About Hackathon
Our Biotech Bridge Hackathon is a two-day event where participants form teams of 3-6 people to create innovative solutions to life science problems that stand in the way of people living a longer, healthier life. Team projects will encompass disciplines such as molecular biology, biochemistry, environmental chemistry, nutrition, bioinformatics, computational science, AI/machine learning, medicine, business, arts, and neuroscience. From designing a lab experiment elucidating the role of a specific protein, to building an AI tool to model neuron activity, to designing personalized diets and health wearables, to anything that advances the understanding of ageing through better clocks and biomarkers, or improves people’s longevity and “health-span” can be worked on.
All FAU undergraduate and graduate students are invited to participate regardless of their major. While there is no requirement to have students from different majors on the same team, we strongly encourage teams to include members from different majors, colleges, and specialties. There will also be an interdisciplinary group of mentors available to the teams to provide guidance and answer questions throughout the Hackathon.
At the conclusion of the Hackathon, teams will present their project to a group of judges in one of the following three proposal formats: a research abstract, a software/algorithm design, or as a business plan. The proposals will then be judged according to the Biotech Bridge Hackathon rubric. Prizes will be presented on Saturday evening at the Awards Ceremony.
A biotech hackathon is a competition where participants form teams, work intensively on a project, create a solution to life science problems using technology, and then pitch their ideas to judges. Our theme for the inaugural Biotech Bridge Hackathon is Beat the Clock: Innovating for a Longer, Healthier Life.
Connect with other like-minded students and professionals, learn new skills that help grow your confidence, and have fun enjoying a weekend of tech and innovation. Participating in a biotech hackathon is a great way to gain the knowledge and skills needed to solve real world problems. The projects you will be working on are very real problems faced by researchers and industry alike. Learn how to collaborate with an interdisciplinary team with varying levels of expertise, from undergrads to faculty mentors, from biologists to business majors. Perhaps the real motivation is the chance to step out of the theoretical and into the practical and try to build something useful without the fear of failure.
A laptop, headphones, phone and laptop chargers, a great attitude, a creative mind, and a diverse team of individuals. Teams can be made up of a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 6 people. All majors are welcome and both undergraduate and graduate students can participate. While you may certainly choose the members of your team, you do not have to know who will be on your team at the time you complete the registration. Our Biotech Bridge Hackathon mentors can assist you in finding a team if you don’t have one during the Team Formation & Brainstorming portion of the Hackathon from 2:00-5:00pm on Friday, January 31.