Innovation Through Collaboration
In early February, 11 teams and nearly 60 students from Swarthmore, Haverford, and Bryn Mawr competed in the 5th Annual Tri-Co Hackathon. The event, which took place in the Science Center and was hosted by the Center for Innovation and Leadership, promotes collaborative learning through engagement with digital technology and programming.
See photos from the competition below:
![](https://www.swarthmore.edu/sites/default/files/styles/main_page_image/public/assets/images/news-events/Hackathon1.jpg.webp?itok=7WOp_axc)
The hackathon was open to all students of the Tri-Co schools, regardless of their experience, skill level, or major.
![](https://www.swarthmore.edu/sites/default/files/styles/main_page_image/public/assets/images/news-events/Hackathon2.jpg.webp?itok=_R-6nTde)
The spirit of the Tri-Co Hackathon is "to work collaboratively, help beginners and experts alike, and have fun!"
![](https://www.swarthmore.edu/sites/default/files/styles/main_page_image/public/assets/images/news-events/Hackathon7.jpg.webp?itok=k7H0vm_h)
All work on the project had to be done at the Hackathon, which lasted from Friday evening to Saturday at 5 p.m. Teams were allowed to fix bugs or make small changes, but all "hacking" needed to be complete.
![](https://www.swarthmore.edu/sites/default/files/styles/main_page_image/public/assets/images/news-events/Hackathon8.jpg.webp?itok=JRAWGh5v)
Swarthmore's Calla Bush St. George '20 and Cassandra Stone '20 placed third with Fundemocracy, an app to match candidates and donors based on how they ranked different political topics.
![](https://www.swarthmore.edu/sites/default/files/styles/main_page_image/public/assets/images/news-events/Hackathon10.jpg.webp?itok=4mS3U1ip)
In second, the Swarthmore team of Haochen Wang '20, Aayushi Dangol '20, and Ke Wu '20, who pitched EmoSong, an app that determines what music should be played based on your facial expressions.
![](https://www.swarthmore.edu/sites/default/files/styles/main_page_image/public/assets/images/news-events/Hackathon4.jpg.webp?itok=E4y7IXvU)
Team size must be limited to 5 (or fewer) people per team. Teams can use an idea that they had from before the event, as long as they have not implemented it.
![](https://www.swarthmore.edu/sites/default/files/styles/main_page_image/public/assets/images/news-events/Hackathon11.jpg.webp?itok=xqWtJckn)
Group shot of the 2019 Tri-Co Hackathon participants (Photo by Shayna Nickel of Haverford). Iryna Khovryak, Blien Habtu, Jason Ngo, and Isabella Muno of Haverford claimed top prize with Gradual, a website that helps keep track of graduation requirements.