WIT & ACM Presents

Dons Hack

April 4th - April 6th, 2025 | USFCA

Colorlib Template
Colorlib Template
Colorlib Template
Colorlib Template
Colorlib Template
Colorlib Template

2025 Winners

Board's Choice

Crickety Crickets

Ernesto Elguezabal

Most Innovative

Vibe Coders

Jet Pham, Calum Crawford, David Shubov, Edward Shturman

People's Choice

Mehmet Please Delete Lowering

Steven Buks, Isaiah Walker, Atanas Iavenv-Patterson, Angelo Edralin

Most Potential for Impact

Team Access

Sarah Ma, Omayaasree Balaji, Julia Gomez

Best App

Womp Womp Studios

Pooja Nair, Alexis Murray, Killian Seller

Best Website

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Thomas Yeung, Leo Zhang, Nishil Anard

Schedule

Friday, April 4

Time Activity
4:30 PM Check-In & Team Formations | 📍 McLaren Conference Center
5:30 PM Opening Keynote | 📍 McLaren Conference Center
6:30 PM Dinner | 📍 McLaren Conference Center
7:30 PM Team Registration Begins | 📍 McLaren Conference Center
9:00 PM ⚠️ DEADLINE: Team Registration | 📍 McLaren Conference Center
Available Rooms (after 8 PM)
HR 136, 148, 411, 413, Harney Social Hive
LS G12 103, 209, 210, 303, 307
Fromm 120 (Xavier Auditorium), 125 (Maraschi Room)

Saturday, April 5

Time Activity
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM Morning Wellness | 📍 McLaren 250
12:00 PM Alumni Panel | 📍 McLaren 251
1:00 PM Lunch | 📍 McLaren 250
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Imagination Station with Professor Peterson | 📍 KA 499
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Web Dev Desk with Professor Urgo | 📍 Online
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM Office Hours with Alumni Colm Lang | 📍 HR 413
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Recreation Hour | 📍 McLaren Conference Center
6:15 PM Dinner | 📍 McLaren Conference Center
Available Rooms (8 AM - 9 PM)
HR 136, 148, 411, 413 (413 not available 2pm-5pm)
LS G12, 103, 210, 303, 307
FR 120 (Xavier Auditorium), 125 (Maraschi Room)

Sunday, April 6

Time Activity
9:00 AM ⚠️ DEADLINE: Code Freeze | Project Submissions
9:00 AM Breakfast | 📍 McLaren 250
11:00 AM Presentations and Judging Begin | 📍 McLaren 251 & 252
1:00 PM Light snack break | 📍 McLaren 250
1:30 PM Presentations and Judging Continue | 📍 McLaren 251 & 252
4:00 PM Closing Ceremony, Winners Announced 🎉 | 📍 McLaren 251 & 252
Available Rooms (until 9 AM)
HR 136, 148, 411, 413
LS G12, 103, 210, 303, 307

About

Get ready for the annual DonsHack, hosted by Women in Tech and the Association for Computing Machinery! This year, it's taking place over the weekend of April 4th-6th, 2025.

We'll be awarding teams with prizes worth over $2000 (including our top prize: a TV!) and we're providing free food and beverages to keep you fueled throughout the weekend. This is your chance to collaborate with your peers, network with alumni, and get personalized guidance from professors in exclusive 1:1 team meetings. We're featuring panelists and judges from Amazon, Fastly, and Adobe!

We're tackling the theme of CampusTech where you'll have the opportunity to build products for departments and people right here on campus. Create tech for any problem you see on campus. Plus, departments on campus ranging from the CS Department to SDS are providing y'all with project proposals so you have the chance to make technology that will actually get implemented on campus!

We're open to all students, regardless of grade, major, or gender, plus it's completely free to participate! This is a fantastic opportunity to add to your resume, and a chance to participate in the largest hackathon offered on campus.

If you have any questions, please contact donshackusfca@gmail.com!

Categories

(Over $2000 in prizes!)


Best App

Best Website

Most Potential for Impact

Most Innovative

People's Choice

Meet The Judges

Frank Guglielmo

IOS ENGINEER/APP DEVELOPER

Lidia Perzyna

ASSOCIATE SWE, FULL-STACK, DOMAIN SERVICES TEAM AT FASTLY

Parsa Rahimi

SWE, FRONT-END ENGINEER

Gloria Wang

SENIOR SWE AT ADOBE

USF Alumni

Frank Guglielmo

IOS ENGINEER/APP DEVELOPER

Adi Kunatharaju

SDE AIOPS AT AWS, FORMER BRIDGE STUDENT AT USF

Lidia Perzyna

ASSOCIATE SWE, FULL-STACK, DOMAIN SERVICES TEAM AT FASTLY

Parsa Rahimi

SWE, FRONT-END ENGINEER

Kristin Indick

SOFTWARE DEVELOPER FOR AVEVA, FORMER WIT PRESIDENT

FAQ

What is a hackathon?

Put simply, a hackathon is a chance to build something innovative within a specific theme - for The Dons Hack, that's CampusTech! Have an idea that could improve campus life? This is your chance to make it a reality. A hackathon gives you the opportunity to build your portfolio, develop skills, and learn how to work in a team while creating solutions that benefit our USF community.

What is CampusTech?

CampusTech is our hackathon theme where you'll build products for departments and people right here on campus. This could include tools for improving student learning, campus navigation, resource management, or any other technology solution that benefits the USF community.

Who can participate?

All USF students can participate regardless of major or gender. No prior coding or technical experience is necessary!

Do I have to be there the whole weekend?

While we encourage full participation to get the most out of the experience, you're not required to be present for every moment. However, make sure you're available for key events like the opening ceremony, team formations, final presentations, and closing ceremony.

Do I need to have a team to apply? Is there a limit to the size of each team?

It is not necessary to have a team at the time of registration. We will help you form a team on the first day of the hackathon. If you choose to build a team, there can be a maximum of 4 people. Please make sure each member of your team fills out the registration form!

Do I have to use the prompts you provide?

No! We'll provide prompts that address specific needs from USF departments and campus organizations to help you get started, but you're welcome to come up with your own project idea as long as it aligns with our CampusTech theme.

Can I use AI tools in my project?

If you use AI tools (like ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, etc.) in your project, please document which tools you used and how you used them in your project submission. Your project should still demonstrate your own innovative thinking and problem-solving skills.

How many 1:1 sessions can I sign up for?

You can sign up for a maximum of two 1:1 sessions with Professor Peterson, Professor Urgo, or alumni Colm Lang, subject to availability. These sessions are a great opportunity to get personalized guidance for your project!

When and where are the 1:1s happening?

The 1:1 sessions will begin at 2:00pm on Saturday. You can schedule your preferred time slot using the booking links in the Important Links section above.

How much does it cost?

The Dons Hack is free for all students! Food and light refreshments will be provided.

What should I bring?

Bring yourself and your laptop!

What are the prizes?

We're offering over $2000 in prizes across these categories: Best App, Best Website, Most Potential for Impact, Most Innovative, and People's Choice! The specific prize amounts will be announced during the opening ceremony.