Organizers of the inaugural Hack of the Sexes competition are using the 24-hour hackathon model as a testing ground for their hypothesis that mixed-gender teams produce better results on the way to a better city.
From April 26-27 at Kauffman Labs, anyone with a passion for their community—designers, artists, developers, engineers and others—can decide whether they would like to be on an all-men, all-women or mixed team. No matter the decision, event participants will have the same mission: build “practical, open source solutions to civic problems.” Through this building period, the organizers aim to promote gender diversity, according to the event’s website.
Sarah Hebert of Curious Pixel got the ball rolling for the event with the hope of inspiring women to get involved.
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“I feel that ‘women-focused’ hackathons just prove that we can’t hang with the boys and women tend to shy away from gender neutral hackathons because typically men dominate those arenas,” Hebert (right) said on her company’s blog. “By providing a friendly competition where women are challenged to work with other women, but also challenged to compete on the same playing field as men was intended to create a foundation for involvement, not division.”
Before the event, participants will receive an email with a list of problems to be solved from various city officials, though everyone is welcome to bring their own ideas, as well. Final presentations will be given Saturday night, followed by awards.
Students are encouraged to sign up, as well, and as an incentive they’ll be connected with mentors to enhance their experience.
The event kicks off at 6 p.m. April 26 and concludes with a party at 6:30 p.m. the following day.
To learn more or register for Hack of the Sexes, which currently costs $35, visit hackofthesexes.eventbrite.com.
Note: Silicon Prairie News is a media sponsor of Hack of the Sexes.
Credits: Sarah Hebert photo from curiouspixel.com.
