Knight Hacks

?? Inspiring the Next Generation of Innovators at UCF College of Engineering & Computer Science's E Week ! ???? This week, we had the incredible opportunity to showcase a variety of projects to younger students at UCF’s Engineering Week, sparking curiosity and excitement about technology and innovation! We were able to display applications built by club members such as, AI-powered applications, game development, virtual reality, and web-based projects! Our team demonstrated the power of coding and creativity combined with collaboration in the club. It was amazing to see students engage with our projects, ask insightful questions, and even start thinking about their own ideas. At Knight Hacks, we believe in building a strong, supportive tech community where students of all backgrounds can learn, create, and innovate together. Events like this remind us why we do what we do, empowering the next generation of engineers and developers! A huge shoutout to everyone who participated and to UCF and Eli2 for organizing such an impactful event. If you're a student looking to get involved in hackathons, coding projects, and workshops, Knight Hacks is the place to be! ??

Want to learn more about Knight Hacks? When asked what Knight Hacks is, we often find ourselves at a loss for words. Instead of trying to articulate such a complex and enriching event, we decided to have a way to show our story and mission visually. Over the past few months, we’ve been hard at work producing a short video to help bring awareness to Knight Hacks from the perspective of Hackers, Organizers, and Sponsors. We’re happy to announce that it’s now live! Feel free to check it out and let us know what you think! Big thanks to Ryan Baez for filming and editing at Knight Hacks VII! https://lnkd.in/eFXK-sAv

Want to learn more about Knight Hacks? When asked what Knight Hacks is, we often find ourselves at a loss for words. Instead of trying to articulate such a complex and enriching event, we decided to have a way to show our story and mission visually. Over the past few months, we’ve been hard at work producing a short video to help bring awareness to Knight Hacks from the perspective of Hackers, Organizers, and Sponsors. We’re happy to announce that it’s now live! Feel free to check it out and let us know what you think! Big thanks to Ryan Baez for filming and editing at Knight Hacks VII! https://lnkd.in/eFXK-sAv

Owen Burns and I had a chance to talk about more about the ToolCharm acquisition and the role that the University of Central Florida, the UCF College of Business, and the UCF College of Engineering & Computer Science has had in our entrepreneurial journey. It was really fun to look back on the past 4 years of building, as well as our time in Upstarts, participating in Knight Hacks, competing in the Joust, and meetings in the Blackstone LaunchPad at UCF. Special thanks to Robert Stephens, Nicole Dudenhoefer, Kadeem Stewart, and everyone else involved in getting this story out! Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/eNwzWzvs

When Dylan Vidal reached out to me in July to create a video covering Knight Hacks annual Hackathon, I was thrilled—it was one of the most exciting opportunities I’ve ever been offered. As it would be my first time documenting an event of this scale (and doing so entirely solo), it was a chance to merge two passions: creative storytelling and elevating the work of impactful organizations. Collaborating with groups like Knight Hacks to amplify their mission and brand reminds me of the reason why I got into videography in the first place. Below, I’ve shared a few standout frames from the video. You can find the full piece on my website. ??

Our Semester-Long Hackathon, Project Launch, has officially taken off, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to embark on this journey with 137 incredibly talented participants! ?? This event represents more than just a competition, it’s a collaborative space for creativity, innovation, and problem-solving. Over the course of the semester, participants will bring their ideas to life, tackling complex challenges and developing projects that have the potential to make a real-world impact. Whether it’s an app that revolutionizes daily tasks, a cutting-edge machine learning model, or a cool video-game, we can’t wait to see the innovation and dedication this group brings to the table. The energy at the kickoff was electric, with students from diverse backgrounds coming together to form teams, brainstorm ideas, and dive headfirst into their projects. With workshops, mentorship sessions, and networking opportunities lined up, participants have access to the resources and guidance needed to thrive. This hackathon isn’t just about the final product, it’s about the journey of learning, growing, and pushing boundaries. Here’s to a semester of innovation and success, and may the projects launched during this hackathon truly take flight! ?? Stay tuned for the Project Launch Expo day where all these projects will be unveiled in all their glory!

