Among the many many occasions that marked the IEEE–Eta Kappa Nu (IEEE-HKN) honor society’s 120th anniversary final 12 months was its first international hackathon. Organized by a gaggle of 10 HKN college students and led by current graduate Christian Winingar from the Gamma Theta chapter at Missouri University of Science and Technology, in Rolla, the hackathon required greater than seven months of planning.
The concept originated from college students who attended the society’s 2023 Student Leadership Conference to proceed fostering worldwide collaboration among the many society’s chapters.
“It appeared a pure match to arrange it as a method to have fun the society’s anniversary,” says Serena Canavero, one of many occasion’s organizers and the 2025 HKN pupil governor.
To tie the hackathon to the institution of the society, the organizing committee created mathematical and engineering issues round saving the eight founders of HKN from those that would oppose their dedication to its foundational tenets of scholarship, character, and perspective.
“It was a precious expertise for IEEE-HKN members each on the skilled and pupil member ranges to attach with one another and to foster a neighborhood targeted on problem-solving and innovation.” —Christian Winingar
“Our founders, particularly Maurice L. Carr, envisioned a society that will finally develop into worldwide, as it’s as we speak, greater than a century into the long run,” Canavero says. “To seize this spirit, our staff combed by means of HKN’s historic information, looking for insights into the visionary college students who based it. We imagined them dealing with varied challenges, usually misunderstood by college leaders who didn’t but see the worth in a corporation devoted to the skilled progress of younger, shiny, and philanthropic engineers.”
The hackathon succeeded in capturing the creativeness of scholars around the globe, finally attracting 62 contributors collaborating in 12 groups from 11 to 22 October. The scholars labored collectively to face obstacles, utilizing mathematical and engineering rules. Within the course of, they discovered to understand one another’s problem-solving approaches, tips on how to contribute to a staff, and tips on how to surmount logistical challenges corresponding to working throughout time zones.
On 28 October, the hackathon culminated with groups presenting their options nearly to 16 IEEE members who judged their work based mostly on its completeness, accuracy, and timeliness. The presentation was part of HKN’s Founders Day celebration, which included a digital hearth chat by two eminent members and IEEE Medal of Honor winners, Vint Cerf and Robert Kahn.
These are the highest 5 IEEE-HKN groups and their chapters:
Shockingly Environment friendly. Mu Nu chapter at Politecnico di Torino, in Italy; Sigma chapter at Carnegie Mellon; Mu Kappa chapter on the University of Queensland, in Brisbane, Australia; and Iota Kappa chapter at Montana State University, in Bozeman.
Mild Emitting Resistor.Lambda Omega chapter on the National University of Singapore.
Thetastic Coders. Theta chapter on the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
Jumbos.Epsilon Delta chapter at Tufts University, in Massachusetts.
Leo. Nu Theta chapter at Purdue University Northwest in Hammond, Ind.
TestEquity, a test and measurement product distributor, offered prizes for the groups. They included a present card, a soldering station, handheld industrial and digital multimeters, a voltage detector, and multi-tools.
The organizing committee was happy with the hackathon.
“It was a precious expertise for IEEE-HKN members each on the skilled and pupil member ranges to attach with one another and foster a neighborhood targeted on problem-solving and innovation,” Winigar says.
“The worldwide hackathon introduced collectively motivated younger IEEE-HKN engineers from each laptop and electrical engineering backgrounds,” Canavero provides. “It blended chapters into blended groups, sparking creativity and problem-solving, bridging time zones, and fostering our neighborhood at a global degree. It was a testomony to how IEEE-HKN empowers younger leaders to dream large, enabling us to collaborate on bold engineering endeavors collectively.”
Due to the enthusiastic response to the hackathon, plans are underway to carry one other one this 12 months.
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