Interview about deltaHacks with Alyssia Jovellanos
deltaHacks (@deltaHacks) will be taking place on Saturday February 14th – Sunday February 15ths at McMaster University. Check out this interview with HackItMac (@HackItMac) executive team member Alyssia Jovellanos about the event!
What is deltaHacks?
deltaHacks is the first student-run Canadian Hackathon for Change. We’ll be pairing students with non-profit mentors to tackle real problems. The focus of this hackathon is to encourage students to combine programming knowledge with the intent to make something that has a positive impact on the world. Students will have 24 hours to make their awesome ideas come to life.
Who is organizing deltaHacks?
deltaHacks is being organized by the HackitMac executive team.
Why is deltaHacks being organized?
HackitMac is passionate about bringing the hackathon culture to McMaster University. After representing McMaster at the next36 hackathon and at yhack, we wanted to bring the spirit of collaboration, learning, innovation and creativity that we saw back to our community. We want to encourage students of all fields to come together and build real world applications to create positive change. The ultimate goal behind this hackathon is to include not only the engineering and computer science students, but talented students from other faculties.
Who is coming out to deltaHacks?
Any student in any undergraduate or graduate program is eligible to participate, regardless of institution, program or location. So yes, that includes Mohawk, Redemeer and triOS students as well!
What sort of ideas are you hoping to get implemented at deltaHacks?
As a hackathon for change, we are hoping to see some hacks that have the potential to impact the world in a positive way. We want hacks to align with tracks of impact such as health and wellness, sustainability and the environment, inequality, education… the sky is the limit! We want to see hackers code for good.
What can attendees expect at deltaHacks?
Attendees can expect a weekend full of innovation, creativity, learning and a side of awesome. There will be mentors and workshops to help students with their ideas and for inspiration! We’ll also have some surprise de-stresser events for competitors to let off some steam.
Why are hackathons important, in particular to students?
We believe that hackathons are important for 3 reasons: It’s a fantastic way to learn, you become part of a positive community, and you have the ability to make an impact. With so many mentors, company representatives, tech talks and workshops at your disposal (not to mention the many other talented competitors around you), you’re bound to learn something! The hackathon community is truly a force to be reckoned with. It’s full of encouragement, support, and calls for innovation. Not only can you participate by yourself, but you can meet other like-minded individuals who echo your experience and the things you create to others.
Why is the hackathon paradigm just hitting McMaster now? How do you see the hacker-maker culture in the future?
It’s not just us that’s changing, the world around us is changing as well. There are so many ways to share our ideas with the world and with each other as more and more technology comes out. Now-a-days, the ability to communicate, share ideas and to find like-minded individuals is easier than ever before. As we hope our hackathon continues as an annual event, we also hope that this will drive students to inspire each other and to ultimately cultivate the hacker/maker culture here at McMaster university. As the event grows, we hope the enthusiasm on campus for it grows just as well.
How can the community help you with deltaHacks?
We are always looking to spread the word of what we’re trying to do. Any support, whether it be volunteering for the event, monetary sponsorship, or even spreading awareness through word of mouth is a huge help. We want to let everyone in Hamilton know that we are holding Canada’s 1st student-run hackathon for change, and that we want to make a positive impact on the world.
Editor’s note: Check out the deltaHacks sponsorship package.
How can people sign up for deltaHacks?
We are currently accepting applications for our last round of tickets. We allow any undergraduate/graduate student, regardless of program to apply.
