Hack to save the world

Avi Glasco, a prospective University of Delaware cybersecurity student, spent 24 hours working with a team of UD students creating a to-do list and course logger for organizing schedules and assignments.

"It's nice to have creative control of what you make. Of course there's the different categories you choose from, but I like that you can submit multiple entries if whatever you're making falls into multiple categories," Glasco said.

Glasco was one of more than 300 "hackers" who participated in the second annual HenHacks hackathon, which took place at Smith and Gore halls during the first weekend of March. This beginner-friendly event was an opportunity for students to enhance their technical skills while working on projects around the theme of "Hack to Save the World."

A crash course in solving real-world problems with technology

Hackathons are events during which students work collaboratively to come up with technical solutions for a specific problem during a constrained period of time. Students can work in teams or independently, and for many types of hackathons no previous coding or programming experience is required.

Nazim Karaca, an instructor in the College of Engineering's Department of Computer and Information Sciences, said that while there are many reasons for students to participate in a hackathon, from an achievement to put on their résumé to winning a prize for their project, one of the biggest benefits is the opportunity to apply their creativity toward solving a real-world problem.