This weekend marks UCSB’s second annual beachside Hackathon, an event completely free of charge, in which a community of creative programmers come together for 36 hours to design and create innovative products. Beginning and experienced programmers alike, SB Hacks is accepting college students, graduate PhD students, and high school students ages 18 and older.
Beginning on Friday, the programmers divide into teams of up to four people to create a wide range of cutting edge products that span from iPhone apps to products like last year’s winner, a Bionic Leap Motion Controlled-Prosthetic Arm. Over the course of the weekend, the programmers work non-stop on their projects, breaking only for the meals and snacks provided, as well as activities such as sunrise and sunset beach walks, yoga, and a prom.
Sunday marks the last day of the event, and the day of the expo, which showcases the weekend’s creations. These products are then judged by a group of senior engineers, professors, and app developers, who will award the first place winner a large prize from their sponsors, including Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Microsoft, and many more.