Code, Collaboration, and Big Ideas: HackUMass Brings Innovation to Life
At UMass Amherst’s annual hackathon, students team up to design, build, and test tech-driven solutions with real-world impact.
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HackUMass XIII, UMass Amherst’s student-run hackathon, brought together more than 800 students from UMass Amherst, the Five College Consortium, and universities across the country for a weekend of collaboration, experimentation, and problem-solving focused on the theme “Tech for Change.” Now in its 13th year, HackUMass continues to grow as a platform for students from diverse academic backgrounds to learn new skills, build prototypes, and explore how technology can address real-world challenges.
The Physical Computing Makerspace in the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences served as a major sponsor and 24/7 workspace, offering participants access to hardware tools, mentorship, and beginner-friendly workshops on topics such as web development, artificial intelligence, and hardware prototyping.
Senior Teaching Faculty member Matthew Hale Rattigan, a longtime HackUMass advisor, highlighted the event’s role in developing collaboration and communication skills alongside technical expertise. “Everyone is there in person, working together. They’re learning how to build off each other’s ideas, how to negotiate, how to handle frustration at two in the morning,” Rattigan said. “Those are skills you can’t really get in a classroom.”
Organized entirely by students, HackUMass continues to expand access and opportunity while fostering a culture of innovation, teamwork, and public-interest technology across the UMass community.
Read the full story published by the UMass Amherst Office of News & Media Relations.
