Campus Life

‘Hackathon’ Invites Contestants To Imagine Campus Of The Future

January 30, 2017

Hackathon adTexas A&M’s Diversity Accessibility Hackathon is a 24-hour event in which teams compete for $5,000 in prize money as they pursue ways to improve public accessibility on campus.

The Hackathon, Feb. 17-18, is designed to stimulate dialogue about diversity and inclusion topics on campus in a collaborative environment, say organizers.

Contestants will use public data provided by Texas A&M and the Bryan-College Station City Councils, and by working independently or in teams of up to eight, they must analyze the data and present effective solutions through maps, prototypes, structures, and codes aimed at improving accessibility.

This year offers $5,000 in prizes for the top six teams who submit the most challenging and engaging solutions.

“The mission of the Hackathon is aligned with the mission of the university in which advancing and facilitating the respect for diversity ultimately helps in moving the university forward,” said Architecture Diversity Council Member and graduate student Bara Safarova. “Afterward, the ideas presented will be exposed to city representatives, expert mentors from various departments and local businesses.”

Hackathon is a collaboration between The College of Architecture, the College of Education and Human Development, the College of Engineering, the College of Geosciences, Texas A&M University Libraries Maps and GIS Unit, Department of Multicultural Studies, and College of Architecture’s Information Technology Services.

“As a partner of this program, the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) is driven in its celebration of diversity and the ability to work together with others,” said CEHD Clinical Assistant Professor Dr. Trez Jones. “We have some of our own technology management students participating.”

The event is open to all disciplines and registration will begin in the Langford Building at 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17. Registration is free but required and the sign up form can be found on the Hackathon signup page.

#####
Media contact: Phillip Rollfing, College of Architecture, prollfing@arch.tamu.edu
979.458.0442

Related Stories

Recent Stories