The Fifth National Hackathon will be held at the School of Industrial Engineering & Management, Shenkar, on April 13-14, 2022, and will involve students from all the relevant academic institutions in Israel. This year the national hackathon is most significant as it commemorates the centennial year of the National Association of Engineers and Architects in the land of Israel.
For almost one hundred fifty years, the development of the economy in the Land of Israel was based on social, technological, and agricultural innovation. At the dawn of the 20th century, even before statehood announced, in 1948, academic institutions for engineering, technology and science were established in the land. To wit, the internationally known Technion- Israel Institute of Technology, was founded at the behest of Klonimus and David Wissotzky, well known industrialists, and the author Ahad Ha’am, followed by the founding of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, with board of founders that included Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, and Martin Buber. At about the same time social, industrial, and technological societies were established, including the Association of Engineers and Architects. All these initiatives contributed to the creation of the State of Israel as a” Start-Up” nation, leading in engineering, technology, and science worldwide.
The participants in the Fifth National Hackathon are faced with professional challenges that are submitted by corporations, start-ups, and service organizations, both private and public. The students develop solutions, prototypes and paradigms that are presented to a panel of referees consisting of senior engineers, executives, and academic faculty members. The interdisciplinary teams of students that come from various academic institutions and departments are engaged for 36 hours continuously, without any time to rest or sleep, mentored by industry executives and academic faculty.
The criteria used to judge the teams’ deliverables are: The degree of innovation and creativity, technological feasibility, economic and business feasibility, the progress made re the solutions offered during the 36 hours period, and the expected technological, economic, and social impact. The awards to the teams that came first, second and third place are IS15,000, IS10,000 and IS5,000, respectively, or the comparable amounts in US dollars.
The following two charts demonstrate the professional challenges presented to the participants at former National Hackathons (Top chart), as well as the representation of various academic institutions at these events (Bottom chart).
Past corporate participants in the hackathon include M51, Big-M, eBay, Intel, Kupat Holim Clalit (HMO), Sha’arei Tzedek Hospital in Jerusalem, Mekorot Water Works, The Prime Minister Office, Optimove and other startup ventures. We invite you – technology and industrial corporations – to take part in the Fifth National Hackathon, to propose professional problems and challenges for teams of students from multiple academic disciplines, as well as to provide sponsorship for this important, unique, national, event. We invite students, preferably female students, both undergraduate and graduate students, to take part in the Fifth National Hackathon. The criteria used to judge the deliverables of the fifth National Hackathon, are: Creativity and innovation, technological feasibility. Economic and business feasibility, the progress made during the hackathon, the expected of the technological, economic, and social impact. The awards for the teams in the first, second, third places are IS15,000, IS10,000, IS5,000, respectively.
Special thanks to our many partners of many years. Special thanks to all the academic institutions involved, special thanks to the Prof. Hillel Bar-Gera, The President of the Fifth National Hackathon, to each member of the National Advisory Board to the Fifth National Hackathon, The Steering Committee, Ms. Orit Efrati, Chair, Board of Governors, Shenkar, Mr. Zvi Yemini, Chairman, Executive Committee, Shenkar, Prof. Sheizaf Rafaeli, President of Shenkar. Special thanks to the Ira Foundation for Business, Technology and Society that for fifty (50!) years sponsor and initiate the main national professional IE&M activities, including the Bi-Annual National IE&M Conferences, the Bi-Annual National Research IE&M Conferences, and the Annual National Hackathons.
Yesteryear National Hackathons appear in the following links:
Video 1
Video 2
You are all invited to attend the Fifth National Hackathon, enjoy the teamwork, the creative vibe, the interdisciplinary cooperation. Together we will celebrate the Centennial year of engineering and technology in the Land of Israel.
See you at the Fifth National Hackathon!