Sept. 7, 2022

Celebrating 10 years of hackathons

Holly Auten/LLNL

Hackathons are one of LLNL Computing’s most enduring and beloved traditions. Although some details have changed since the first hackathon, the premise remains the same: Participants have 24 hours to work on any project of their choosing, whether that’s learning a programming language, building a prototype, developing a new skill, or experimenting with a software framework. They are encouraged to explore ideas outside their day-to-day work. Above all, it’s okay to fail. After 10 years and 33 hackathons, Computing is committed to this tradition. “Looking back, we can honestly say that hackathons have become all that we imagined and more,” states Livermore Computing leader Becky Springmeyer. “Hackathons have become a highly valued tradition among a wide variety of employees. Some bring their whole team. Others use the occasion to work with strangers who become friends by the end of the event. Yet others seize the opportunity to learn or evaluate something new on their own.” Hackathons take place seasonally—spring, summer, and fall—and a fourth hackathon joined the rotation in winter 2020 with sponsorship from the Data Science Institute. Read more at LLNL Computing.