First-Ever Computer Club Hackathon Draws Crowd of Coders
New program further cements University’s reputation as innovative tech program leader
Posted in: Students
Last year, the Montclair State University Computer Club had a simple request: it wanted to hold a hackathon.
On Saturday, March 30, the club got its wish. Nearly 200 people gathered in the Student Center to participate in the Club’s first hackathon, HawkHack – a 24-hour coding marathon in which computer programmers and others (such as graphic designers and project managers) collaborate intensively on software projects.
Sammy Samkough, the Computer Club’s project manager, said the idea was to build up the IT community both on and off campus by bringing people together, enabling innovation and driving competition through the creation of new computer programs.
“There are some amazing things that can come out of a hackathon,” he said.
Organized by the Computer Club and its faculty advisor Dawei Li, along with College of Science and Mathematics Dean Lora Billings and Department of Computer Science Chair Constantine Coutras, the hackathon drew a packed room of students and other people from the region, who came to create new programs, test their skills and make new friends.
For some, like Emily Gorelick, it was the first time attending a hackathon. A high school student from Wayne, New Jersey, who has always been interested in math and science, Gorelick said the idea of the hackathon intrigued her, because “you can make something out of nothing.”
Montclair State sophomore Hope Diamantopoulos, a computer science major who spends part of her summers teaching kids how to code, said the hackathon provided real-world experience that supplemented what she was learning in her classes.
Hackathons also provide great opportunities for networking and Saturday’s hackathon was no different, with representatives from Google, UPS and Netflix on hand to answer questions, conduct workshops and meet prospective interns. Laser gun and cup stacking competitions also helped to keep the mood upbeat for anyone needing a break from the screen.
HawkHack is just one of the many ways Montclair State is cementing its reputation as a regional leader in computer science programs and innovative technology. This semester the University announced three new master’s degrees in Information Technology. The Master of Science in Cybersecurity will enroll its first students in fall 2019, answering an increasing demand for skilled workers in the field. Research shows that there will be as many as 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity-related positions by 2021, a critical shortfall that could threaten not just our identities and personal information but our nation’s infrastructure and economy.