On March 22, 2019, more than 1,100 people from across the country gathered for 36 hours in the Agganis Arena for TechTogether Boston 2019, the second annual hackathon for women or non-binary individuals. The free event, first held in 2018 as SHEHACKS Boston, was planned by a coalition of women from institutions around the northeast including Boston University, and supported by IS&T, BU Spark!, CAS, ENG, and BU Research.
The hackathon created opportunities for high school and college students to solve problems like combating fake news and disaster recovery. In addition to hacking, TechTogether Boston hosted a series of tech workshops, keynote talks, and networking opportunities with some of the more than two dozen sponsors.
Organizers of the event worked with Boston University admissions, Computer Science clubs, and student leaders to deliver a series of workshops throughout the events aimed at attracting both high school and transfer prospects to BU. Of the 1,100 attendees, 227 high school students participated in BU-planned “PreHacks” pathway program created by BU Spark!
A number of IS&T staff members were involved with the planning and execution of TechTogether Boston 2019. IS&T’s Vice President and Chief Data Officer Tracy Schroeder facilitated planning and provided a brief welcome at the event kickoff. Additionally, IS&T’s Josie Debaere, Bev Guiry, Katia Oleinik, and Tammy Pruneau participated in a panel discussion about career pathways in IT as women.
Visit TechTogether Boston or email info@techtogether.io to learn about their 2020 Hackathon.