With passion, creativity, and minimal sleep, over 250 students from across Canada spent a weekend at Trent immersed in a 48-hour marathon of activities that challenged participants to tackle real-world issues with technology.
Organized by the Trent Computer Science Club Association (TCSCA), HackTrent 2024 marked the return of Trent's flagship hackathon, last held on campus in 2019 before the COVID pandemic. Hackers from diverse academic backgrounds united to develop apps, games, tools, and solutions featuring themes of artificial intelligence, environmental sustainability, game development, and forensic science.
A HackTrent volunteer presents the second-place prize to team ThreatLens from Trent University (left to right: Aadit Chadda, Rachel Lee, and Micaela Sousa).
"HackTrent 2024 was all about building community, fostering innovation, and creating opportunities for students to explore their potential," said Aiden Miah (Champlain College), a third-year Computer Science major, president of TCSCA, and software engineering intern at Scotiabank. "I started the club last year to create a sense of belonging for my peers who are passionate about technology and innovation. After participating in nine in-person hackathons from universities like U of T and Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, I knew it was time to bring that same energy and inspiration back to Trent."
HackTrent 2024 showcased 22 projects, with top awards going to projects featuring Trent students:
#1 Vocalytics: Harnesses AI to analyze speech impediments
#2 ThreatLens: Detects online harassment with natural language processing
#3 TalkingHands: Bridges accessibility gap with ASL translator
"As a judge, I was incredibly impressed by the high caliber of work and ideas presented," said Dr. Richard Hurley, chair of the Department of Computer Science. "The quality of the projects, many of which used AI applications like machine and deep learning, showcased the creativity and practical skillset that is highly valued in today's IT labour market."
Working alongside Aiden to organize the event were TCSCA co-director Riya Jaykar, and more than 15 dedicated club members. This year's competition was fueled by Major League Hacking (MLH) - a Certified B Corporation that supports more than 300 hackathons a year globally.
The success of the event is also attributed to the team of dedicated volunteers, and impressive group of sponsors including GitHub, Best Buy, Osmow's, the Trent Central Student Association, the Colleges of Trent, Careerspace, the Provost's Office, and Innovation Cluster Peterborough and the Kawarthas.
Plans for HackTrent 2025 are already underway, and students, mentors, volunteers, or sponsors interested in engaging are encouraged to connect with the TCSCA.
Learn more about Trent's Computer Science program and applied learning opportunities, including co-op.
