YOUR BU Data: Explore, Build or Break It!
This summer, BU Spark! and IS&T is launching a new opportunity for students to engage directly with their own data—and we want you to be part of it.
We’re inviting a small group of students to participate in an early access program that challenges you to:
1. (Explore It!) Explore your personal BU data
Participants will explore their personal BU student data to identify meaningful insights and relevant use cases. They will evaluate potential additional datasets of interest and propose ways to enhance data utility. They will also identify use cases they were unable to achieve in order to help plan for future platform capabilities.
2. (Build It) Build innovative AI-driven solutions
Participants will design and prototype innovative AI-driven solutions that leverage student data to create “agents” or reusable “prompts” within TerrierGPT [Student]. They will articulate the significance of their prototype and demonstrate the value it could provide to students.
3. (Break It!) Try to break it (ethically!)
Participants will ethically challenge the platform’s security and privacy measures by attempting to identify vulnerabilities, bugs, or weaknesses in the system.
Requirements
Depending on which track you are applying for, there are different evaluation criteria and submission requirements.
1. (Explore It!) Explore your personal BU data
Submit a presentation that describes the meaningful insights for use cases for how these data can be used e.g. tools, apps, or dashboards that would use these data. This could include potential use cases they were unable to achieve with other data or capabilities. Your presentation should provide a compelling explanation for why your idea would benefit you and your peers, i.e. describe the problem/s you are solving for.
2. (Build It) Build innovative AI-driven solutions
Submit a video demo of the prototype, i.e. the new tool or service you built leveraging your BU data. You should also submit the link to your repo and your solution, if deployed. Students should feel free to submit a presentation as well. It is important that the video demo and/or presentation articulates the problem their solution is seeking to solve and the demonstrate the value it could provide to students.
In the video, narrate the video or submit an accompanying presentation that narrates the features and functionality offered by your prototype and provides a compelling explanation for why your prototype would benefit your peers. Bonus points if you can provide a link to a deployed prototype.
3. (Break It!) Find Vulnerabilities
Submit a powerpoint or video (or any format) that shows the vulnerabilities, bugs, or weaknesses discovered in the system. You should include an explanation for how you uncovered these vulnerabilities and recommended fixes are welcome. Technical theories are welcome but not required, just what you did to find the issue so the judges can reproduce it.
Prizes
HackBU Hoodie
Prizes coming soon!
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges
Langdon White
Spark! Technical Director
Chris Sedore
Bob Graham
Daniel Parks
Ken Lutchen
John Byers
Steve Choate
Gerard Shockley
Mike Harvey
Marylou O'Donnell‑Rundlett
Ziba Cranmer
Judging Criteria
-
Utility Concepts
Ideas will be judged on their relevance and utility to students. Submissions may include tools, dashboards, or supplementary data requests with clear and feasible use cases. Coding not required but submissions should make a compelling case for utility. -
Technical Prototypes
Prototypes will be judged based on their utility to students and readiness for deployment. Promising ideas could receive additional support from the AI Sandbox team to launch the prototype to students. -
Data Vulnerabilities
Contributions will be judged based on vulnerabilities identified regarding sensitive data access or other bugs in the system. Documented reproducibility of the issue will also be an important component.
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
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