Taos HIVE Hackathons!
Collaborate for Community
UPDATE 6-10-24: We held the first ever Hackathon in Northern New Mexico on Saturday June 8th and three incredible projects emerged from the pitch competition. Attendees spent the day working together on community-focused projects, relaxing in the sensory room, and enjoying delicious food from the amazing Mood Bake. Thank you to everyone who participated and stopped by to check it out. We’ll be posting media from the event soon!
All are welcome to participate in our first UNM-Taos HIVE Hackathon! If you’re already familiar with hackathons, ours might look a bit different, and if you’re not sure what a hackathon is, please read on! Feel free to use these buttons to navigate the page.
What is a hackathon?
A hackathon is an event where people come together to collaborate on building or modifying technologies to address challenges. It’s an opportunity for individuals with different skills and backgrounds to contribute toward solving community issues.
What is a HIVE hackathon?
A HIVE hackathon is an inclusive and welcoming event where we invite anyone in the community who wants to help the community to participate.
Do I have to know programming?
Nope, come with whatever skills and knowledge you’ve got and we’ll figure out how to do something awesome.
What is a technology?
A technology, by our definition, is any system, structure, or object, that is governed by a set of rules. Anything that is governed by a set of rules can be hacked.
Examples of technologies include:
computers: a technology made up of hardware and software which controls the properties of the hardware according to rules
workplace culture: a technology made up of people, physical structures like offices, information technologies, and the rules that govern how people behave and interact
Language: a technology that facilitates exchange of ideas - what sort of ideas are made easier or more challenging to express depends on the language
What is hacking?
Hacking, by our definition, is the art of understanding the rules of a technology well enough to utilize those rules to create something new that solves a particular problem or achieves a goal that may not have been built in to the original technology.
Examples of hacking include:
connecting a bunch of computers to provide computational resources to train an AI model on local data
creating workplace structures that empower people to be themselves at work and incorporating software to accommodate different approaches and abilities
building workshops and online content that presents different approaches to professionalism that respect all backgrounds and the context in which business is being conducted
What can I contribute to a Hackathon?
Your ideas, your unique perspective, and your desire to help your community
Map of the space
Project ideas
Using technology to help small businesses
Connecting people with opportunities
Water management
Digitizing bulletin boards
Recycling
Connecting people across generations
Transportation
Agriculture
Food distribution
Making spaces more inclusive and welcoming
Any project you can come up with that supports connection within the community
Example projects (feel free to use!)
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Background
Pride month is in June
People expect to see rainbow flags
Rainbow flags signal safety
Problem
Taos has few visible rainbow flags in June
Proposed solution
Make it easy for business owners to have rainbow flags
Implementation
Provide instructions and encouragement
Automate digital processes
Considerations
Lack of awareness
Potential for misuse or abuse
Pushback
Potential impact
Increased visibility and consideration
Easier navigation
-
Background
Connections matter in Taos
For employment, gig work, art, etc.
Problem
Missed connections
Proposed solution
Bridging gaps between people and opportunities
Using available tools and technologies in new ways
Modifying existing technologies to be more accessible
Implementation
Gather and organize data
Provide user-friendly interface
Considerations
Ease of use vs. having to learn a new thing
Privacy concerns
Inclusivity
Potential impact
Easier for people to find opportunities
Easier for employers to find people they need
-
Background
Taos does not have a recycling program
Problem
People want to recycle
Recycle artists and craftspeople need materials
Disconnect between materials and people
Proposed solution
Monitoring the lifespan of recyclable products
Providing space and opportunities to connect
Implementation
Dedicating a physical space to sorting and holding materials
Digitally keeping track of materials
Connecting people with materials and opportunities to recycle
Considerations
Cleanliness of materials
Resources required for maintenance
Accessibility
Potential impact
Increased availability of materials
More opportunities to recycle
Improved sustainability
Less matter in landfills
I’m interested, what do I do?
Our first hackathon, focused on connection in community, is slated to occur on Saturday June 8th, 2024 from 9AM - 7PM with tasty food and snacks provided. Including amazing vegan and gluten free options. There will be space available to relax and recharge, and plenty of breaks.
We are limiting registration to 35 participants so that we have enough space to accommodate teams comfortably. Hope to see you there!
Let’s collaBEErate!
Schedule (what to expect)
9AM - 10 Introduction:
Welcome to the HIVE
Introduction to hacking
Space hacking (make yourself comfy!)
Setting norms and boundaries as a group
10 - 11:30 Team formation:
Find a team based on project interests
(or bring a team and maybe invite a new member)
Select a space for your team
Brainstorm project ideas:
Your unique perspective matters!
11:30 - 1 Lunch (break):
Brought to you by the incredible Mood Bake
Vegan x gluten free options
Feel free to do what you need to recharge and get ready to hack!
1:00 - 2:00 Project development:
Work on your project - what are you going to solve/improve and how are you going to do it?
2:00 - 2:15 Break
2:15 - 3:15 More time to hack
3:15 - 3:30 Break
3:30 - 4:30 Continue hacking
4:30 - 5:15 Prepare your pitch
3-5minutes
Covers:
Background
Problem
Proposed Solution
How you’re going to do it
What unintended consequences might come up + how you’ll manage
Potential impact
5:15 - 6:15 Pitch Presentation
Watch each pitch so you can vote for people’s choice!
Pitch your project!
6:15 - 6:30 Voting + judging
Dinner is 6:00 - 7:00
6:45 - 7:00 - Winning projects announced!
Overall (most feasible, best implementation, impactful): $750
Creative (most creative implementation, consideration of multiple perspectives evident): $250
Community spirited (most community - oriented and fits really well with the Taos spirit): $250
People’s choice (all attendees can vote for any project, but your own!): $250
Please let us know how it went and how we can make it better next time!
Pitch competition
At the end of the Hackathon there’ll be a friendly pitch competition for $$ prizes
Tell everyone about your project:
Project name (team name, if you’re into it 😁)
Background
What do we need to know to understand your project?
What does it mean to you?
Problem
What’s going on that your project is addressing?
How does that problem show up in your life?
Proposed solution
What are you hacking (changing / designing)?
Which technologies are you using?
Emma, Matt, Michael, and Trey are available to assist
Implementation + Unintended Consequences
How are you applying your hack to the problem?
What could go wrong and what can you do about it?
Potential Impact
What’s it like in your community with your project implemented?
Who all may be impacted?
Dream big
We would love to help you transform your project into a sustainable business! Check out our start-up incubator/accelerator this summer
Rubric for panelists
Prizes:
Best overall: let’s make this happen!.............................................$750
Most creative: whoa that’s cool!............……………………….........$250
Most community spirit: that’s so Taos!................................….......$250
People’s choice: anyone can vote for their favorite............……...$250
