Observer-Dispatch: CNY Hackathon ‘getting pretty big’ at Utica College

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Observer-Dispatch: CNY Hackathon ‘getting pretty big’ at Utica College

Photo Courtesy of Joseph Labernik / Observer-Dispatch

A growing cybersecurity industry and a penchant for student coders facilitated the biannual Central New York Hackathon on Saturday at Utica College.

The Central New York Hackathon is a give and take of points between teams of professionals and students who are learning how coding works. Teams of students are tasked with defending networks from the attacks of a team of industry professionals and awarded points by how well they do.

There also are other competitions that involve breaking into systems to earn points.

This year is the sixth anniversary of the event, though Saturday was technically the 11th Hackathon overall. It has grown in both its Utica College location in the spring and at Mohawk Valley Community College in the fall.

“Now we’re hitting well over 120 registrations,” said Ronny Bull, co-founder of the event and professor of computer science at Utica College. “Registrations are closing in two hours ... it’s getting pretty big.”

Besides a competition, the event also is an opportunity for local cybersecurity firms to prospect potential employees.

Timothy Reed, the principal engineer at Adeptus Cyber Solutions in Rome, said the hackathon gives him and other professionals a sense of how students work in pressure situations.