The Sixth Annual H₂O Hackathon, set for Saturday, Nov. 5 calls on middle school, high school, and college students to compete for cash prizes in three divisions to build apps or create multimedia campaigns to help solve California’s tough water issues.
Registration is now open for the Hackathon, put on through the San Joaquin County Office of Education. This community-supported event taps into the technological, multimedia, and problem-solving skills of local students to help find solutions to the water issues plaguing the state. Teams compete for thousands of dollars in cash prizes. This year’s “Hack the Drought” challenge is focused on California’s ongoing drought. A panel of water experts and community leaders will judge contestant entries. The competition receives support from business, regional water districts, and educational institutions. The top prize in each division will receive the CalWater Golden Spigot award.
The event is open to middle school, high school, and college teams competing in three separate divisions in a daylong competition on Nov. 5, 2022, at the San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE). Individuals and teams may register now at www.h2ohackathon.org/.
The 2022 H₂O Hackathon offers a new category of competition. This year students will also compete to create a compelling multimedia campaign. No coding experience is necessary to participate in the app competition. The website offers a toolkit that shows how to use the coding platform and includes other information for teachers and students competing in both the app-building and multimedia categories.
Competitors may sign up as a team of four students and one coach. Individuals who sign up will be assigned to a team. Teams and individuals must be from San Joaquin County. In the college division, individuals and teams must be students at San Joaquin Delta College, University of the Pacific, or CodeStack Academy.
The H₂O Hackathon has received financial support over the years from a broad range of partners including California Water Service (CalWater), A.G. Spanos Companies, San Joaquin County, the Port of Stockton, Environmental Justice Coalition for Water, Collins Electric, Stockton East Water District, Grassland Fund, SJC WorkNet, and the cities of Stockton, Tracy, and Lathrop. The event is organized by the SJCOE’s CodeStack department in partnership with iHub San Joaquin, A.G. Spanos Companies, the City of Manteca, the San Francisco Estuary Institute, the State Water Resources Control Board, the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board, Restore the Delta, the San Joaquin Partnership, BOSS Business Systems, Café Coop, University of the Pacific, San Joaquin Delta College, and Stockton Unified School District.
The competition begins at 8 a.m. on Nov. 5, at the SJCOE Wentworth Education Center, 2707 Transworld Drive, Stockton. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony following the competition. The ceremony will be open to the public.
San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE) provides educational leadership, resources, and services to support schools throughout the county. For more information, visit www.sjcoe.org.
The California Innovation Hub program was codified into law in 2013. It is comprised of 15 regional iHubs, including iHub San Joaquin. The mission of iHub San Joaquin is to help people grow ideas. It works to develop new partnerships, stimulate economic development, create new jobs, and nurture entrepreneurship and enterprises dedicated to innovative and emerging technologies. The iHub San Joaquin is dedicated to re-invigorating the region’s economy as a center for sustainable technologies in three areas: healthcare, agribusiness, and sustainable construction technology. Visit www.ihubsj.org for additional information.
