctoral scholar at the Berkeley Institute for Data Science at UCBerkeley, where he studies the infrastructures and institutions that support the production of knowledge. He was part of the group of scientists that, over a 10-year period, developed and refined the hackathon model used at the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent), a US National Science Foundation-funded research center. Communicator. Otherwise, this is a waste of everyone’s valuable time. Hackathons. ), and what restrictions will be accommodated (vegetarian, etc. First time hackathon participants are often overwhelmed when it comes time to finding a project to work on. If you are running interactive workshops where the participants are following along on their laptops and expect many participants to attend, you may want to have workshop helpers around to help participants that get stuck. She has also studied group norm evolution and normative conflict in virtual spaces and open collaborative communities. The hackathon ideas of 2018 were judged based on the following 5 parameters: Workshops should be interactive as much as possible. hackathon Hackathons are challenging and fun experiences where people learn how to design, build, and pitch an app in a weekend. Onboarding participants onto existing projects can be very difficult. A CSCW 2017 workshop for researchers studying Hackathons, experienced event organizers, and participants interested in running their own events. He also develops software and participates in community efforts to improve interoperability of software and data used in evolutionary analysis. The wrap-up session gives everyone a chance to hear what everyone else worked on during the day. See the section Cultivating Good Projects above to ensure there is a coherent question, that the necessary resources exist (e.g. does it block any ports? can it connect all of your participants? His research focuses on creating technologies and practices that support the relationships of people engaged in technical work, especially in open-source software development and software production in science. This year, the hackathon is being held at Make School in San Francisco on November 23-24, 2019. So cap registration at 150% of your actual maximum capacity. Make sure you can get in and that your participants can get in. Any ideas you pitch or share at the hackathon are released into the ‘public domain’ and we do not require attendees to sign non-disclosure agreements! Work with the subject matter experts before the event to turn their problems into projects. Training workshops are a great parallel track especially for newcomers but also for all participants. UBC’s Learning Analytics Hackathons offer students an opportunity to work with real learning data (either your own or anonymized data) and explore how analytics can support learning and student success. Personally I think there are much better ways to spend your budget, but if you really want to provide swag keep in mind–. ... We expect participants to follow these rules at hackathon and workshop venues and hackathon-related social events. This one-day workshop will bring together: The workshop aims to facilitate consolidating existing research, sharing practical experiences, and understanding what benefits different event variations may offer, how they may be applied in other contexts, and how insights from studying these events may contribute to CSCW knowledge. If you are serving alcohol keep in mind: not everyone drinks (those under 21, pregnant women, and many many other people for a variety of reasons); alcohol can lead to an unsafe or uncomfortable environment; those that drink will need public transportation to get home. After participating in the famed Data Hackathon of 2015, Rose began working with us- the very same year we transitioned our tech treks into conferences- it was an infamous academic year [4 hackathons, 3 conferences, 2 networking events, & Shark Tank] and Rose proved her worth and the value of design 10x. The libraries used for hackathons are reoccurring bits and pieces of trends, tech components and human needs. These notes come from five successful years of Open Data Day DC and other civic hackathons that I’ve run, sponsored, or participated in. It is extremely important to maximize the following qualities in the projects at your event: Treat these bullets like a checklist. This workshop is recommended for all participants as a good practice for the hackathon judging presentation as well as helping focus the topics to include within the presentation! Hackathon, a combination of the words hack and marathon, is an event of any duration where people come together to build solutions around a … communities. Some events like to provide swag, like t-shirts or stickers. When themed hackathons are also technology hackathons, there is a common problem: Subject matter experts can readily identify problems in their field but cannot always turn those problems into workable technology projects. As the curtains rise up on 2019, it’s time to look back at the amazing innovations that came out last year. From beginning to end, The Valtech Social Impact Hackathon was 52 1/2 hours, a little over 2 days! You may imagine green code racing down a black background as someone frantically types at an ancient computer until they relax and say “I’m in,” but that’s not what will happen at your first hackathon. Propose an "unconference" style breakout topic/activity during your 2 minute boaster. They may not yet know how to relate their own skills to the sorts of projects being worked on. You can also hold non-project activities — workshops, described below — which are easier for newcomers to join. Other participants may be ready to apply their skills but not know anything about the hackathon’s theme. Determine your maximum capacity. Having project ideas ready is especially important if you do not expect many participants to bring projects! So therefore: provide non-alcoholic drinks; supervise the environment to ensure it remains professional and comfortable for all; be near public transit. Projects that think about themselves in terms of these qualities tend to be happier and more productive. Leading up to wrap-up, make sure each project is prepared to explain what they did. Other participants struggling to find something relevant to work on / implementing a solution of minimal value to solving the theme’s actual problems. Don’t run a hackathon like that and you’ll be on the right track. Arun Kalyanasundaram is a PhD student in the Institute for Software Research at Carnegie Mellon University. Wifi (is it fast and reliable? For a free event, about 65% of those who register will actually show up. Alert everyone when it is time for lunch and one hour before the wrap-up session. The earlier you can reserve space the better. Think of the hackathon as a pit-stop on a long journey to solve problems or as a training session to prepare participants for solving problems. Previously of Ushahidi, Internews Kenya, and Carto, she’s