Northern Illinois University is hosting its first large-scale hackathon starting at noon Saturday.
Three-hundred and seventy-two participants from all over the world are scheduled to attend the Huskie Hack. About 16 percent are middle or high school students.
NIU research associate Tracy Rogers-Tryba leads the event. She says hacking doesn’t necessarily mean maliciously breaking into secure systems.
“Computer hacking is taking a turn where it’s using the access to big data and coding to solve problems for social good,” Rogers-Tryba said.
Rogers-Tryba says the participants are assigned to different challenges provided by surrounding community organizations. One challenge that the competitors can take is developing a sexual assault crisis smartphone app.
Other challenges submitted by community organizations in the surrounding area include designing a smartphone app for the Naperville Marathon or developing an app for the homeless seeking shelter near DeKalb.
Rogers-Tryba says the 24-hour event is open to everyone and all disciplines.
“This is for coders and non-coders. If you’re afraid of technology and think, ‘Oh, God, I can’t code,’ this is the event to try.”
Prizes for the best project include a Microsoft Surface tablet, according to Rogers-Tryba. She says the goal is to start putting NIU on the map for future coding competitions.
An $8,000 temporary internet upgrade at NIU was made for the event.
