T9Hacks

Hackathon for Traditionally Underrepresented Students

February 16-17, 2024 | ATLAS Institute

Interested in becoming an organizer? Sign up via the interest form!

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Event Information

T9Hacks is a 24 hour, beginner level hackathon, encouraging exploration and learning just as much as creation and development. CU Students of all experience levels are welcome to join.

It is entirely free for participants and we will provide four catered meals throughout the event. Prizes for main track competition tracks average to $100 per person (in a winning group up to five people). Our sponsoring companies (including local brands like SewBo and ArtParts) will be present at the event to support participant efforts and recruit for possible job opportunities.

We strive to create a place for anyone who has ever felt separated from others within the STEM due to some aspect of their identity, whether that be gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disabilities, mental health, or any number of marginalizing aspects. T9Hacks is a place to build a community of support as we all learn and grow in our respective fields.

For T9Hacks 2024, we are challenging groups of 2-5 to bring their solutions and ideas into the physical world by designing or constructing an accessory or item of clothing, footwear, or jewelry. In our sustainability category, your design must incorporate the ideas of reuse, reduce, and recycle! For this challenge, T9 will provide limited donated clothing, fabric, buttons, and zippers for participants to upcycle into a new creation. Additionally, participants are free to use outside or novel materials for their creation to propose new ideas for creating more sustainable products that are aimed at reducing waste and pollution. In our futuristic fashion category, we want your final creation to reflect your group's vision of fashion in the year 2222. Consider the forces listed below that have the potential to shape culture and our needs on this planet; how will your final creation reflect those changes?

For more information, please visit our devpost page.

Competition Tracks

Each participant/group can only win one main competition track.

  • Sustainability: Your design must incorporate the ideas of reuse, reduce, and recycle.
    • Winner Recieves: TBD
  • Futuristice Fashion: We want your final creation to reflect your group's vision of fashion in the year 2222. Consider the forces listed below that have the potential to shape culture and our needs on this planet; how will your final creation reflect those changes?
    • Winner Recieves: TBD
    • Listed Forces:
      • Technological Advancements: Envision garments interwoven with smart fabrics and wearable technology, where clothing isn't just worn but interacts and responds to the wearer's environment, health, and needs through advanced materials science and manufacturing techniques like 3D printing.
      • Social and Cultural Evolution: Imagine designs that reflect the future's diverse tapestry—clothing that transcends today's norms, embracing inclusivity and celebrating a spectrum of identities and cultures.
      • Climate Change and Living Conditions: Predict how shifting global conditions will redefine apparel, from UV-protective, lightweight materials to attire suitable for warmer climates and altered environments.
      • Space and Off-Earth Living: With the prospect of life beyond Earth, consider fashion that adapts to different gravitational forces, atmospheric conditions, and the needs of space colonization.
      • Functionality and Utility: Contemplate multifunctional attire that adapts to varied activities and settings, emphasizing practicality alongside style.
      • Digital and Virtual Influences: As the digital realm burgeons, ponder the rise of virtual fashion, where digital attire, made in a 3D modeling program, for avatars could rival the importance of physical garments.

What to Build

As long as the project is submitted by the deadline, anything goes for the main competition tracks. We are looking to see clothing designs whether they are crafted, coded, or drawn. At the end of the competition, you'll walk a runway to show off your designs!

What to Submit

Projects do not need to be complete and are expected to be anywhere in the prototyping phase. Your project should be submitted on DevPost by 5:30pm on 17 February 2024. Participants are expected to demo/present their projects to the judges after submission and the presentation will be factored into the judging process.

While T9Hacks accepts projects with prior work done, we ask that you clearly document the work that was done before the hackathon and what work was completed within the 24 hours of the hackathon. There should be evidence of a substantial difference between the work done before and the work done during the hackathon.

Step One

Submit to Devpost (one per team)

https://t9hacks-2024-revive-the-runway.devpost.com/ Submission QR Code

Step Two

Come visit the organizers in the ATLAS Lobby!

Judging Criteria

Quality of Results

Do the project results reflect good professional skills?


Demonstration and Defense

Are the project contents and results clearly described? Were the judges' questions reasonably answered?


Innovation

Is there a new innovation? Is the creation part important? Has there been enough precedent research into similar projects?


Academic Quality

Has the reading of relevant academic materials been conducted? Were the correct research methods used? Are the conclusions clear? Are the limitations of the project given?


Feasibility

Does the project proposal really provide a potential solution for the prompt? Can it be replicated in a sustainable way?


Social Impact

Is the problem the project is trying to solve important? Will it have a positive impact on the world?


Level of Enjoyment

Are all team members satisfied with the project results? Did they enjoy themselves during the event?

Event Schedule

Event Schedule

Directions

T9Hacks will take place at the ATLAS Institute. The whole event happens in the spring of each year. Please use the following address: 1125 18th St. Boulder, CO 80309. Participants will be responsible for coordinating sleeping arrangements.

ATLAS Institute Map

Atlas Map

We have the privilege of using this beautiful building for T9Hacks. The ATLAS institute has its main floor with Room 100 for opening & closing ceremony. The main floor also contains: the BTU lab for diverse workshops, ATLS 104 for more awesome workshops, and the lobby area for check in and food. One floor down contains a gender neutral restroom.

Mission

The mission of T9Hacks is to create a welcoming and safe place for women and traditionally underrepresented students to explore hackathons. Our goal is to create opportunities for newcomers to explore a hackathon environment while learning and solving compelling problems. T9Hacks works towards this mission by creating women, gender equality, creative technology, beginner, and other similar types of hackathons that support women and marginalized students. T9hacks is open to everyone and values all dimensions of gender identity.

