Imagine solving a problem in just under 48 hours鈥� that鈥檚 precisely what ten teams in this year鈥檚 first annual Gatorverse Hackathon sought to do.
The challenge, hosted by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), welcomed students from any technical background to enter the Gatorverse Hackathon. Teams of three banded together to produce a technology-based project from scratch (examples include applications, games, or websites).
Chair of ACM, Daniel Bekele 鈥�25, a software engineering major and economics minor, says that the idea originated when the student organization鈥檚 board conceptualized an event that would be both fast-paced and collaborative, keeping in mind an interdisciplinary focus.
鈥淲e saw the hackathon as a perfect way to energize our campus around innovation, while also giving participants a chance to learn outside the classroom,鈥� reflects Bekele. 鈥淥ne of the most memorable moments was during the midpoint check-in, when a team that had been struggling suddenly had a breakthrough idea and presented it with so much excitement and energy鈥攊t reminded me why we organized the event in the first place. Watching participants come alive with creative momentum was incredibly rewarding.鈥�
The teams also attended workshops that helped guide them and were assigned an alum mentor.
鈥淭hey (students) were very self-sufficient and had very high-level questions. The hackathon was a great opportunity to practice real-world problem-solving in a time-boxed environment,鈥� says Jacob Sutter 鈥�20, a software engineer for GitHub who majored in music and computer science. 鈥淚t was truly rewarding to come back to campus and work with the students. Allegheny gave me a lot, and I鈥檓 happy that there is something I can do to give back.鈥�
The two days brought together students from art, business, computer science, and environmental science. The following student teams showed distinction:
- 1st Place: On the Plane 鈥� Vivian Potts ’27, Prince Dwamena ’28, George Asante ’28
- 2nd Place: Chompers 鈥� Darius Googe ’25, Samuel Roque ’27, Riian Brown ’28
- 3rd Place: F.L.O.W 鈥� Willem Bennett ’27, Prakash Chalagulla ’27
- Best Design/Product: Archives of Aetheria 鈥� Charlie Schwartz ’25, Aria Zong ’25
- Best Beginner Team: Skill-Bridge 鈥� Anupraj Guragain ’27, Ritesh Ojha ’28, Abishek Dhakal ’28
The Gatorverse Hackathon left a lasting impression on mentors and students alike.
Mentor Hannah Schultz 鈥�22, email and web specialist at Geneva College, who majored in political and computer science notes, 鈥淪tudents can take away improved communication skills as they learned to formulate ideas with each other, innovate, and come out the other side with a working, finished product. I was impressed by how quickly students formulated ideas with an interdisciplinary focus.鈥�
Bekele remarks that the event was a glimpse into the impact he wants to make in the future.
鈥淥rganizing the hackathon helped solidify my interest in fostering inclusive, innovation-driven communities鈥攕omething I hope to continue pursuing after graduation, says Bekele. 鈥淚t also reinforced the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, and the kind of leadership, communication, and logistical skills I developed through planning the event are ones I know will serve me in any professional setting.鈥