Who: Open to the public
What: BioFrontiers Hackathon
When: Monday, May 22, to Wednesday, May 24
Where: East Campus, Biotechnology Building
A hackathon is a means for bringing talented people together to sit in a room, focus and solve a problem. Teams usually consist of five to six people selected for their particular backgrounds and complementary skill sets, and the solutions often come in the form of software written to fill a gap in available tools.
From May 22 to 24, the BioFrontiers Institute will host a hackathon to create out-of-the-box and open-source bioinformatics solutions to tackle big clinical and health research challenges.
However, the BioFrontiers Hackathon is a little different than most others. Namely, there is no competition component to the event; each team works toward its own goal in order to advance science!
What to expect
Most days will consist of a brief gathering each morning with the entire group, followed by time to hack until lunch. Presentations from each team will happen during lunch in order to encourage collaboration and make sure everyone is on track. After lunch, teams go back to hacking until the end of the day.
During the evenings there will be opportunities to socialize, network with peers and take a load off!
Who we need
People with diverse backgrounds
BioFrontiers is seeking participants with diverse educational backgrounds who want to learn about the hackathon process and help shape these exciting tools. Your ideas will be incorporated and make a real difference, as many of the proposed projects are just rough outlines and will greatly benefit from collaborative planning sessions at the event.
Our selected teams cover a broad range of topics that can use your individual experience, so you won’t feel out of your depth.
Researchers
Researchers interested in contributing to and learning about hackathons are welcome to apply. You may not have much experience with Python or R, but your expertise and input are extremely valuable. Most of these problems—though they will be solved programmatically—are scientific problems.
Join a team, contribute your knowledge and, next time, submit your project as a team lead to help make your idea a reality.
Programmers
People with programming experience in any of the languages and skills listed on the application form (or anything that may have been missed!) are also encouraged to apply. You will have a real chance to use your talents or expand your horizons and learn new things.
