HackIt Mac is a new community of hackers and makers at McMaster University that is focused on both participating in hackathons and planning their own hackathon. The group is seeking feedback from hackathon attendees about what they’ve like and disliked about previous hackathons. The group is also seeking to fill positions related to planning their future hackathon. You can check out the below links and information if this sounds like something you’d like to get involved in!

HackIt Mac Facebook Group:

facebook.com/groups/hackitmac/

HackIt MAC Hackathon Survey:

docs.google.com/forms/d/1umoIlXng3DFUMmnxZxiWOwjm6Abjwsw9XhbfrAgzib8/viewform

HackIt MAC Hackathon Hackathon Open Positions:

docs.google.com/document/d/1pfZXVfyivqnxx61ESaahuAdrWSY17WeX6TDFlfOLBhE

Also, check out the below about us text from the HackIt Mac Facebook group for more information on the group…

Welcome to HackItMac. We are McMaster’s official community of makers and hackers. We participate in hackathons in the American and Canadian circuits. Best of all we will be hosting our very own hackathon this year!

Excited? You want to be a part of the hacker culture?

But what is a hackathon?

Thinking of cracking into NASA data? Sorry we don’t do that. But do we do cool stuff? Hell Yeah! Hackathons are events where a bunch of ‘hackers’ come together in teams with the intention of creating a ‘hack’ in a certain period of time, usually 24-48 hours. Hackers can be developers, designers, makers (hardware side), business-minded people and just people with ideas. The more diverse the teams, the better. But what are these hacks? They can take shape in the form of a website, a mobile app, and hardware using microcontrollers or things like Google Glass, Parrot AR Drones or anything creative you can think of.

So why go to hackathons?

People go to hackathons for many reasons. It’s one of the best ways to learn. People love the chance to build something real. Hackathons have provided a really powerful vehicle for getting new people into the tech world. They provide the perfect opportunity to dive in and learn a ton. It doesn’t matter how basic or advanced your skills are, hackathon will be a great place to learn something new. Hacks are team collaboration, so you aren’t stressing about finishing a project on your own. Some people go as they have ideas they want to work on. Companies send representatives so it’s a good chance to learn about the APIs and service while getting some swag. Some people go for a chance to win prizes. Workplaces throw them as a way to promote new product innovation. For example, Facebook’s Like button was conceived as part of a hackathon. Not to mention it’s a great way to network and look for potential job opportunities.

I can’t hack / can’t code / I’m nervous

Students of all levels are welcome! Hacking is as much about learning as it is doing. If you have an interest in technology and a desire to learn, we welcome you. Stayed tuned, one of our members is working on an easy to use resource –type website that will guide you to build anything you

Great, so when can I hack?

You can find an event calendar here that that we maintain.

https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=hp7h6o8ngkjemqtpdve7nqfb4s%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/Toronto

There are some other great websites such as HackerLeague, Hackathon.io and ChallengePost.

But I don’t even go here!

No problem, we are about creating a great McMaster, Hamilton and surrounding areas community. Still send us an email (hackit@macengsociety.ca) of how you can participate and join the mailing list.