The ECenter was excited to co-host Hack NH with the UNH Interoperability Lab (IOL) over 24 hours on February 16th and 17th. The focus of the hackathon was problem-solving to make New Hampshire safer or more sustainable. Ten interdisciplinary teams of students took to the challenge instantly, impressing the judges from the IOL, Liberty Mutual, Bottomline Technologies, and Arista Networks. Each team was judged on technical innovation, creativity, uniqueness, usefulness, and presentation. This is where the cross-disciplinary strengths came into play; for example, one team had students in computer science, computer engineering, marketing, and business, which helped them divide and conquer both the presentation and the project.
“It was great working with other students that I wouldn’t normally interact with since most of us are in different majors — not even similar fields,” said Jessica Nelson, ‘21, a business administration major. Nelson was a member of Eco Salt, which took first place at Hack NH. The team used a Google and OnWater application programming interface (API) to create a mobile app that would notify plow and salt drivers of low-salt areas.
Second place team, UShield, designed an app that allowed students to order a “buddy” when walking home or across campus late at night. The third place team, CertiForce, came up with an idea for making the process of becoming a B Corps easier for NH companies.
Thank you to sponsors Liberty Mutual, Bottomline Technologies, and Arista Networks for making Hack NH possible!
