Interested in honing your hacking skills, learning new hardware prototyping techniques, and building your practical knowledge in electronics and programming?
Following the success of last year’s event, the Institute for Digital Molecular Design and Fabrication (DigiFAB) and the Imperial College Advanced Hackspace (ICAH) invite undergraduate students from the Department of Chemistry to participate in this chemistry prototyping challenge.
Participants will be split into teams to design and develop low-cost customised modules for an open-source liquid handling platform through a series of prototypes which will then be tested and validated for function. Previous experience is not necessary and teams will be provided with the required kit and consumables – you just need to bring your creative ideas to hack a solution. The prototyping challenge is a great opportunity to get to know others interested in this area of research by working together!
The project will run for 4 weeks from early July in the DigiFAB//Hackspace hub in ICAH. Places are limited, so if you wish to apply, please send a short paragraph (max. 100 words) on why you are interested and what you think you would bring to the team to Becky Greenaway (r.greenaway@imperial.ac.uk) by 5 pm on Monday 24th January 2022.
Applicants will be informed of the outcome by Friday 28th January and nominated for the Chemistry UROPs 2022 by 31st January 2022 – see the UROP Blackboard page for more info.
FAQ
-
Do I need prototyping experience? Existing experience in these are not required, but getting involved would allow you to hone your hack skills, learn new hardware prototyping techniques using 3D printing, and build your practical knowledge in electronics and programming!
-
How much time will I need to work on the Hackathon? We expect the project to run for 4 weeks, the exact amount time can be decided within the team and adjusted as the project progresses. We estimate you are likely to need 3-4 days a week initially.
-
Will the teams have support during the Hackathon? Yes, the hackathon team and ICAH staff will provide hands on and remote support.
-
Can I join the Hackathon remotely? No, you will need to attend in the White City campus, although some days you may wish to research remotely as agreed within the team.
-
Do I need to pay for consumables/kit? No, DigiFAB will cover the costs of the required kit and consumables for the Hackathon – you just need to bring your creative ideas to hack a solution.
-
Do I need to produce a report after the Hackathon? Yes, we expect a brief report produced after the Hackathon.
-
Will I receive payment or be reimbursed for my expenses? Yes we will offer the standard college UROP payment.
The Team The Final Prototype
