Hacking Away With the UA
March 9, 2015
![Organizers say that hacking "doesn't mean malicious cyber crime, it refers to inventors, builders and creators building projects quickly and iteratively."](https://cdn.uanews.arizona.edu/s3fs-public/styles/uaqs_gallery_thumbnail/public/gallery-media/19139_94b2ad25e380cfc.jpg?itok=AYnL8LSZ "Organizers say that hacking "doesn't mean malicious cyber crime, it refers to inventors, builders and creators building projects quickly and iteratively."")
More than 400 participated in Hack Arizona, which was organized by UA students.
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More than 400 participated in Hack Arizona, which was organized by UA students.
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Companies such as Amazon, Respoke, Wolfram, UFree and Raytheon offered tools and equipment or staff to support Hack Arizona.
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The UA-led group is committed to helping talented individuals to build a better future.
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The Hack Arizona team intends for the program to expand and grow beyond 2015.
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Hack Arizona is part of Major League Hacking, which supports more than 100 student-run hackathons annually.
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![Organizers say that hacking "doesn't mean malicious cyber crime, it refers to inventors, builders and creators building projects quickly and iteratively."](https://cdn.uanews.arizona.edu/s3fs-public/styles/uaqs_full_width_lg/public/gallery-media/19139_94b2ad25e380cfc.jpg?itok=ipMOlq5S "Organizers say that hacking "doesn't mean malicious cyber crime, it refers to inventors, builders and creators building projects quickly and iteratively."")
Organizers say that hacking "doesn't mean malicious cyber crime, it refers to inventors, builders and creators building projects quickly and iteratively."
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Participants were encouraged to design iOS apps, websites, cloud software and robotics.
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Participants came from institutions in Arizona and other schools across the U.S.
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Participants spent 36 hours developing their hacks.
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Participants also learned about programming, HTML, CSS and drone technology.
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Raytheon was one of the major sponsors of Hack Arizona.
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Several UA students took prizes in the competition.
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Hack Arizona participants competed for cash and other prizes.
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More than 400 recently participated in a hackathon at the University of Arizona, creating technologies such as a language translator, a drone that is controlled by muscle movements and an app designed to control traffic lights.
Hack Arizona, the largest student-led hackathon in the Southwest, was held over the weekend of March 7. The student-led organizers define hacking as developing "a clever solution to an interesting problem."
With support and sponsorships from a host of companies — including Amazon, Respoke, Wolfram, Dell, Intel, UFree, Cox Communications and Raytheon — participants from the UA and other institutions across the state and nation had only 36 hours to design and develop their new hacks.
Brittany Paielli, one of the Hack Arizona organizers and a UA student studying mathematics and computer science, said the hackathon would help participants grow as programmers and engineers.
"Hack Arizona is not only a hackathon but a learning experience, a resume booster, a way to get involved, a way to meet company sponsors, a way to get a job or an internship, a way to work on team-building skills and bring you one step closer to being more successful in the future," Paielli said.
To learn more, visit the Hack Arizona site.
Photography by Beatriz Verdugo, UANews Student Associate/UANews