been working in the open tech and non-profit space for a few years, and recent projects have had mapping sensor data to support agricultural security, citizen science, and sustainable apis ecosystems in the Global South. You will need to guide them to a project and through a process for them to realize how they can contribute. Choose your workshop leaders carefully. An organizer should be on hand at the workshops at all times. His research interests focus on global software development, open source, and more generally on collaboration and coordination in software projects. He has studied topics including newcomer socialization, moderation and quality control, specialization and professionalization, cooperation and conflict, the roles of support staff and technicians, and diversity and inclusion. Organised by students, this will be our first virtual hackathon. Government Staff. Hackathon is a coding event where students of the 7th to 12th grades work in “hacking teams” and develop ideas, like their own computer apps, video games, networks and websites. New ideas are essentially new compositions of already known bits and pieces. She works particularly on outreach and event development for Mozilla’s convenings programs, including the Working Open Workshop, Global Sprint, Mozfest, and Fellowship Research Jams. My notes below are mostly logistical and assume a technology-centric approach. Project… And you can work to make sure your hacking projects are ready to accept newcomers. (It does not have to involve technology.). Have someone managing the hacking room. See “The day before” below for what to include in the email. They’re wrong, of course, but until they feel like they belong they will not be able to have a fulfilling experience. ♦ Collaborate, Communicate, and Create: The 3 Cs of an Innovation Culture In onsite hackathon, organizing workshops, hosting knowledge-sharing sessions, and getting the venue, tools, and other aspects of the working environment ready are important. In large groups, have each project report on its accomplishments. Often groups of 2-5 individuals form around a project, such as building a new data visualization, writing a document, or collaboratively investigating a problem. Between the two sessions teams will work on their ideas. Arlin Stoltzfus is a Research Biologist at the Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (Genome-scale Measurements Group, NIST), where his work focuses on issues in molecular evolution, bioinformatics, and evolu-tionary theory, using computer-based approaches. Use the registration form to gather information about participants: The more information you can gather ahead of time the better planning you can do. His Ph.D research at the UC-Berkeley School of Information focused on the governance and operation of Wikipedia and scientific research networks. The hardest thing about running a successful hackathon is being welcoming to newcomers and helping them get involved in an activity. January 5, 2020 . He develops open source tools for analyzing biological data, and organizes yearly Codefest working sessions for the open source bioinformatics community. The sessions can be combined into a single event, extended or customised to suit. Make sure things are OK: tables/chairs are there, the projector works, restrooms are in working order, Post signs from the main entrance of the building to where participants should go first, Post signs to restrooms and any other rooms participants may need to go to. He received his PhD in Information Computer Science from the University of California, Irvine in 2012. participants interested in running their own events. Biocatalyst is a workshop and hackathon event in Riga, Latvia, focused on learning to formulate topical problems and discussing potential solutions in biotechnology, bioinformatics, and biomedicine.. The hacking track is for participants to dive into problems. For future tech entrepreneurs, hackathons are a great way to build the first version of their big idea which can later be monetized.. Participants take out their laptops, connect to power and wifi, and get working. After that, give consideration to other restrictions your participants may have (vegan, kosher, gluten-free) and do your best. Chan School of Public Health. Think like a parent. Workshops should be interactive as much as possible. Figure on $7 to $15 per person. Not every project makes a good hackathon project. Not everyone will know what you mean, and “hacking” might make it less likely that all groups will feel welcome. Go around to check that every project is going smoothly. Choose your workshop leaders carefully. During this event, developers usually take shortcuts and don’t follow the normal processes and procedures in order to expeditiously arrive at a working proof-of-concept (POC). Even if you choose to do a hackathon in its traditional format, there are … So You Think You Want to Run a Hackathon? Participants should come energized and be greeted with positive energy. This years Codefest was the 7th, with an increased focus on community engagement and training (https://www.open-bio.org/wiki/Codefest2 016). Anyone who has brought a project to work on should then introduce the project to everyone. Time-bounded collaborative events in which teams work together under intense time pressure are becoming increasingly popular. Don’t stay up all night, don’t pump participants with caffeine, and don’t make winners and losers. Time-bounded collaborative events in which teams work together under intense time pressure are becoming increasingly popular. "hack-days" and "hack-weeks" teach hacking and making skills to diverse audiences without software backgrounds, like artists and scientists. If you are ordering food, you will probably place the order at least three days ahead of the event. You will certainly thank your sponsors, by name, during your opening and closing session, and you will probably want to tweet your thanks too. Think about what you’re willing to give sponsors in return for their support. At some point in your life as a programmer, a friend or colleague will tell you about a hackathon. For large events, pick a bar ahead of time and talk to the bar and make sure it is ok for you to bring a large group. Most hackathons I’ve run also have a parallel track for workshops. Set times for when you will arrive/leave and for when participants will arrive/leave. Project leaders tend to talk for as long as they can, so you may need to cut them off after one minute to be respectful of the audience’s time. See more ideas about hackathon, hackathon poster, flyer. Domain Expert. "edit-a-thons" support intensive co-generation of encyclopedia content, and so on. (Conference registration is NOT required to attend the workshop.). Meet with project leads and talk about these components of their project ahead of time if possible. Overview. Go all out with your theme. If you provide any food, you really must supply vegetarian and dairy-free options because these dietary restrictions are very common.