The largest Hackathon event in Western Canada was held at the UBC Life Sciences Building from January 21–22.
nwHacks welcomed students to its first in-person hackathon since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, whether they were a “seasoned hacker or [just] getting into tech.” The event saw nearly 665 participants and 131 projects built within 24 hours, with technologies varying from a simple website to laptop software that judges your plank form and virtual reality applications.
According to the logistics director of nwHacks and third-year UBC computer science student Martin Cai, the hackathon is space for developing innovative ideas.
“It’s a place where you can push yourself without outside commitments. You just have 24 hours to focus on trying to [learn] something new, trying to build something new with your friends,” said Cai.
Co-President Victoria Lim, a third-year UBC student majoring in cognitive systems, added that “It’s just an event to have fun, network with sponsors [and] really see what’s out there.”
The hackathon also provided opportunities for young hackers, like high school student Jeanette Guo, who came to network and broaden her skill set. She participated alongside a group of undergraduate students.
“I really wanted to learn more about programming and the world of technology, and also meet a lot of cool people, which I did,” said Guo.
nwHacks attracted many first-time hackers, like first-year arts student Jasmine Putnam and first-year science student Le Minh Anh Nguyen, who both plan to major in computer science.
“This one seemed really beginner-friendly, [and I] just want to try something new, this would be good motivation to do some kind of project and to meet people who like the same thing, so why not,” said Nguyen.
Participants also attended nwHacks for practical reasons. Both Ricky Lin, a second-year computer engineering student at UBC, and Karanveer Buttar, a third-year student in computing science at SFU, discussed the value of the hackathon for resume-building purposes and the chance to work on personal projects.
“[I want to] get something established [because] my resume is also pretty blank, and the threat of graduation is coming,” said Buttar.
The goal of hosting an event like nwHacks is to “try to give everyone [the] opportunity to either step their first foot into the tech space or explore deeper into what they already know,” said Cai.
According to Lim, welcoming a variety of different age groups and backgrounds served to create a more inclusive atmosphere.
“It’s a celebration of diversity because we are not only bringing people of all genders into the space but also all those skill levels as well,” said Lim.
Even late into the evening on Saturday night, the hackathon was abuzz with excitement — in part thanks to the over one thousand cans of Red Bull that were provided by the event, according to the nwHacks Twitch stream. According to Nguyen, the food was also “better than expected.”
nwHacks did not become the largest Hackathon event in Western Canada overnight. The organizers said the event occurred virtually over the last few years, in which participants communicated in Discord calls and Zoom meetings. The organisers built their own website for participants to submit their projects.
Cai and Lim said that for future nwHacks events, they will continue to welcome different generations of hackers, improve workshops, make it easier for first-timers to participate, and increase diversity and accessibility.
According to participants interviewed by The Ubyssey, the event was positive, informative and fun.
Nguyen also emphasized the value of having mentors and support staff at the event.
“I don’t think we could have done what we did today with [the project] being as structured as it is [without] this much support.”