VolHacks V

What is a hackathon?

A student hackathon is a marathon of innovation, usually 24-36 hours in which students passionate about creating concepts and technology form teams and compete with other teams to generate, develop and/or implement a new idea from scratch in order to learn and have fun."

How much does it cost?

Nothing. Zero. Null. The event is completely free for eligible and registered students. You just need to show up!

Who can come?

All current undergraduate and graduate students, or those who graduated within the last 12 months, are allowed to attend. If you currently attend the University of Tennessee, you are guaranteed a spot, with or without registration — but please register to make sure we have enough swag!

Will you provide travel reimbursements?

Since VolHacks V will be a virtual event, we will not be providing travel reimbursements.

When and where is VolHacks?

VolHacks will take place virtually from March 5th to March 7th!

How do teams work?

There is a maximum of 4 people per team. Once the idea brainstorming session is done, there will be an open mic and networking time to find a team. Everyone registered will also be invited to the VolHacks Slack team prior to the hackathon in order to network and discuss ideas.

Will you have a hardware lab?

Unfortunately, since this is a virtual event we cannot bring hardware to your house. You are still more than welcome to use what you have at home though!

Is there a code of conduct?

Yes, we abide by the Major League Hacking Code of Conduct.

Do I need to stay the entire time?

Nope, we are not a lock-in. We realize that 36 hours is a long time, and that some people might have other commitments during that time. Feel free to stay and leave as you choose.

I've never been to a hackathon before, what should I do?

No worries at all. We will be providing mentors during the hackathon and running workshops . We will also have a Slack team for anyone to get help at during the hackathon. You don't need to be good at writing code or building things, this is a learning experience and chance to have fun above everything else!

What should I bring?

You will definitely need your laptop, phone, their chargers, as well as a valid government issued ID.

What kind of things can we hack up? Are there any limits?

You are not limited to what you can make, hack, or build for the hackathon except for the following restrictions:

• It cannot be illegal in any way
• It cannot go against the MLH code of conduct
• It cannot compromise the integrity of the UTK networks, resources, faculty, or staff
• It cannot go against the UTK code of student conduct (find that here)

I don't know what to build — any ideas?

Don't worry at all! We will walk you through how to brainstorm great ideas at the beginning of VolHacks.