The 10th annual NYUAD Hackathon for Social Good will take place in the A6 Conference Center from March 30 to April 1. Cross-disciplinary global teams will build solutions to challenging problems humans face today using quantum computing technologies.

The Gazelle sat down with one of the organizers, Sana Odeh, Faculty Liaison for Global Programs of Computer Science and Clinical Professor of Computer Science, as well as two participants, Samyam Lamichhane, Class of 2025 and Yashaswi Malla, Class of 2023, to gain deeper insight into the event.

“The Annual NYUAD Hackathon for Social good aims to promote innovation in computer science, and the development of innovative tech for the social good,” explained Professor Odeh. This event allows students to participate in the entire process of setting up a tech startup: including sharing and generating ideas, proposing ideas, learning new platforms and programming languages, devising capstone research issues and building tech solutions while working in a diverse team.

“[Our intention is to] empower a new generation of students to use the most advanced quantum software and hardware [as well as] [expose students to] top skills in computer science from AI, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, Security and also to a network of renowned experts in this field,” Odeh emphasized.

The participants shared Professor Odeh’s enthusiasm. They were excited about the possibilities that this Hackathon will create for them.

“[I want] to experience the full cycle of a tech start-up as part of a diverse team, under the mentorship of talented leaders from the industry as well as academia”, stated Malla. For Lamichhane, quantum computing was exciting because it was a topic he had been interested in for years yet had no firsthand experience.

What made this Hackathon even more enticing to them was that quantum computing has not reached its full potential yet. “When [it] becomes affordable, business professionals or scientific researchers can harvest its power to process large amounts of data or run simulations in a robust manner,” explained Lamichhane.

Malla concurred, stating that quantum computing technologies are capable of completing some tasks exponentially faster than traditional computers, meaning they will have a significant impact on fields like simulations, cryptography and complex calculations, which account for a large portion of today's problems.

“The shift from today’s normal computers (with binary values of either zero or one) to quantum computing (which allows for multiple states at the same time), will give us a level of processing power that we cannot even imagine today,” summarized Odeh. “From healthcare to climate forecasting, banking, financial modeling, cryptography, complex math, physics, computer science algorithms and the arts and humanities,” she adds.

As the NYUAD Hackathon is an annual event, students have a chance to reinforce their learning over the years and chart their progress as their knowledge grows. One great way to prepare for such an event is to familiarize oneself with programming logic and spend time working on mini projects. “Be open to trying projects beyond your comfort level,” shared Lamichhane.

The Hackathon, moreover, may lead to many welcomed surprises in the long run. “This opportunity can launch students’ careers. There are many success stories from previous hackathons where participants used this network to find jobs, launch a startup, get a scholarship or funds and so on,” concluded Odeh.

To see the full range of everything at the Hackathon, check out the complete schedule. There will be a TED Talk and DJ Spooky performance at the Louvre Abu Dhabi on March 30, from 7:00 to 8:00 pm. The final presentation and ceremony event will be on April 1, from 5:00 to 8:00 pm.

You can follow the Hackathon in real time on their Twitter or the hashtag #NYUADHack, Facebook, Instagram and their website.