"VTHacks'" inaugural hackathon took place in April of this year. Modeled after popular hackathon events proliferating across the east coast of the U.S., participants are challenged to develop innovative ideas for software and hardware development. These events promote applied creativity through intensive collaboration and experimentation over 36 hours, during which participants compete in teams of 2-4 people to develop new ideas, or “hacks.”

VTHacks was organized by Virginia Tech Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science students. In collaboration with Information Technology and other university and private partners, the 450-plus attendees last spring were able to work on a Gigabit wireless network and Ethernet connections. Future events also plan to rely on Information Technology to assist with network access, mentoring, and expertise.