After two years of virtual hackathons, over 1,000 student hackers returned to the University of Waterloo campus for this year’s Hack the North. Hack the North brings student hackers and innovators of all experience levels together with existing technology experts and industry leaders from across the country. For 36 hours on the weekend of September 16-18, high school and university students from around the world worked in teams of four or less to build innovative software and hardware projects and impress a team of twelve industry judges.
Although Hack the North physically takes place in the Engineering 7 building, and is frequently associated mostly with the Faculty of Engineering, the Faculty of Mathematics has also played a key role in its continued success over the nine years since its founding. The Faculty of Mathematics and the Faculty of Engineering co-sponsor the event, and two of Hack the North’s cofounders – both now industry leaders – hailed from Math. That key involvement from our students continues to this day: this year, over 30% of university students in attendance were from the Faculty of Mathematics.
Indeed, while both academic faculties and industry sponsors provide funding and ongoing logistical support, Hack the North’s greatest asset is its continuing student leadership. Hack the North stands out from other major hackathons because it is run for students, by students. This student involvement is especially evident in the event’s emphasis on cultivating the whole person, not just promoting technological innovation. While many participants at Hack the North spend the weekend glued to computer terminals until the wee hours of the morning, the event also provides valuable opportunities for networking and socialization. Participants took breaks from coding to attend interactive workshops, hang out with therapy dogs, and even perform their best karaoke renditions of “Benny and the Jets”!
There was also a dedicated space, the Empowerment Lounge where students from historically marginalized groups, including 2SLGBTQIA+ and BIPOC students, could gather to recharge and hang out. The Empowerment Lounge is one tangible result of Hack the North’s commitment to furthering diversity and inclusion in tech spaces. As co-organizer Jessica Zhang, a third-year Computer Engineering student, explained in an interview last year, “We have the ability to set the tone and to show hacking can be a way to help underrepresented groups find their place in tech and continue along that path.”
Jing Yi Wang, a fourth year Computer Science student at Waterloo, has had the chance to experience Hack the North from both sides: first as a student, and now as an organizer. In both roles, she’s developed important soft skills that will aid her in her aspiration to be an engineering manager. “Working with a passionate team on an event I care so much about taught me a lot about how to be an effective leader,” she reflects. “The communication skills [I learned] will definitely help me in my career going as forward.”
Hack the North is also an example of the power of partnerships between the Faculty of Math and industry leaders such as IBM, Meta, and Cisco. “It was impressive to see the students engage with the industry sponsors,” says Stephanie Whitney, Director for Research & and Innovation Partnerships for the Math Innovation Office. “Our students (current and aspiring) are world-class, and it’s easy to see why leaders in the tech industry are so excited to participate in Hack the North.”
Student often build their careers outside of the classroom, and the industry involvement at Hack the North is key in helping them understand themselves as budding innovators and entrepreneurs long before graduation. As Wang describes, the hall was constantly buzzing with conversations between hackers and sponsors, “not only networking, but also discussing technical problems and learning from each other.” At the end of the event, the industry judges announced their twelve favorite projects from the weekend, as well as giving special awards for specific uses of different technologies.
First year Computer Science student Eugene Zhang can speak firsthand to Hack the North’s exciting opportunities. Zhang came to the event with an impressive background already: he’s the co-president of the hackathon Ignition Hacks as well as a SHAD fellow. This weekend, he and his team built journal4me, a mental health-voice-to-mood analysis journaling app. The app aims to replace traditional journaling on paper with an easier on-the-go experience: you simply “rant about your day effortlessly without having to pause and think about how to spell a word or structure a sentence,” and then the app processes your words for you and helps you identify your prevailing mood. The app was a hit with judges: Zhang and his team won second place for Best Use of Co:Here tech!
“Hack the North gave me an excuse to focus all my time and effort on creating a memorable side project,” Zhang says, “which is not only fun to do but also helps me hone my skills as a programmer. To top it off, hackathons like Hack the North push me to collaborate with other like-minded students, exposing me to both learning and networking opportunities.”
Hack the North also provides a chance for prospective students to engage with current Math students and faculty. The Faculty’s sponsor booth saw a constant stream of high school students stopping by to ask what it would take for them to get into Waterloo’s various computer science and math programs. “It was fantastic to meet so many students,” says Charles Clarke, Associate Dean for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. “I talked to people from as far away as Ireland, as well as high school students who are keen to study math and computer science at Waterloo.” Clarke is proud of the Faculty’s continuing support of the hackathon, pointing to it as a prime example of a “long tradition [of] supporting entrepreneurship and innovation.”
Whitney points to Hack the North as a successful example of how the Math Innovation Office supports entrepreneurs and innovators across all academic levels. She hopes to see many student participants again at the inaugural Math and Computing Research Discovery Days this spring (April 17-18 2023). Discovery Days is a showcase for cutting edge research taking place within the Faculty, and will include keynote addresses with moderated Q&As; student lightning presentations, posters, and pitches; research demonstrations; relationship-building and recruitment opportunities; student workshops; and a gala celebration. The hope is that Discovery Days will become an annual event, as key a part of the entrepreneurial ecosystem at the University of Waterloo as Hack the North.
To learn more about Hack the North, visit their website, and check out the university’s coverage of the event as a whole. To learn more about research Discovery Days, contact Stephanie Whitney.