Spark! Mini Hack Sets a New Standard for Hackathons

Some of your standard hackathons might be associated with the following: stress, tension, and self-doubt. Spark!’s Welcome Back Mini Hack took a different approach. “This is the most comforting hackathon I’ve been to,” Shateva Long (CAS’23) said. 

First and second year students boldly took on the challenge of creating a game or app over the course of a day. “This is actually my first hackathon and at first, I was kind of nervous coming in because I didn’t know what to expect,” Sarah Khan (CAS’24) said. 

Regardless of their level of computer science knowledge or hackathon experience, individuals or teams quickly picked up the needed skills to create a project through workshopping, including a sit-down with reps from Google.

“We came with absolutely no ideas, but we were able to work on something we were almost able to complete. We’re really proud of what we did,” Shasta Narayanan (CAS’25) said. Narayanan and three other students developed Rent-a-Spot, which would allow people to rent out their extra real estate so others could reserve these spots to park. 

For an extra bit of support, mentors worked alongside students to hone in their skills. “Teaching the mentees and seeing all the ideas that they were coming up with inspired me with my own projects,” Phil Ledoit (CAS’23) said. “I’m glad that I could reassure them that I was just like them at the start.”

To keep the creative juices flowing, students could slip into the “Relaxation Station” with Giant Jenga, Pictionary, and an array of food. “Spark! did such a good job of ensuring people were supported,” Long said. 

Although the student might have been close in year classification, Zïa Bailey (COM’21) said that “this is the most diverse community on campus.”

“Even if you think you failed, you technically did well,” Long said. The renowned “Still Standing Award” went to the team who might not have had the most successful outcome, but fought hard to the finish. Other awards included Best Code and Best Design. 

“Hackathons are meant to be fun,” Long said, and the winners would agree. They’re currently touting around prizes after being crowned this past weekend before a panel of judges. “I was also pretty well stunned by how far the teams got and the variety of projects,” judge and Spark! Technical Director Langdon White said, “I look forward to follow up conversations on the projects the students continue working on.”

Winners

Best Code: Boston Bites

An app that allows a user to enter a location in Boston and other parameters, and would then suggest restaurants in the area that they would like.

Best Design: MealiT

A platform to help streamline and keep all of your recipe ideas and meal plans for the week at one location.

Still Standing: Navigator

A tool for navigating studying for specific courses, including sharing study guides specific to a class, giving study tips specific to a course, and forming study groups real time.