Earlier this year, Dr. Patrick Marcus was invited to be the keynote speaker at IBM’s internal Hackathon here in Tucson. Hackathons are a place where people from all types of technical backgrounds have the opportunity to come together and solve a problem. These enthusiastic engineers show us time and time again that the bar can always be raised higher. For this reason, Hackathons attract top talent from our community, this is the very same talent that will inevitably advance our society to the next level.
What’s special about a Hackathon is the freedom from all constraints, meaning this is no normal project an Engineer would be assigned. It gives them a creative way to bounce ideas off one another and explore various methods to find a solution. Having the opportunity to interact with these eager engineers gives Marcus Engineering a major advantage over the technology world that is Tucson. By setting the standards for what is expected and required in the technical industry, we are not only identifying future talent but helping to guide our community in the right direction.
Coincidentally, Dr. Marcus was able to recruit two extremely talented students, James and Mark, by volunteering as a judge and mentor at another hackathon. This alone proves that the connections made at these events are real and beneficial for all engineers involved. If you’re interested in attending one of these software-coding parties, HACK AZ puts on the largest Hackathon in the southwest. It takes place at the beginning of each calendar year in the University of Arizona Science and Engineering Library. If you cannot possibly wait until next year, there is a convenient calendar of Hackathons across the country here. You could potentially win a money prize, meet your next employer, and have fun with your friends all in the same weekend.
