Hacking Hackathon

Innovators from around the nation gathered for a sleepless event this past weekend for HackDuke. A 24-hour challenge to innovate, the hackathon, themed “Code for Good,” invited students to collaborate to create software or hardware relating to one of four tracks: inequality, energy and the environment, education and health and wellness. Bringing students together in an environment of collaboration rather than competition, the hackathon presents a laudable model of applied learning for social impact that can be leveraged in other disciplines.

HackDuke and hackathons like it offer students a risk-free and collaborative environment to apply their knowledge toward a broader cause. For example, last semester, a HackDuke team created software that could translate sign language into written text. With a low barrier to entry that welcomes all aspiring innovators—with or without coding background—the hackathon fosters a spirit of entrepreneurship that extends beyond the classroom. Furthermore, the emphasis on the intersection between technology and social good leverages learned knowledge and creativity toward a broader social impact. That the hacakthon was sponsored in collaboration with the Kenan Institute for Ethics, among other organizations, and that the prize for winners within each track is a donation of $500 toward a nonprofit organization of their choice serve as a testament to hackathon's vested interest in producing social good. While there are additional privately sponsored prizes from companies like Google, Citrix, Microsoft and IBM, the focus of HackDuke remains collaboration. The popularity of HackDuke shows a yearning from the student body to apply their knowledge and skill beyond problem sets.

Yet, while HackDuke contributes a net benefit to participating students and broader society, it is important to note that the model presupposes access to technology. In attempting to solve social problems such as educational gaps, it should not be forgotten that access to computers, tablets and smartphones is not universal. These barriers to entry serve as humbling reminders that technology cannot always be the exclusive solution to social and global problems.

Leveraging this think tank model of innovation to other disciplines beyond technology, then, can provide further avenues of creating social impact. What if the premise for hackathons was applied to an event for students, say, of public policy? Bringing together a group of innovative people in a fun and risk-free environment could generate ideas to improve existing legislation or provide creative proposals to social problems that heretofore have yet to be addressed. Events like Winter Forum begin to provide opportunities for interdisciplinary approaches to confronting social issues, yet focusing on intradisciplinary innovation like the hackathon might yield new avenues of idea generation.

While schools like Stanford and MIT, which also host hackathons, base their identity on science and technology, Duke remains a multi-discipline, academically diverse institution. Yet, the increasing popularity of HackDuke points to an interest in entrepreneurship among the student body. The Certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which was recently added to the curriculum, points to entrepreneurship becoming a larger part of students’ lives. What does the growing interest in entrepreneurship mean for the upcoming curriculum change? As the University continues to expand its global reach and add innovative programs such as DukeImmerse and Bass Connections, the role entrepreneurship plays should not be overlooked.