WCU Outdoor Gear Student Hackathon and Summit

245 Memorial Drive,Cullowhee NC 28723

23 February, 2023

Description

The third Student Hackathon and Outdoor Gear Summit and will be held on campus, in Cullowhee, on Thursday, February 23. Like previous events, this year’s Summit will include a tour of the WCU’s Rapid Center and lunch, in addition to the student Hackathon. For those who haven’t attended before, the Hackathon involves teams of WCU Engineering and Technology students tasked with designing and/or creating outdoor gear prototypes. Teams also have the choice of identifying and solving a product design, utilization, or manufacturing problem. Results will be presented by cross-functional student teams, with winners chosen by a panel of WCU outdoor experts. The tentative schedule for the 2023 Outdoor Gear Student Hackathon and Summit includes: Monday, February 20: Student teams receive challenge and begin to identify solutionsTuesday - Wednesday (February 21 and 22): Teams work independently to finalize solutionsThursday, February 23: Teams present their ideas, and a winner is selected followed by lunch and a tour of WCU’s Center for Rapid Product Realization (Rapid Center)For this year’s Hackathon, we are reaching out to WNC OGB members for ideas, which can range from the creation of a simple product prototype to a more complicated engineering design. The level of complexity is left to the discretion of the OGB member (WCU will work with you to identify an appropriate project). Students have a wide array of software and machinery at their fingertips, ranging from electrical design and 3D solid modeling software, to printed circuit board equipment, CNC (computer numerical control) machines, and metal 3D printers. The complete list is too extensive to list here. Attendance is limited to 25 OGB members, with priority given to those who submit a product/design idea. If you have questions or want to submit an idea, please contact: Wes Stone, Director, WCU School of Engineering & Technology, [email protected], 828-227-2168 (office) 828-226-7709 (cell)