From April 6-8, UNT ill be hosting their first official Hackathon at Discovery Park with the help of UNT’s Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers Computer Society. Participation is free to any students above the age of 18. Snacks, food and swag will be provided for 'hackers' who attend the 36-hour uninterrupted event. UNT's Hackathon is an official part of Major League Hacking, a hacking contest league involving over 65,000 students from 16 countries.

A Hackathon is a programming/coding contest where contestants (in this case teams of 2-5) complete a program, app or similar project in a single continuous 36-hour session. Participants may not begin any part of their project before the start of the event and they cannot leave or obtain outside assistance.

'Hackers' bring any supplies, hardware or other equipment they may need over the course of the project. Sponsors of the event often provide prompts for programs or projects that the students can complete; such as an augmented reality app or improved cyber security programs. Some of the sponsors for this Hackathon include JCpenny, Samsung Internet and Chiloso Mexican Bistro.

"This isn't just something for engineers." said Zach Eisenhauer, a member of the UNT's IEEE Computer Society and one of the people behind the Hackathon's inception. "This is an opportunity for anyone interested in technology."

Participants can register at the official UNT Hackathon website: https://unthackathon.com/. All attending hackers are expected to adhere to the official Major League Hacking code of conduct: https://static.mlh.io/docs/mlh-code-of-conduct.pdf

Header image by Holden Foster