Carnegie Mellon-Qatar to host 2017 regional Hackathon competition

The 2017 CarnegieApps Hackathon will be held at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q) Jan. 27-28.

Undergraduate students from universities throughout the GCC will participate in the 24-hour programming competition where they will work individually or in teams to develop games, web applications or mobile applications.

Organized by CMU-Q student-led club CarnegieApps, the competition provides students with awards for best technical idea, best design, best overall app and best rookie project. Additionally, a new category sponsored by Education Above All's program Protect Education in Insecurity and Conflict will challenge young developers to think about ways technology can be used to help protect school children in conflict zones around the globe.

The hackathon represents a contribution from CMU-Q to the country and region's computer science industry that promotes an interdisciplinary approach to creating technological applications that are innovative.

"We’re excited to continue the great tradition of Hackathon here at CMU-Q, and we’re excited to host students from Qatar and across the region," CarnegieApps President Vishan Popat said. "Hackathon is a great opportunity for students to put the skills they are learning to the test, and to meet and share ideas with like-minded 'hackers.'"