Even as national cybersecurity awareness month comes to a close, the Air Force is producing an event that will bring all kinds of hackers together to test their best coding skills.
The Air Force Research Laboratory, along with the Wright Brothers Institute and Code for Dayton, is hosting "LabHack," a 26-hour competition for tech-savvy coders to complete data challenges and also create real-world solutions to challenges that could affect military warfighters.
"We wanted to join forces and challenge people to create innovative ways to solve Air Force problems through analyzing human-centered research," said Scott Galster, AFRL chief of the applied neuroscience branch of AFRL's 711th Human Performance Wing, in a release. Galster is one of the event's organizers.
And aside for being judged on creativity, originality, technological complexity and applicability, participants have another obstacle — pulling an all-nighter.
The hacking starts Oct. 25 at 10 a.m. at the Tec^Edge Innovation and Collaboration Center in Dayton, Ohio, and teams have until 1:45 p.m. the next day to develop their best software. Before the competition, members of the Air Force will brief participants on major issues the service faces everyday in the cyber realm. Members can then form self-selected teams and can walk through dozens of software development and data visualization workshops at the center.
"Attendance at the mini-conference is not required, rather, we have several industry experts coming in to teach through presentations and hands-on workshops on topics and technology that we believe will help participants," said Dave Caraway, coordinator for LabHack.
The 66 hackers registered for the event are required to bring their own laptops and equipment, like a Cat5 network cable and wireless adapters, and if they plan on sleeping at the center, pillows, sleeping bags and toiletries, according to LabHack's website. Breakfast, lunch and dinner — and even a late night snack — will be provided.
The hackers who've registered are from a variety of backgrounds and locations across the U.S. and Canada, including universities and organizations such as Stanford University, California, Rutgers University, New Jersey, University of Dayton along with AFRL, the Air Force Institute of Technology and the National Air and Space Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the release said. They include graphic designers, interface designers, and project managers who will work together to build software solutions to AFRL challenges.
"LabHack will challenge teams to focus on streams of data, and how to visualize them in an integrated way, how to conduct analysis in near real-time and how to make decisions based on the patterns that emerge," Galster said
Members will then present their work at 2 p.m. the next day to Hackathon organizers and judges. Prizes include cash (up to $600), books, and software tools. All software created during LabHack will be open-source, permissively licensed, and posted on the LabHack website, the release said.
And a main incentive is to work together and have fun.
"Using a 'Hackathon' as our platform allowed us to bring the community together in a fun and competitive way, while supporting our Airmen," Galster said.
The LabHack team has also constructed the event to be in a relaxed environment.
"Uniform of the Day is super hero or internet meme t-shirt of your choice. Comfy clothing required. BDUs permitted only if they allow you to blend in with the office furniture," is listed on their FAQ page about dressing for the event.
To register or to learn more about the event, visit http://www.labhack.org.
