Welcome to Loudoun County's first Hackathon
Saturday, May 18, 9a.m. - 9p.m.
ABOUT
Welcome to the first ever Hackathon at the Academies of Loudoun! At our 12 hour hackathon, we will be providing various workshops for people ranging from beginners to experts. Join us for a day full of fun and coding!
Day-Of Logistics
Schedule, workshops, and prizes
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Registration
9:00 AMRegistration begins at 8:00 AM and ends at 9:00 AM. Be sure to check in at the desks located just before the stairs directly in front of the main entrance.
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Workshops
9:30 AMThe workshops are an amazing opportunity to learn new things about a variety of topics. If you are new to hacking this is a great place to find a starting point on a project. If you're an experienced hacker, you can still learn something new from our workshops.
Python
This workshop goes over the basics of object oriented programming in python as well as some basic data structures. You can expect to learn how to create classes, import modules, and create run basic python programs.
Web Development
This workshop will teach you many of the important tags and structure of an HTML script and how a CSS file connects and modifies the elements of a website. This is a great beginner workshop for those that want to quickly prototype a project.
Robotics
This workshop will go over the basics of Arduino and Raspberry Pi covering topics including setup, ports and their uses, and some of the basics of the electrical engineering that goes into making robots. This workshop is for slightly more advanced hackers that want to try something more difficult.
App Design
This workshop will take you on a walkthrough of the types of development platforms are available in app development and will guide you on developing an app in Android Studio
CAD and 3D printing
Here, you'll receive introduction to Fusion360. You'll learn how to model objects, prepare them for 3D printing, and exporting them.
BioInformatics
In this workshop you can learn about how machine learning helps decode DNA and helps us better understand ourselves. It will introduce you to basic machine learning concepts but they'll be learned through the focus of bioinformatics.
Augmented and Virtual Reality
This workshop will walk you through the basics of virtual and augmented reality, using virtual and augmented reality headsets, and using Unity to produce VR and AR simulations.
Machine Learning
This workshop will walk you through the basic concepts of machine learning including weights, gradient descent, and linear regression. It will also introduce different types of machine learning such as supervised and unsupervised.
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Lunch
12:00 PMPanera Bread will be catering, there will be a selection of vegetarian and nonvegetarian meals to choose from.
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Competition
12:30 PMGet with your team, find a workstation, and get going on your project!
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Dinner
6:00 PMDinner will be served.
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Award Ceremony
7:00 PMThere are three categories in which you can win prizes. These categories include trios, duos, and solos.
Solo
First place: Amazon Echo dot, bluetooth speaker, and qi wireless charger
Second place: Amazon Echo dot and gaming mouse
Third place: Amazon Echo dot
Duos
First place: Two Leap Hand detectors
Second place: Two Raspberry Pi kits
Third place: Two Amazon Echo dots
Trios
First place: Three Amazon Echos and Smart Plugs
Second place: Three Ultimate Arduino starter kits
Third place: Three Anker bluetooth speakers and $10 Amazon gift card
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Conclusion
8:00 PMWinning teams present their projects and final speeches are made. We hope you had a great time at Academies Hacks!
FAQ
Just to be clear, it's not hacking into people's laptops and remotely shutting them down. Hackathons are events which usually last from 12 to 24 hours where teams of programmers, engineers, and designers work on a project. At the end of the hacking period, the projects are judged and the winners earn prizes.
No experience is needed, there are various workshops offered which are offered to people ranged from beginners to experts.
You have complete freedom to make what you want to. The workshops being offered can help point you in the right direction on kind of project you make.
The hackathon is completely free.
Yes, lunch and dinner are offered.
Anyone currently attending middle and high school can attend the hackathon.
Make sure to bring a laptop, a charger, any specific hardware you need (we will have some but it might not be enough for everyone), and most importantly, yourself!