We are now further beyond gender and expanding to create a safe space—a learning environment—for people that are traditionally underrepresented in the Engineering field. By this we mean that T9Hacks is a place for people who have felt alone in a classroom, work environment, etc. as a member of engineering simply due to their gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disabilities, or mental health. We want to make T9Hacks a place to build a community of support as we learn and grow in our respective fields.

At T9Hacks 2023


190+

hackers

47%+

were women and non-binary

75%+

were first-time hackers

Spring 2023 Winners

SciTec Award: Best Use of C++/Python (1st Place) - SocialUniverse by Simon Wickersham, Anar Enkhzol, and Chin-Hsuan (Andrea) Wang

SciTec Award: Best Use of C++/Python (2nd Place) - Tonight on Plex by Will Proxy, Lila Hunter-Reay, and Quil Cummings

Plex Award: Best Media Companion - Tonight on Plex by Will Proxy, Lila Hunter-Reay, and Quil Cummings

Best Use of Theme: Outer Space - YOUniverse by Julia Tung, Tali Forsyth, Sylvia Tran, and Lu Arn

Best in Game - AstroBunny by Cay Kennedy and stinkbugx Stafford

Best in Community - CommuniMap by Jake Nichols

Best in Color - Lost in The Stars by Nathan Lamp, Olivia Zhu, Rachel Liang, and Warren Fu

Rookie Award - Evesti by Delan Huang

Organizer's Choice - Postory by Jamie J.

Discord

Discord is our primary form of communication across all organizers, participants, mentors, sponsors, and any other people involved.

If you are unfamiliar with Discord, it is a group instant messaging platform that can be accessed via browser, desktop, or mobile application. A validated email address is required to join and participate. Join the conversation and stay up-to-date on announcements here once you're set up.

Spring Hackathon FAQ

What is T9Hacks?

T9Hacks is a 24 hour hackathon (we affectionally refer to ourselves as a "make-a-thon"!) that champions a welcoming environment for our participants to learn and express themselves creatively.

What is a hackathon?

A hackathon is an event where teams of students come together to use their technology and design skills to transform ideas into reality. Hackathons are marathon “hacking” (i.e. inventing, building, creating, making) gatherings — traditionally in-person — where students can express their creativity and learn something new.

Who can come?

T9Hacks is for college students (and recent college grads) to not only discover what hackathons are, but also to learn, explore, and create something new. We encourage all women and non-binary students with an interest or enthusiasm for fashiion to join, regardless of experience! The only requirements are:

(1) you must be over the age of 18;
(2) you must be enrolled in a college or higher education program, OR have graduated within one year, so undergraduates and graduate students are welcome.

Do we work in teams?

We encourage people to work in teams of five. 24 hours isn't a lot of time to guide a creative project from start to finish, so having teammates is incredibly helpful. This is a great place to meet lots of wonderful people with different skillsets. You can come with a pre-formed group and idea, an idea of your own and no team, or a desire to help someone else's idea along. If you don't have a team nor an idea, we'll host an icebreaker event before the hackathon for everyone to meet and share ideas.

How much experience is needed?

At T9Hacks, it doesn't matter if you've never sewn a garment, we still want you to come! We encourage women and non-binary students from all backgrounds to participate. It doesn't matter whether you are an art, journalism, computer science, or marketing major — there is a place for you here. We will be hosting workshops for beginners and intermediate creators, with the goal of providing support and mentoring for our participants to learn.

What is hacking?

At T9hacks, "hacking" never means programming with malicious intent. We want you to "hack" (design, build, create, MacGyver) technology, art, and media together to create something awesome.

How much does it cost?

Participation is completely free! We just ask that everyone register before they arrive at the event.

What will happen at T9Hacks?

Participants will create brand-new projects. We want you to be creative, learn something new, and explore the possibilities. Get a start on a project you've had in the back of your mind. Create a solution to a problem you want to address, find a creative spark in an idea you've always wanted to dive into! Develop your skills in an area you're comfortable with or explore something completely foreign. Experiment with new fabrics, softwares, threads. You're here to learn, create, and explore!

How long is the event?

T9Hacks is a 24-hour hackathon, meaning that the window of time for collaborating, planning, and creating projects is open for 24 hours straight. It sounds like a long time, but it goes quickly! We'll have opening and closing ceremonies before and after hacking. (Of course, we encourage breaks and rest throughout the event!)

Can men come?

T9Hacks was created to support women, non-binary, transgender and other gender minority students. We call ourselves a women's hackathon because it succinctly sums up our gender-driven mission and goals. T9Hacks is open to students of every gender, including trans-and-cis-male allies, but we especially encourage women, non-binary, gender-nonconforming, and transgender students to attend.

Team

Team

Co-Lead Organizer | Patricia Chin

Team

Co-Lead Organizer | Celine

Team

Advisor | Ellen Do

Team

Logistics | Kai

Team

Web Development | Ashley Weaver & Jack Gentleman

Team

Logistics | Ananya

Team

Marketing | Sohini

Team

Marketing | Kira

Team

Marketing | Brittany Weaver

Team

Event Experience | Bo

Team

Marketing | Devon

Code of Conduct

At T9Hacks, we believe in creating a safe and welcoming environment for everyone. Everyone involved at our events — including the organizers, mentors, volunteers, and participants — follows the CU Student Code of Conduct.

Participants Picture
Participants Picture

Past Sponsors

mission zero
cardinal peak
earni.fi
verily
TortugaAgTech
twitter
Virga logo
Wunderman Thompson