Returning for the second-consecutive year, Stevens Women in Computer Science (SWiCS) leads QUACKHACKS 2026, an independent hackathon event open to all interested students in the Hoboken area. Other clubs on campus that co-hosted with SWiCS include Blueprint, Stevens Computer Science Club (SCSC), Stevens Game Development Club (SGDC), Stevens Linux User Group (SLUG), and Stevens Cyber Defense Team (SCDT). From the morning of February 28 to the afternoon of March 1, students from all disciplines had the opportunity to compete in virtual performance-based tasks for a chance to win a variety of high-stakes prizes, in addition to industry-specific workshops, keynote speakers, and networking events for all students to participate in.
To provide some context, hackathons are not uniquely associated with Stevens. Many universities and organizations across the globe host these events as a way to identify talent and connect students with industry opportunities. In our case, Stevens hosts QUACKHACKS to help students demonstrate their knowledge and expertise to industry-aligned corporations. In a typical hackathon, members are provided a list of technical tracks to choose from. This year, students selected from four tracks: “Mindfulness & Wellbeing,” “Anti-AI,” “Accessibility,” and “Gaming.” The goal of these tracks is to separate student groups into a restructured format that permits competition and self-expression, in a way that the classroom lacks.
Although hackathons are popular amongst college professionals, not all follow the same timeline. This year, Stevens took a different approach to the QUACKHACKS format. The event began on Saturday at 9 a.m. with opening remarks and a team bonding session. Later that afternoon, in between mingling and working on their projects, students listened to workshops hosted by Chubb and Automatic Data Processing (ADP), two major companies with large tech divisions headquartered within driving distance from Stevens. To further enhance technical skills, workshops were hosted for platforms like Amazon Kiro, along with presentations by Major League Hacking and IEEE YP. To cap the night off, students got to engage in information sessions pertaining to different tracks, like gaming engines, graphics, and more.
Although the festivities for the first day had ended, there were still eight hours until check-in for the final day, with many groups taking this time to truly hone their focus on building a viable product. To begin the final day, students had the opportunity to refine their projects one last time before submission. Each group was required to submit a public repository with working code, along with instructions for running and testing the application. Faculty members and students joined forces to judge each project, assessing the creativity, demonstrated learning, technical impressiveness, and adherence to the selected track. Once all projects had been entered and assessed, the finalists presented their projects on the main stage for a chance to win the prizes provided by the event sponsors. This year, Ayre was the highest-regarded project — a translation platform enhancing musical techniques for those unable to perform.
After its successful second year, it’s clear that the Stevens community is extremely proud of the work all of these clubs have done to expand the university’s reputation and allow students to demonstrate their talents in a demanding market. Although still in its early stages, we all look forward to how QUACKHACKS will continue to grow and promote new opportunities for students to get involved.
