A few weeks ago on October 5-6, I had the opportunity to be part of the NASA Space Apps Challenge at Lakehead University, where I served as both a mentor and a judge. The event brought together people of all ages—students from elementary school to university, and even adults—under one roof to tackle exciting challenges related to this year’s theme, “The Sun Touches Everything”.
I was surprised to hear that it was a hackathon, meaning participants had just 48 hours to come up with a project that addressed one of NASA’s challenges. It wasn’t just about coding or technical skills as the name would suggest; participants also had to think creatively, tell stories, and find educational ways to share their ideas.
One of my favorite moments was seeing a team of elementary school kids working together on a board game. They were siblings and friends, and their excitement was contagious. It reminded me how important it is for young people to get involved in these kinds of activities, where they can learn and grow while having fun.
This was the first time Lakehead University hosted this event but many people were eager to participate. We had over ten teams, each being around 5-6 people on average. There were also plenty of mentors scattered throughout the weekend to answer questions and provide guidance. Many of us had specific areas of interest and expertise—and we even had a mentor, Anastasiia Prysyazhnyuk, from the Canadian Space Agency visit us through the weekend.
The highlight of the weekend was definitely the local pitch competition. Each team had three minutes to present their projects, showcasing all the hard work they had put in. The room was filled with applause and admiration as we listened to their ideas. Even though some teams didn’t win, everyone left feeling proud of what they accomplished.
After the pitches, the judges and I discussed which projects stood out the most based on criteria set out by NASA like creativity, impact, and how realistic the ideas were. It was clear that there were many talented individuals who had put a lot of effort into their presentations. We even decided to give out honorable mentions to a couple of teams that impressed us.
The three winners of the pitch competition received a $1,000 dollar prize, and due to the large numbers of teams participating, Orillia was able to nominate two projects for the global competition where they will be competing against other projects around the world.
Looking back on the weekend, I feel grateful to have been part of such an inspiring event. I overheard that there were around 75,000 people that participated around the world in this year’s hackathon. But I left that weekend feeling like it wasn’t just about the projects created or the awards given out; it was about the connections made and the ideas that sparked. Watching people come together with passion and purpose showed me how collaboration can lead to amazing results.
I hope Lakehead applies to be part of this event again next year, and if they do, I hope you join us in participating and motivating future minds interested in space science.
