The 2024 edition of QHacks took place this February and hosted almost double the number of hackers and brought in the most funding compared to previous years. We interviewed Ethan Wang, Marketing Officer of QHACKS 2024 about the event.
In your opinion, what made this event so successful?
The main reason for our success this year is that we went the extra mile in utilizing our past connections and experiences to secure as much funding as possible. Hosting a 3-day event of this scale is extremely expensive, so it was very important for us to reach out to a variety of sponsors well in advance to ensure we had enough funding to run the event. We also did plenty of training to get better at networking and to ensure our team knew how to talk to potential sponsors and get them on board.
The time pressure of a hackathon can be intimidating to some students who haven’t experienced this environment before. How do you ensure a supportive and collaborative environment for all?
As organizers, we’re committed to making QHacks welcoming for everybody, regardless of their level of experience. Every year, we bring in mentors to ensure participants have the support they need to do well, even if they’re new to coding. We also offer a variety of workshops during the event that cater to different skill sets, so everybody can find something that helps them grow and engage effectively.
What advice would you give to somebody who is interested in participating next year, but doesn’t know what to expect?
If you’re considering participating in QHacks next year but are uncertain about what to expect, our advice is to just do it and apply. We’ve seen so many students secure amazing internships as a result of their involvement, in addition to creating impressive projects that serve as valuable work experience. Beyond the professional benefits, you’ll have the opportunity to meet like-minded individuals, learn new skills, and challenge yourself in a dynamic environment.
What were your key takeaways from the event? What inspired you/made you feel the proudest?
We found that our executive team was able to succeed through adversity, having faced numerous challenges in getting funding. With the assistance of faculties such as Queen’s Computing, ECE, and FEAS, we managed to secure a budget that exceeded this year’s expenses, meaning not only were we able to run this year’s event, but future events will have more funding available to them. A source of pride for us was the positive feedback we received from our sponsors, with us engaging with the large community that exists in the Queen’s Engineering, Commerce and Computing faculties, as well as the largest participant turnout in the post-pandemic era.
This year’s theme was “Unlocking the Future with AI”, and the speaker panel featured prominent leaders in the AI industry. What are some ideas from QHacks 2024 that could have a significant impact on shaping our future?
For QHacks 2024, we had many prize categories that were related to artificial intelligence to help promote our main theme, as well as the inclusion of different levels of knowledge throughout the student body. AI has been a prevalent topic in the tech industry, and we believe that it was something we needed to promote amongst participants of the largest hackathon at Queen’s. We discovered that many students were interested in creating innovative projects using OpenAI API and GPT-4 solutions that would be amazing business ideas. These projects opened avenues in education, sports, global sustainability, accessibility, and many other industries. Our judges encouraged novel, ethical, and beneficial projects, and our first-place winners, LeafHack, created an application that “leverages computer vision to detect the health of plants, providing real-time feedback on plant health, and thus allowing homeowners to intervene promptly and nurture a thriving garden”. This project demonstrates the significance of the initiative existent at an event where young talent can create modern tech solutions.