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Tuesday, April 16, 2024

NASA global hackathon comes to Pakistan: TMUC

News Desk |

The Millennium University College Islamabad (TMUC) has virtually hosted NASA’s Space Apps Challenge as part of a global Hackathon with the world’s leading space agency in the world. The event which took place in the university amphitheater ran from October 20 to 21 according to a press release and involved media presentations, workshops on app development and social interaction.

TMUC partnered with the local lead organizer in its campuses across Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi as the national venue for the NASA Hackathon. The Hackathon or “International Space Apps Challenge” is a global collaboration project focused on broadening awareness as well as developing solutions on issues faced on Earth and in Space.

“An icy glare” is a category under which participants utilize NASA data to develop apps to improve understanding, scrutiny, and analysis of any planet’s cryosphere.

The Hackathon that takes place in around 250 cities, in over 160 countries and virtually anyone can participate from all across the globe. The eventual aim is to stimulate the development of open-source applications to address needs relevant both in Earth and in space based on certain challenges.

This year there were 6 unique challenges. “Can-you-build-a” challenge requires the participant to make use of NASA data aimed at creative solutions ranging from buildings and robotic assistants to Artificial Intelligence and simpler tools for global citizens.

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The “Help-Others-Discover-the-Earth) challenge lets people craft applications with NASA data that aids people in further exploring their planet. The “Volcanoes, Icebergs and Asteroids” challenge pushes one to anticipate, monitor, and recover from shock scenarios using only NASA data to develop an analytical app.

The “What the world needs now” challenge involves creating apps to tackle niche issues prevalent in certain aspects of Earthly life by interpreting NASA data and concepts at come at solutions. “An icy glare” is a category under which participants utilize NASA data to develop apps to improve understanding, scrutiny, and analysis of any planet’s cryosphere.

TMUC ensured its ISO certified facilities were put at the disposal of participants at the event where over 600 participants were recorded, successfully setting Pakistan on the NASA radar.

“A universe of beauty and wonder” was the final challenge where participants are invited come up with creative, artistic, technological and/or scientific perspectives focused on space science and exploration.

The Hackathon usually brings together technologists, scientists, architects, artists, academicians, entrepreneurs, software developers and students from all over the world to creatively engage in publicly available data for the innovation of new designs and solutions.

Read more: TMUC TEDx talk highlights social diversity and willpower

TMUC ensured its ISO certified facilities were put at the disposal of participants at the event where over 600 participants were recorded, successfully setting Pakistan on the NASA radar. Manufacturing specialist, chairman, and founder of Rastgar group, Imtiaz Rastgar, was the chief guest at the occasion.