Hackathon Helpers

What is a hackathon you might be asking? Senior Aikas B. described it as an event where competitors have a limited time period to develop a working application to solve some sort of thematic problem.

The idea of a hackathon had been tossed around by the programming club even before the closure of Overlake’s campus. Aikas, who is not in the programming club, but still liked the idea of a hackathon, messaged with Karthik V. (’21) and Teddy L. (’21) since the closure to talk about hosting a virtual hackathon and focusing on a relevant topic.

“Our theme for this one was the Coronavirus. That was all the instruction our participants had. We had users make websites, android apps, and even games in the little over 24 hour time span we gave them,” said Aikas.

With no constraints, the ideas students came up with were creative and varied. The first place winner, a team named, Vector Squad, designed a website with instructions on how to make homemade masks. In addition to step by step mask making instructions, the site includes an interactive map that shows hospitals where you can donate masks once made. That website can be viewed here. “That’s pretty groundbreaking stuff at a time when hospitals are reporting shortages on face masks,” said Aikas.

Other creative entries from other teams included a case viewer that updates in real-time and a risk calculator that helps users determine risks associated with going outside. Another entry was a game focused on good health habits where players receive points for practicing good social distancing, hand washing, wearing face masks, and limiting time outside.  

The competition was comprised of about 20 students spanning the Upper School. Two parents volunteered to act as judges for the competition. The club hopes to host more events like this in the future and hopes to get more students involved who might be interested. So, even if you’re not in the programming club, reach out to Aikas to get involved in future hackathons.