San Diego Mesa College’s Computer Science Club will be hosting a hackathon in partnership with Miramar College Computer Science Club, “MesaHacks,” on Friday, June 1 at the Mesa Commons from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

This is the San Diego Community College District’s first hackathon, and registration is now open online and any undergraduate or high school student 18 or older is eligible to participate.

Vice President of the Computer Science club, Marehan Waly, described how a hackathon works, “[Students] come together and create a code or a product, usually it’s a code so either for a website, or for an app…something that’s going to accomplish one of the goals of our theme which is Sustainable Living.”

Waly shared that on the “MesaHacks” website there are 17 Global Sustainability Goals which can help hackers get ideas for their products. A few being: “clean water and sanitation,” “zero hunger,” “no poverty,” and “decent work and economic growth.”

This event is expected to have a great turnout, as Waly shared that “We’re capping it at 200 hackers, but we’re going to have up to 70 organizers, mentors, judges, and volunteers.”

All that’s needed on the day of is a computer, student ID, chargers, monitors, and any other hardware that will be of good use. Hackers can register as a group, up to five members, or they are welcome to register by themselves. For those who apply as an individual, a brief team formation will begin at the start of the event to ensure everyone has the opportunity to collaborate.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be provided for all those participating, and awards will be given out to teams who create the most innovative products.

For computer science majors or anyone interested in coding or developing products, this event is just for you! Waly emphasized that, “This hackathon is not limited to computer science majors, anyone that is interested in attending will have the opportunity to work with others that have coding experience, and there will be workshops throughout the duration of the event to teach introductory level coding skills to those with little to no background in coding. Everyone is welcome, this hackathon is all-inclusive!”

For more information on the 17 Global Sustainability Goals, how you can register, help volunteer, mentor, judge, and even sponsor this event, be sure to check out cscmesa.com/mesahacks/.