To most, spending the weekend working non-stop on a computer does not sound ideal.
But for the determined students at this year’s PennApps Hackathon marathon, computer programming was well worth the sleep deprivation.
Starting at noon on Sept. 17 in Weiss Tech House, teams — mostly composed of Computer Science majors — brainstormed, created and published unique websites or cell phone applications designed to improve the Penn student life.
“PennApps is trying to spur innovation on Penn’s campus,” Engineering and Wharton junior and Director of the Undergraduate Assembly’s Student Life Committee Tyler Ernst said.
The University’s computer science club, the Dining Philosphers, hosted the event both this year and last, although several key alterations were made since the Hackathon’s debut year. One notable change was condensing the event from a span of a few weeks to a mere two days.
Engineering senior Lauren Frazier said the event was nonetheless “a lot of fun,” and fueled, of course, by “cans and cans of Red Bull.”
Multiple Penn alumni, such as Penn Apps judges Scott Becker and Alfie Hanssen, have made successful companies from their “hacking” skills. However, Engineering junior and event organizer Alexey Komissarouk said, “We’re not well known for it. We’re trying to change that.”
The winners of the day received prizes of $500, $1,500 and $2,500 for third, second and first places, respectively — as well as prizes for best data orientation, most user friendly and best use of the Venmo API.
The grand prize was given to Team Fortress 3 for an app that allows students to print directly from their phones to any printer in the Engineering building. The hope is to expand the program around campus, possibly to the college houses and other campus buildings.
And while the official festivities are through, the winning is not yet over — online voting at the event’s website will select a student favorite to win $1000.
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