Dulwich Puxi Students Steam Ahead at the HakD Hakathon

Last weekend, students from Dulwich College International schools in China, and Dehong Chinese International Schools, gathered at Dulwich College Shanghai Pudong to develop Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths (STEAM) skills in this year’s Hackathon event – HakD.

Mr Wright, Year 6 teacher, discusses the Hackathon and why developing strong STEM skills can benefit students for their future.

DCSPX HakD Hakathon

What is HakD?
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HakD festivals encourage students to use a range of software and hardware to creatively solve given problems or scenarios.

Kenn Chong, founder of HakD, explains “Hackathons… are about challenging yourself to push the fundamental boundaries of what you can truly create. For those who are new to programming, this is a great opportunity for you to try it out and see if it is something you would like to pursue in the future. For those who want to flex their skills in creating awesome products with others, this is also a great opportunity for you to meet new people that share the same passions as you!”

DCSPX HakD Hakathon

What are the benefits of Hackathon festivals?
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The UK government’s education blog explains the importance of promoting STEM subjects. “Acceptances into computer science courses have risen by almost 50%, from 20,420 in 2011 to 30,090 in 2020; and acceptances to engineering courses are up 21% from 25,995 in 2011 to 31,545 in 2020. This is driven by an increase in demand from UK 18-year-olds, suggesting the impact early STEM uptake in schools is having on higher education. This is good news, especially as STEM subjects have a positive impact on the economy and society.”

DCSPX HakD Hakathon

What happened at the event?
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On the first day of the event, a set of scenarios based on the theme of Express Yourself! were revealed during the Opening Ceremony. This theme of self-expression is particularly pertinent given the current conversations around Artificial Intelligence, and its use in schools and across industries. As a team, students picked a scenario to work on solving through technology.

DCSPX HakD Hakathon

During the morning and after lunch, students participated in two tech-related workshops which helped them learn new skills ranging from web design to 3D Modelling, from Raspberry Pis to computer vision. Throughout the remainder of the day, students worked in groups collaboratively, looking to utilize their new learning to help create solutions for their chosen scenarios.

On the final day, the students presented their products before they were judged, with presentations in the afternoon.

DCSPX HakD Hakathon

The resilience, collaboration, problem solving and creativity of all our students was commendable. A huge congratulations to Myles and Jared, whose team placed second in the Junior category. Not only did they earn a Gold Medal, they also presented on stage in front of an audience of parents and peers. In Junior, Annabelle, Jessica, Justin, Peter, Daniel, Chloe and Danny were all awarded Silver Medals. In the Senior category, Jerold won gold with Jayden collecting a bronze.

Overall it was a superb event, and our thanks are extended to all the staff, students and parents involved.

 

References

HakD Shanghai. 2023.https://hakd-shanghai.com/.

UK Government Education Blog. "More young people are taking STEM subjects than ever before." Department for Education in England, 9 Feb. 2021, https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2021/02/09/more-young-people-are-taking-stem-subjects-than-ever-before/.