More than 200 students from 60 colleges and universities gathered at the University of Rhode Island’s Fascitelli Center for Advanced Engineering for Hack@URI, the institution’s first large-scale, student-run, multi-track hackathon. The event marked a milestone for URI, which had previously participated in but never hosted an event of this scale.
“We were blown away by the turnout,” said Ayishat Oguntade, co-founder of URI’s hackathon student group and the Hack@URI event. “Seeing students walk in with bold ideas, open minds, and the confidence to put themselves out there meant everything to us. What was even more special was watching people who had never met before form teams within minutes and start building together.”
Participants came from schools including Brown University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston University, Northeastern University, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Texas at Dallas, and the University of Maryland. During the two-day competition, students formed teams and worked on projects in one of six tracks. By the end of the event, 40 projects were submitted for judging.
Organizers faced unexpected challenges when a blizzard threatened to disrupt plans. Oguntade explained how they quickly adjusted: “It was a stressful moment, but a defining one. Our organizing team had to think quickly, communicate clearly, and make sure every participant, mentor, judge, and sponsor was informed. Despite the sudden change, the energy never dropped. Watching everyone adapt so positively reminded me that Hack@URI isn’t just about building projects, it’s also about problem-solving in real time.”
Lily Nguyen and Oguntade started planning for Hack@URI without prior experience running such an event. They sought guidance from Major League Hacking (MLH), an organization that supports hundreds of hackathons worldwide each year.
“We wanted access to a community that already solved many of the operational challenges we were about to face,” said Nguyen. “There was no blueprint at URI for a large, student-run, multi-track hackathon, so joining Major League Hacking gave us structure, guidance, and a framework for sustainability.”
Lisa DiPippo, professor of computer science at URI noted: “This affiliation places URI within a nationally recognized innovation network and elevates the university’s visibility among top engineering and computer science institutions. Through Major League Hacking and other industry and academic sponsors, students gain exposure to industry mentors, recruiters, startup founders, and peers from other institutions.”
Nguyen drew inspiration from her participation in major hackathons elsewhere: “Those experiences were transformative,” she said. “I saw what happens when students are given exposure, ambition, and a platform to build. When students see what they’re capable of building, it changes what they believe they can achieve.”
The organizers built their team up to 20 students working on various aspects of the event with support from faculty members like Professor Fay-Wolfe and Professor DiPippo as well as organizations including the URI Research Foundation and RISE-UP.
“We’re grateful to early supporters who helped us build credibility and momentum, including Professor Fay-Wolfe, Professor DiPippo, the URI Research Foundation, RISE-UP, and the company yconic,” said Nguyen.
To broaden appeal across campus disciplines beyond computer science or engineering alone—and thus boost attendance—the organizers collaborated with stakeholders throughout several colleges at URI.
“Lily positioned Hack@URI as a university-wide innovation platform,” DiPippo said. “She brought together stakeholders across the College of Engineering, College of Business, College of Arts & Sciences, the Department of Computer Science & Statistics, the Department of Cybersecurity, the Innovation Lab , URI Makerspace ,and the URI Research Foundation.”
After receiving positive feedback following its conclusion—and soliciting suggestions for future improvements—Oguntade indicated that plans are underway for next year’s event.
“We welcome feedback from every participant , mentor ,and sponsor because our goal is to make this event stronger and more impactful each year,” Oguntade said.“Lily and I are thinking about how we can expand opportunities , reach more students across different majors ,and make next year bigger . This is just the beginning.”
