Posted on Updated on

URI students organize and host large-scale, multi-track hackathon

Hack@URI’s first event through Major League Hacking draws more than 200 students from 60 colleges and universities

After working on their project for two days, a team of students from URI and Rhode Island College presented Magic and Muzzle, a 2D turn-based role-playing game, to judges. (URI Photos/Courtesy Andrew Baccari)

KINGSTON, R.I. – March 2, 2026 – The University of Rhode Island has competed in many hackathons, but hadn’t hosted a student-run, multi-track, large-scale hackathon until this year. Held recently in the Fascitelli Center for Advanced Engineering, Hack@URI attracted more than 200 students from 60 colleges and universities.

“We were blown away by the turnout,” said Ayishat Oguntade, co-founder of URI’s hackathon student group and the Hack@URI event. “Seeing students walk in with bold ideas, open minds, and the confidence to put themselves out there meant everything to us. What was even more special was watching people who had never met before form teams within minutes and start building together.”

The Hack@URI student organizing team, led by Ayishat Oguntade and Lily Nguyen (kneeling lower left), in front of the Fascitelli Center for Advanced Engineering, where the hackathon was held.

Some of the schools represented at Hack@URI included Brown University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston University, Northeastern University, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Texas at Dallas, and the University of Maryland.

A hackathon, usually lasting 48 hours, fosters a spirit of entrepreneurship and collaboration by challenging teams to solve a social problem based on a theme. At Hack@URI, students chose from one of six tracks. Their work resulted in 40 projects submitted for judging.

Hack@URI participants had opportunities to discuss their ideas and pose questions to URI alumni, student founders, a cybersecurity professor, and product managers from Microsoft, Accenture, IBM, Fidelity, Meditech, MergeFund, and Google.

Problem-solving in real time

Just as students competing in hackathons must make unexpected changes to their projects, Oguntade and Lily Nguyen, co-founder of the student group and event, made a prompt decision to adjust the schedule for the hackathon once a blizzard entered the forecast.

“It was a stressful moment, but a defining one,” said Oguntade, a junior computer science major from Providence. “Our organizing team had to think quickly, communicate clearly, and make sure every participant, mentor, judge, and sponsor was informed. Despite the sudden change, the energy never dropped. Watching everyone adapt so positively reminded me that Hack@URI isn’t just about building projects, it’s also about problem-solving in real time.”

Creating a framework for success

Since Oguntade and Nguyen had no experience organizing a large hackathon, they tapped into the resources of Major League Hacking, an organization that supports more than 500,000 developers and 300 hackathons a year in at least 90 countries.

“We wanted access to a community that already solved many of the operational challenges we were about to face,” said Nguyen, who will earn her bachelor’s degree in computer science this May. “There was no blueprint at URI for a large, student-run, multi-track hackathon, so joining Major League Hacking gave us structure, guidance, and a framework for sustainability.”

Lisa DiPippo, a professor of computer science at URI, said connecting with Major League Hacking was advantageous for many reasons.

“This affiliation places URI within a nationally recognized innovation network and elevates the university’s visibility among top engineering and computer science institutions,” said DiPippo. “Through Major League Hacking and other industry and academic sponsors, students gain exposure to industry mentors, recruiters, startup founders, and peers from other institutions.”

Nguyen was inspired to form Hack@URI after participating in several large hackathons, such as HackHarvard, HackRice, and BostonHack.

“Those experiences were transformative,” said Nguyen. “I saw what happens when students are given exposure, ambition, and a platform to build. When students see what they’re capable of building, it changes what they believe they can achieve.”

Nguyen shared her vision with Oguntade early in 2025. They formed the hackathon student group and considered what they would need to do host their first large event.

Nguyen and Oguntade recruited peers to help them, growing their leadership team to 20 students to work on different aspects of the event. Sponsors and the broader campus community also contributed to the event’s success.

“We’re grateful to early supporters who helped us build credibility and momentum, including Professor Fay-Wolfe, Professor DiPippo, the URI Research Foundation, RISE-UP, and the company yconic,” said Nguyen.

To attract the number of participants the organizers hoped for, the hackathon had to appeal to students from many different majors.

“Lily positioned Hack@URI as a university-wide innovation platform,” said DiPippo. “She brought together stakeholders across the College of Engineering, College of Business, College of Arts & Sciences, the Department of Computer Science & Statistics, the Department of Cybersecurity, the Innovation Lab, URI Makerspace, and the URI Research Foundation.”

The group’s hard work and planning paid off, and the event was an overwhelming success—but Oguntade and Nguyen say they aren’t done yet. Following the hackathon, organizers solicited feedback to make the event bigger and better.

“We welcome feedback from every participant, mentor, and sponsor because our goal is to make this event stronger and more impactful each year,” said Oguntade. “Lily and I are thinking about how we can expand opportunities, reach more students across different majors, and make next year bigger. This is just the beginning.”