During 36 caffeine-filled, sleepless hours, students from the University of Tennessee and elsewhere will brainstorm, build, break, test, and deploy whatever they can imagine, for the chance to win amazing prizes.
There will also be plenty of time to interact with professional mentors and engineers, meet recruiters, and listen to great tech talks and tutorials from sponsors.
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The Min Kao building is one of the newest buildings on campus, with an expansive interior, modern architecture, and ridiculous internet speeds. Min Kao houses the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and is a hotspot of innovation at the university. This weekend, it will be home to over 300 hackers building the technology of tomorrow.
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| Check In | Min Kao Atrium | 5:00pm |
| Opening Ceremony | Dougherty 416 | 6:00pm |
| Team Building Activity/Mentor Meeting | Dougherty 416/Min Kao 118 | 7:00pm |
| Dinner | Min Kao 646 | 7:30pm |
| Hacking Begins | Min Kao 646 | 8:00pm |
| Asurion Tech Talk | Min Kao 404 | 8:45-9:45pm |
| ELO Tech Talk | Min Kao 404 | 9:45-10:45pm |
| SAIC Tech Talk | Min Kao 404 | 10:45-11:15pm |
| Google Tech Talk | Min Kao 404 | 11:15-12:15pm |
| Midnight Snack | Min Kao 646 | 12:30am |
| Presentation on Git | Minkao 404 | 1:00am |
| Breakfast | Min Kao 646 | 8:00am |
| Lunch | Min Kao 646 | 12:00pm |
| JTV Tech Talk | Min Kao 404 | 2:00-2:30pm |
| Structure.sh Tech Talk | Min Kao 404 | 2:30-2:45pm |
| Presentation on Pitching | Min Kao 404 | 5:00-5:30pm |
| Slide Show Karaoke | Min Kao 404 | 5:30-6:00pm |
| Dinner | Min Kao 646 | 6:00pm |
| Cup Stacking | Min Kao Atrium | 8:00pm |
| Midnight Snack | Min Kao 646 | 12:00am |
| Hack Submission Deadline | 8:00am | |
| Breakfast | Min Kao 646 | 8:00-9:00am |
| Hack Presentations & Judging | Dougherty 416 | 9:00am |
| Closing Ceremony | Doughery 416 | right after Presentation! |
Register online to reserve your place! That way, if we fill up, we don't have to give you a thumbs-down after you get here.
Student RegistrationVolHacks would not be possible without the incredible support of these organizations.
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."
Nothing. Zero. Null. The event is completely free for eligible and registered students. We will provide you with the venue, food, drinks, place to sleep if needed, Wi-Fi, etc. You just need to show up!
All current undergraduate and graduate students, or those who graduated within the last 12 months, are allowed to attend (if you registered through https://volhacks2018-studentreg.herokuapp.com/login). 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 and food!
The VolHacks team is excited to offer travel reimbursement this year for hackers attending our event! We want to lighten the burden on hackers who are coming from far away! The exact travel reimbursement model is shown in the chart below. To encourage carpooling, your vehicle has to have at least three people to get reimbursement. If you have any questions or need special accommodations please feel free to reach out to us. If you sign up, please make all efforts to attend!
Yes! Absolutely! We will provide catered meals, drinks at all times, snack breaks, and endless caffeine.
We will have a designated quiet sleeping area on site, and you are encouraged to bring sleeping bags, blankets, pillows, toiletries, and anything else you need to sleep. There are no showers at the venue, so please be prepared to go without showering unless you have other accommodations.
VolHacks will take place on September 28th to September 30th, at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in the Min Kao EECS Building. Click here for directions.
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.
Yes! VolHacks is not just software! The Hardware Lab is an area where you can borrow hardware you need to create your hack, using your government issued ID. Feel free to bring your own hardware or send suggestions on what feel you would like to use. You can review a list of hardware lab here.
Yes, we abide by the Major League Hacking Code of Conduct.
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.
Free parking is available in the 11th Street Parking Garage, right across the street from Min Kao.
No worries at all. We will be providing mentors during the hackathon and running workshops, as well as providing food and drinks and a place to sleep if you don't have one. 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!
You will definitely need your laptop, phone, their chargers, as well as a valid government issued ID. Feel free to also bring along a sleeping bag, and we recommend some comfortable clothes.
You are not limited to what you can make, hack, or build for the hackathon except for the following restrictions:
Don't worry at all! We will walk you through how to brainstorm great ideas at the beginning of VolHacks.
Feel free to email us about the event, sponsoring us, partnering with us, or with any other questions!
VolHacks will take place in the Min Kao EECS building on UT's campus:
1520 Middle Dr, Knoxville, TN 37996
You can park in the 11th Street Parking Garage right across the street for free.