13-15 NOV

Watch the highlights

during the weekend

ABOUT

During this hackathon, we will tackle important challenges in science communication today; those relevant not just to CERN and EPFL, but also the wider scientific community.

Participants will visit facilities at CERN and EPFL, take part in interactive workshops to develop their hacking skills, and build networks with future colleagues, collaborators, and friends.

 

TIMELINE

APPLICATION

CLOSES

​

SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS NOTIFIED

PRE-HACK PROGRAMS END

WEEKEND HACKATHON STARTS

Sep
14
Sep
20
Sep
21
Nov
10
Nov
13
 

CHALLENGES

​

 
CERN science communication hackathon

PRE-HACK

Sep - Nov

Series of webinars with experts in science communication

Why the truth is not enough.

STEVEN GOLDFARB

All applicants (successful & unsuccessful) will get access to pre-hack workshops

 

JOIN US

Be a mentor

Share your expertise with our participants

Be a volunteer

Get behind the scenes and help make the event a success

Be a partner

Raise your profile in the science communication field

 

PARTNERS

FAQ

 
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What is a hackathon?

A hackathon (a word created from "hack" and "marathon") is a collaborative solution development event. The goal of a hackathon is to find useful, creative or entertaining solutions to given problems together within the duration of this event. Participants in hackathons usually come from different areas and often work on their projects in cross-functional teams.



What do you mean when you say “science communication” ?

Science communication today takes many forms. There are classic ways such as documentaries, popular science books, and exhibitions, but also modern approaches like art expressions and social media engagement. Beyond education and entertainment, effective science communication also plays an increasingly crucial role in social, political, environmental and economic contexts — the ongoing situation regarding Covid-19 illustrates this evidently. And last but not least, science communication within the scientific community itself is essential for academic activities as a whole, significantly affecting the quality of research and education.



Who owns the idea developed during the hackathon?

You as a participant (or your employee if applicable) should remain the owner of all works you create during the hackathon. If you are employed, please do make sure you respect your terms of employment (e.g. in terms of ownership and declaration of intellectual property). The only thing we ask you in return is to allow us to use your works for non-commercial and promotional purposes, such as campaigns for future hackathons. An event of this kind can only grow and prosper if we can all show the world the benefits of such an event, in particular the concrete and real results achieved in 3 days of hard work. In summary, all submissions to and creations during the hackathon remain the intellectual property of the individuals or organizations that developed them. By registering for #SciCommHack, entering a submission and creating works during the hackathon, however, the participant agrees that the organizers and the partners receive an irrevocable, nonexclusive, royalty-free license to use, distribute to the public, and publicly display and perform such submission and works for non-commercial and promotional purposes.



I’m interested to join in any way, should I register as a participant or as a mentor?

You can register for both. Based on your profile, experience, and interests, you may be selected as a mentor, a participant, or both. It's also important to think about how much time commitment can you give.



Is there financial support offered to students from outside Geneva?

Financial support may be available to potential attendees from outside Geneva who highlight a barrier to their attendance. Each application will be assessed individually. In order to maximize your chances of attending, we encourage you to look for funding elsewhere as well.



Is the participation free? Is food and accommodation provided?

Yes, the participation itself is free. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are provided during the hackathon for free and there’ll be plenty of snacks and drinks to keep you energized. Due to limited budgets we are NOT able to provide free accommodation for everybody. However, we can support with booking accommodation for a limited number of participants.​



Do I have to speak English to participate?

The talks and presentations will be in English. So it will be better if you can understand the language, or have someone to help you with the English.



How many people will be taking part in the hackathon?

Every challenge is designed for a team of 7. 7 challenges have been pre-selected for this year's hackathon.



Is it possible to have your own team and challenge?

For this year's hackathon, we have pre-selected the challenges. But if there is any project in the past that you have done and would like to merge with the pre-selected challenge, do express it when applying.



Do I need an idea to participate in the hackathon?

No, you don’t need to have an idea to participate. There will be a list of predefined challenges to choose from.



Are there any prizes and goodies?

Yes, definitely. We are also follow-up focused, so we are already pulling in resources to support all promising projects beyond the hackathon itself.



I have another question that is not covered by the FAQs, who do I get in touch with?

Send your queries at - scicommhack-info@cern.ch



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Science

Communication

Hackathon

Co-organized by Scinaptics Association