BY RACHEL MINA
KUCHING: The world’s largest global hackathon organised by the Education, Science and Technological Research (Mestr) Ministry in partnership with Realfun Learning Centre will be held from October 2 onwards, and Sarawak will take part.
Mestr said the Nasa International Space Apps Challenge (Space Apps), an international hackathon led by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) will take place virtually in cities around the globe.
It said the hackathon is an excellent platform for students to develop innovative solutions to challenges that mankind faces on Earth and in space.
“Anyone in the senior category, aged 18 and above, or the junior category, aged 13-17, is welcome to participate in the hackathon. The competition is not restricted to only students with technical backgrounds, but any student interested in solving real-world problems is invited to participate.
“Each participant will receive a free swag pack, a certificate, a collectible and access to various bootcamps to prepare them for the challenge,” it said.
The tenth annual Space Apps Challenge, themed ‘The Power of Ten’, brings together individuals from various backgrounds, including students, professionals, technologists, scientists, designers, entrepreneurs, and others, to create solutions to challenges on Earth and in space using Nasa’s free and open data.
“The top three winners of Space Apps Sarawak will share a prize fund of RM20,000. If a team is selected as the global champion, they will also receive a fully funded trip to the United States to watch a spaceship launch when travelling is permitted.
“Also, Microsoft will award US$500 worth of Azure credit as well as Azure Swag to each team member for winning the Best Azure Award. Only qualified and potential projects from the local event will be nominated to compete for the global prize by the global judges,” it added.
For more information or registration, participants may visit https://www.spaceappssarawak.com/ before registration closes on September 1. On August 27, a live briefing will be held to discuss the event in greater detail, and participants can sign up for the briefing at https://www.spaceappssarawak.com/briefing.
