The University of Missouri — Columbia (MU) will hold its first ever high school hackathon, called MissouriHacks, Saturday, Feb 3. from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m at Lafferre Hall. 

The event will begin with programming lessons for students less familiar with coding and include a coding competition for students that are more comfortable. MU College of Engineering faculty member Evan Watt said he will be helping students at the event. He said it is important to introduce students to coding, as it will be a “valuable skill” to have in the future. 

“As the world becomes more and more reliant on technology, there will be an increasing demand for employees with coding skills,” Watt said. “Even if you don’t plan on pursuing a career in programming, I still highly recommend knowing at least some coding. This event will be a great way for students to expand their coding abilities in a fun environment. There will be lots of [MU] staff available to help students with coding, no matter what level of experience they are at.”

Students at the event will have the opportunity to use their coding skills to create a group project centered around energy and submit it for judgment. Groups with the best and most creative projects will receive prizes of gift cards and computer supplies. MissouriHacks Coordinator Luke Gallagher said he wants the event to be enjoyable for students and hopes it will inspire more students to get into coding.

“Our primary objective is to provide high school students with a fun and enjoyable experience that sparks excitement for computer science and engineering,” Gallagher said. “By engaging in hands-on coding challenges and workshops, we aim to ignite curiosity and encourage students to envision the possibilities within these fields. Ultimately, we hope to contribute to the growth of a diverse and skilled next generation of technologists and innovators.”

Watt said he is looking forward to helping students at the event, particularly those that are new to coding. He said coding can be intimidating to newcomers, so he hopes this event will make students more confident about their abilities. 

“I’ve had a lot of students tell me they would like to get into coding, but they find it too overwhelming, and don’t know where to start,” Watt said. “I hope this event shows students that coding is not as difficult as they think. Yes it can be a little complicated at first, but once you spend some time doing it, you’ll start to see that it’s not so bad.”

Gallagher said the event will help make STEM education more accessible to all students and will help strengthen MU’s ties with the local community. He said he believes the university will continue to do this event in the future. 

“Our commitment to fostering interest in computer science and engineering drives us to continuously improve and expand this event,” Gallagher said. “By learning from the experiences of this year, we aim to make the next edition even more engaging and impactful. We look forward to hosting future hackathons and inspiring even more students to pursue their passion for technology.”

Are you going to the hackathon? Let us know in the comments below.