UMSL Women's Hackathon

Novemver 5, 2022
8 am - 8 pm

A fun learning environment for all.

Guide Our Portfolio Register Sponsor Us

About

We love bringing bright students together to create innovative ideas.

Websites

Teams can choose to build out a website. The site would still need to be driven by the theme.

Social Media Campaigns

Teams can choose to build out social media campaigns. The site would still need to be driven by the theme.

iOS and Android Apps

Teams can choose to build out a game or app for smartphone users. The site would still need to be driven by the theme.

CMS and Web Applications

Teams can choose to build out a website related to a cascaded website. The site would still need to be driven by the theme.

Skills Developed

Teamwork

Creativity

Professional Development

Personal Development

Theme

Each year a theme is provided to the participants and mentors to follow. Prior themes have included COVID-19 Concerns (2020), Women of Tech (2019), Women Empowerment (2018), Better the Community (2017), and Eliminate Diversity in the World (2016).

The idea is to take the theme and come up with a creative idea that motivates the participants. In prior years, ideas ranged from social site for women empowerment to connecting people throughout diverse roles in the world.

Mentor Role

You will help guide the students on your team successfully conceptualize and create a prototype of an application. Please bring your own laptop to the event as you may want to provide information to your team that you may already have. You can assist in the development of the application by providing tools to the team to successfully build an application. The experience is to assist the students to understand what it is like to work in a team and having the satisfaction of taking an idea from concept to reality will be invaluable.

Participant Role

You will help your mentor and team of other students successfully conceptualize and create a prototype of your application. You will learn as your mentor’s apprentice. Please bring your own laptop to the event as you may be recommended to download free developer tools or trial versions of commercial tools. The experience of learning from the mentor, working in a team, and having the satisfaction of taking an idea from concept to reality will be invaluable.

Get To Know Us

The University of Missouri – St Louis (UMSL) hosts an annual Women’s Hackathon. The event was founded by Professors Brian Lawton, Dinesh Mirchandani, and Vicki Sauter to ensure that women students of the Information Systems and Technology Department have their own space to develop technical and leadership skills. Since 2014, the event has been open to all students in the College of Business and UMSL pursuing different majors who have little or no technical experience to come, learn, and make lasting friendships. A video of the first Women's Hackathon can be viewed on YouTube. Or by clicking on the YouTube icon on the left.

In one day, more like in seven hours, students and professionals gather to compete against each other. The focus is to build a game, web app, mobile app, or desktop app for a specific theme whether it is working or non-working to present at the end of the day. Each person on the top three winning teams gets a prize at the end of the day that represented the best ideas. For an event like this, we need a strong team on the backend.

The Women’s Hackathon is solely organized and run by students with the assistance of faculty advisors. In order for the event to be successful, we need UMSL officials, participants, teams, judges, mentors/volunteers, and a planning committee. Many phases are considered when gathering wants and needs that are necessary for the Women’s Hackathon.

Portfolio: Past Hackathons

All 2020 2019 2018

Fun Stats

Awards and Certificates

Certificates are provided to all participants and mentors. The top three teams are awarded as well as the mentors. Each mentor not on a winning team is provided an award for their time. Outstanding mentors are provided a special announcement.

Participants

We are open to all educational levels. Backgrounds can range from studying accounting to information systems and other subjects. No experience in a hackathon is necessary for you to join.

Creative Ideas

Every year we provide a topic/theme for the event. The teams then collaborate and create a new idea focused around the them. These creative ideas can help you place into 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place. All teams in the past have expressed creative ideas altogether.

Sponsorship Partners

Our Team

We are a small team with lots of friends!

It is a long established fact that at a hackathon you develop more friends and mentors to help your career.

Nicole Gaehle

Organizer & Master of Ceremonies

Leader of all activities of UMSL Womens Hackathon. Interconnects with the participants, mentors, judges, and faculty.

Rebecca Craine

Creative Head and Photographer

Interconnects with the participants, mentors, judges, and faculty. Helps assist in the theme for the hackathon.

Epharra Mendoza

Creative Head and Social Media & Marketing

Attracts women in technology & business that is currently a student through social media. Helps assist in the theme for the hackathon.

Testimonials

Read about the experiences from previous hackathons!

Enjoyed the opportunity to network with my mentors and collaborate with my teammates. It made an impact on me as a whole because the experience was wonderful and beyond words. Enjoyed sharing my creative mindset with others. - Nicole Gaehle, Leader/Past Participant

It really pushed my skills to learn more about goal management and obtaining the goal. My skills grew each year as I went from prototyping in excel to accomplish having a working application. Teamwork is what helped me out. - Rebecca Craine, Past Participant

Contact Us

Let's have a coffee

1 University Blvd,
St. Louis MO, 63121