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‘HSE is Great for Improving Your “Get-What’s-Most-Important-Done-by-Midnight” Skills’
At the end of May, the international hackathon Hackdays Rhein-Main 2019 was held in Frankfurt. HSE students who took part in the event explain why we should participate in hackathons and how studying at HSE helped improve one of Europe’s largest airports.
Over the course of 48 hours, 200 students from different countries and areas of specialization worked on solving problems for partner companies, such as SAP, Lufthansa, and other major market players.
The main theme of the hackathon was the use of big data to improve company performance and increase customer engagement. The companies themselves selected the students who would work on their tasks. The business solutions developed at the competition that were recognized as the best will be incorporated into the ordering companies’ business practices. The hackathon winners are determined based on the quality of the solution and the team’s ability to present their solution in a compelling manner.
Hackdays, a nonprofit organization, holds a few hackathons a year. Partner companies pay the costs of accommodations and transport for competition participants.
HSE students shared their experiences working on their projects for Hackdays.
2nd year master’s student, Master’s Programme ‘Business Development Strategies: Management and Consulting’
I was selected to participate in the Fraport Challenge, which is held by one of Europe’s largest airports, Frankfurt Airport. Within two days, we had to develop new services that use data received by the airport.
My team decided to create a new client-oriented service that would help Duty Free stores better interact with their clients.
At the hackathon, we not only managed to develop a business concept that solved the assigned task, but create a prototype web portal, identify and use various client paths, assess the risks and benefits of our model, and create a mechanism for obtaining, storing, accumulating, and using data.
For me it was an experience that was both interesting and absolutely important—I got experience developing a new product in a time crunch, working in a team of experts from both business and tech, and also brainstorming in a productive way.
Graduate of Bachelor’s programme in Software Engineering
I worked with folks from Germany and Ukraine on a project for the company KION Group, which services large warehouse facilities. This was the most technical project, and it required work with additional equipment such as sensors, machinery, and other geeky toys.
Representatives of the company gave us complete freedom to choose our own idea, so we first and foremost began looking for problems that we could solve within the specified time.
HSE is great for improving your ‘get-what’s-most-important-done-by-midnight’ skills, which really come in handy in these kinds of situations. We focused on accidents involving forklift drivers, since safety for companies like ours is paramount.
KIFM is an application that, with the help of sensors and computer vision, notices a decrease in concentration in drivers and prevents reckless drives from transporting expensive goods.
My experience with group work at HSE helped me communicate with my team members and efficiently delegate tasks. After two days and nights, the teams presented their projects to each other, and we received the Audience Award. This summer we will travel to the KION campus to demonstrate our solution to the company staff.
Alumna of School of Business Informatics, HackDays team member
I want more HSE students to know about HackDays. It’s an invaluable experience—you interact with people who are experts in their fields, and it is also another way to practice your English.
Before Hackdays I participated in a number of hackathons and forums for students. I can tell you that it’s very rare for organizers to cover transport and accommodation costs (even on flights from Russia). And for students from CIS countries the organizers also help with visa processing.
Participation in the hackathon is a great opportunity to get to know students from different countries and to also see Europe. Hackdays Rhein-Main 2019 was held in Frankfurt and many students stayed a day after the event to go sightseeing in the city.
The next international hackathon will be held in February 2020 and bring together 500 of the best students from all over the world. Students from HSE can apply as soon as the registration period begins.