Over the past eleven years, Hack the North has grown to become a major force in the world of hackathons. This year’s event saw more than 1,000 young inventors come together at the University of Waterloo to work together over 36 hours and create a dizzying array of software applications, hardware projects and gadgets. The competition was as fierce as ever, but there were also lots of opportunities to make connections and get inspired.
“Sometimes hackers can be a bit shy,” said Joseph Wang, a computer science student who is co-director of this year’s Hack the North. “So, this year we created some initiatives to really promote the idea of community.”
Hackers were provided with dedicated spaces in Engineering’s E7 building for eating and socializing. Organizers also gave participants a chance to wind down and reflect with a “Hacky Hour”, that took place at the end of the weekend featuring music, cake and mingling with competition judges. “We wanted people to really explore the environment around them and get to know the incredible people they are sitting right next to,” Wang explained.
Read more on Waterloo News.