ABOUT DEISHACKS

  Welcome to Deishacks! To learn more about our non-profit partners and register head to: http://deishacks.com/    

Hosted by the Brandeis MakerLab partnered with the Brandeis International Business School, this year's Deis Hacks is a 48-hour hybrid competition targeted at real-world solutions. This social design challenge focused on pain points from the 12 not-for-profits partners. Instead of having a single hackathon challenge, this event's theme will fuse design thinking, digital fabrication & social impact to work on real-world solutions for non-profit companies. Each hackathon team will choose a design challenge from Waltham's diverse non-profit community they find compelling to focus on. If you're making a real impact, you have a chance to win our $1,000 top prize or six other $500 awards. We offer free food and drinks to all in-person participants. Welcome to #deisHacks    

WHY DEISHACKS?

  Our hacks are identified by 12 local non-profit organizations in which Brandeis students serve as non-voting Board Fellows. A hackathon is typically a technology-focused event, however, we’ve looked beyond computer science enthusiasts, integrating students of all majors, to help serve local non-profit needs. As long as you're a critical thinker and a problem solver, then you can do well in this event. 

COMMUNITY IMPACT

  Last year’s winning technical hack was a VR space that provokes sympathy and explains the systemic issues that lead to homelessness. The winning non-technical hack was a specialized media engagement platform, to bridge the gap between the youth and the non-profit. There are a total of 29 hacks that provided real-world implementable solutions to non-profits. 

• Originality
  Does it do something entirely novel, or at least take a fresh approach to an old problem?
• Functionality
  Is the hack usable in its current state? Is the user experience smooth? Is the minimum viable product well-designed?
• Impact
  How big of an impact does it have on the non-profit? Does it solve any of the pain points?
• Potential to be Implemented
  Does the hack have the potential to be implemented in the future? Can it be something people would actually use?
• Presentation
  How well was the project presented? How well do the slides help presenters deliver their ideas?