WHAT ARE WE DOING?



The Hack The Dinos challenge is a special event -- it is not a hackathon where teams will mashup a couple of APIs or build trivial toy apps that never get used. It is a pro bono collaboration with the museum to advance open science and create open-source solutions to real problems faced by scientists and researchers. The museum is asking for your help to start building long-needed open-source tools and applications that will aid the AMNH paleontology division in their research and education, which could ultimately help other museums and institutions as well.





WHEN WILL IT BE?

The weekend starts with a kick-off event on Friday, November 20th, from 6-9pm. We'll get you registered, hand out swag, feed you, and (most importantly) give you an overview of the paleo data sets and deep dive into the challenges so you can hit the ground running on Saturday. You'll meet AMNH's dinosaur experts and learn all about the terminology, data formats, and science involved in the challenges so you can spend your time building and not struggling with jargon. We'll also give you time to form teams Friday night.





The challenge itself will take place from 3pm Saturday, 11/21 to 3pm Sunday, 11/22. Your team will have about 24 hours to build something that solves some (or all!) of a particular problem statement. You may even collaborate with several teams to work on different aspects of the same solution - Hack The Dinos is all about cooperation, not competition. We will finalize challenges and data sample sets and publish on Github ahead of the event so you may work or plan ahead as well. The emphasis is on building working prototypes, not clickable demos; even if your project is incomplete, having a solid foundation to build upon will be a huge step forward for the advancement of paleontology. Demos will be open to the public on Sunday, from 3-5:30pm in the dinosaur wing of the Museum. (Feel free to invite your friends!)





DON'T MISS AN UNFORGETTABLE EVENT!

We hope that you'll choose to spend the night on Saturday at the museum where participants will be able to sleep among the dinosaur exhibits! We'll be providing food, drink, thank you gifts, and cots throughout the challenge (just bring your sleeping bag, pillow, and warm socks -- it can get drafty!) If you don’t choose to stay, you will be able to exit the museum Saturday night and return at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday.





Speaking of food -- we'll be hooking you up! Taco bars, Mediterranean platters, cheese boards, yogurt parfaits, bagel bars, plus a midnight cookie and coffee delivery? You bet. We heard your feedback from Hack the Universe last year, and we'll be offering yummy and substantial options for the gluten-free, lactose-free, and vegan eaters among you.





APPLY NOW



Okay, okay, you wanna come. Good! We are currently full -- but you can apply for the waitlist here and we'll let you know if any spots open up. Plans often change at the last minute, and we admitted many of our waitlisted attendees last year.





We can't wait to hang out after-hours in the dino wing with you. And our paleontologists can't wait to see what we build together. See you at Hack the Dinos!





Check out the Code of Conduct, and the Challenges Overview and Sample Data Sets!



