First ever regional virtual Hackathon to tackle COVID-19

New York University Abu Dhabi is set to host the ninth edition of the 2020 Annual NYUAD International Hackathon to steer social good.

words Shruthi Vijayan

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual event will now encourage programmers worldwide to work on innovative scientific and technological solutions to champion social efforts against the virus.

Supported by MIT Hacking Medicine, the aim is to drive entrepreneurship that can affect real change in these testing times.

Running from 16th-19th April, more than 120 judges, mentors and students are expected to take part in webinars, presentation and discussions via Zoom, Slack Google Apps and other online tools.

Students will be divided into teams of five to seven members who will examine sectors like health, education, film, business and science that have been affected by the virus.

The aim of the teams is to create sustainable strategies that can be put in place to “… address emerging needs” of the sectors.

Sana Odeh, organiser, founder and chair for the Annual NYUAD International Hackathon, clinical professor of Computer Science at NYU New York, and affiliated faculty at NYUAD said:

“Our priority is building tech solutions to support vulnerable communities such as refugees who are facing life threatening situations with minimal support and resources. It’s also to solve problems related to the healthcare system such as symptom tracking and minimizing exposure to others.”

The hackathon, which is in three week’s time, hopes to culminate results that can be executed to flatten the curve.

It is an opportunity for students to respond to a real time crisis with completely fleshed out digital solutions.

The final applications will be judged by a panel that includes but are not limited to stalwarts from MIT, NYUAD and UNICEF.

For more information, visit nyuad.nyu.edu

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