A big congratulations to Mark Bruckert, Co-Founder and CEO of ToolCharm, which has been acquired by OneEthos! Mark has been a long time member of Knight Hacks and in leadership for the last 2.5+ years as Development Lead, Vice President, and Hackathon Organizer! "Knight Hacks has been a huge part of the ToolCharm journey. From building the initial version of the product at our first Hackathon, to benefiting from the supportive environment the club cultivates, we can't thank Knight Hacks enough,” says Mark. Our mission has always been bridging the gap between the classroom and industry, and we are thrilled to watch it happen firsthand. We are incredibly proud of Mark and the rest of our community that continues to shoot for the stars and transform their dreams into our realities. Excited to see what comes next for our community! To learn more, check out the article attached to Mark’s post below ??

Over the past few months, I had the privilege of serving as one of the Organizers for Knight Hacks VII. After experiencing the thrill of a hackathon for the first time last year at Knight Hacks VI, it was incredible to now be in a position where I could help guide and shape the event alongside an amazing team, working behind the scenes to make this massive event a reality! Knight Hacks VII was an immense success! During this action-packed weekend, we welcomed 547 talented hackers to the University of Central Florida, where they had 36 hours to innovate, collaborate, and bring their projects to life—with an impressive 91 project submissions. We aimed to foster a welcoming community, and it showed: 66% of our participants were first-time hackers, 74% came from underrepresented communities, and we had a remarkable 21% attendance amongst women. I’d like to extend a huge thank you to our sponsors—BNY, Siemens Energy, ServiceNow, NextEra Energy, Inc., IBM, and Kinde—without whom this event wouldn’t have been possible! A big shoutout to Dylan Vidal, Caleb Rivera, Brunix M., Warren S., Leonard Gofman, Mark Bruckert, Cristina Chirolde, Khanh Tran, Richard P., Bruno Fregoso Frias, Tho Pham, Yasminie Sahadeo, Pharit S., George Yiallouros, Jasmine Rymer, Nick L., Kyle Kobleur, and everyone else who helped organize this event in any capacity. Your dedication truly made a difference. Finally, a special thank you to the nearly 30 amazing volunteers who worked with me as Volunteer Lead. I heard nothing but great feedback about your work, you played a vital role in ensuring the event ran smoothly! I'm already excited for an even better Knight Hacks VIII next year! #KnightHacksVII #Hackathon #TechInnovation

Last Weekend, my team and I attended Knight Hacks VII and after 36 hours we had completed our pirate themed game “Shipwreck Showdown” which won Best Game during the closing ceremony. Shipwreck Showdown is a network multiplayer game where as a crew you are tasked with controlling the ship as well as defeating the kraken. The project used Unity for the game engine, Mirror API for the networking, Aseprite for the art and AWS to host the server. My role in this project was UI design, setting up the different scenes such as the ship, main menu, victory and game over screens, also implementing all the sound-bytes as well as music for the game, as well as creating the functionality for the health of all entities. I would really like to thank my teammates “Thashin B., Roy Bolter and Donny Akers”? for making it a possibility at all. They were an amazing team and put so much time into this game and I could not have done it without any of their help. I would also like to thank the amazing Knight Hacks organizers for setting up such a great event and I am looking forward to next year! Game Demo: https://lnkd.in/epHrZns2 DevPost: https://lnkd.in/ecbm_Fgm GitHub: https://lnkd.in/eff5m547

Last weekend, my team and I attended Knight Hacks VII and after 36 hours we had completed our pirate themed game "Shipwreck Showdown" which won the award for Best Game during the closing ceremony. "Shipwreck Showdown" is a network multiplayer game where as a crew you are tasked with controlling the ship as well as defeating the Kraken. The project used Unity for the game engine, Mirror API for the networking, Aseprite for the art and AWS to host the server. My role in this project was designing and implementing the enemy Al. I was in charge of deciding how the Kraken moved as well as how it decided when to use each attack. I also designed the two stage boss battle system used to introduce harder attacks as the boss battle go on. I would really like to thank my teammates Thashin B., Sameer Bashir and Donny Akers for making it a possibility at all. They were an amazing team and put so much time into this game and I could not have done it without any of their help. I would also like to thank the amazing Knight Hacks organizers for setting up such a great event and I am looking forward to next year!