November 9th-10th, 2019 | 24 Hours

Codestellation is an annual hackathon held at Brandeis University and organized by BITMAP (Brandeis Initiative for Machines, Apps and Programming).

Stories

Kevin Wang

I am definitely a loyal devotee to Codestellation. As a senior having been to every Codestellation since my freshman year, I always find it amazing to see the growth in the number of participants and the quality of the overall event each year. While this year, I was a mentor and not a hacker, I thrououghly enjoyed helping hackers troubleshoot their problems and see some truly amazing hacks developed in 24 hours. I highly recommend Codestellation to hackers of all experience levels. It is an equally great event for beginners and even for those with more experience.

Mahima Devanahalli

Having only a few months of coding experience before Codestellation, I was hesitant to be a part of it at first. However, even though it was my first ever hackathon, I learned a lot in just 24 hours and met many amazing people. From a lock picking workshop to skyping the CEO of Dropbox, I couldn’t have asked for a better first experience!

Roman Nguyen

When I first got to Brandeis, I've always wanted an event for techy folks to meet up, discuss technology, and program with each other. Codestallation has really fulfilled that wish of mine. It's beautifully organized and is a great place for programmers to get together and to build something useful and sharpen ones' programming skills. Highly recommended!

A Hacka-What?

A hackathon is an opportunity to get together with others who share your passion for building and creating technology for a weekend and create something great. That app you’ve been talking about making forever? That software that would really make school that much easier? This is the perfect opportunity to sit down and make it a reality. At Codestellation, you’ll join a small launch team to create something awesome over the course of 24 hours. Along the way, we’ve also got a bunch of fun activities planned just in case you need a break from all the coding you’ll be doing. If a weekend of making new friends, coding, and partaking in all sorts of fun activities sounds like a blast to you, join us for Codestellation Fall 2019!

I heard that applying to be an astronaut was super difficult. Who can attend?

Any student older than 18 is invited to attend this event. If you are a high school student under 18, you can still come, but please contact us for forms. We want to fill the halls with a diverse group of interesting hackers with a variety of different skills, attributes, strengths, and perspectives. If you don’t have a team, we can help you find one - all you have to do is indicate on the registration form that you would like to be placed with a team, and we will put you in contact with other hackers both prior to and at the start of the event. New hackers are absolutely encouraged to attend; if you’ve been waiting for a sign to tell you that you’re good enough to go to a hackathon, this is it!

I’ve never been to outer space, and have no idea how to program. Will that be a problem?

Have no worries cadet! Codestellation is a beginner-friendly hackathon, meaning anyone can come!

When do I need to apply by? Is there a deadline?

Early registration closes on October 15th, 2019. If you register before then, you will be guaranteed a t-shirt and a swag bag! Regular registration closes one week before the event on November 3rd, 2019.

T-minus how many hours until blast off? When is this happening?

Codestellation will take place November 9th to 10th!

Space travel can take a long time. How long is Codestellation?

Codestellation is a 24 hour hackathon starting Saturday morning and ending Sunday morning!

Space is such a huge place. Where is this happening?

Codestellation will take place at Brandeis University (in Waltham, MA) in the Shapiro Science Center. We will be sending out detailed directions as well as a map in an email to participants closer to the event date. Brandeis is conveniently located right on the Fitchburg-South Acton Line of the MBTA, making transportation from other Boston schools extremely easy.

I thought only Elon Musk could afford to travel to space! Will travel costs be covered?

Unfortunately we do not provide travel grants, but the event itself is free!

I have never traveled to space before. What should I bring?

You will definitely need to bring a laptop or some other device to code on. As this is an overnight hackathon, you might thank yourself in the morning if you bring a toothbrush and a towel to wash your face. If this is your first time hacking, consider bringing a pillow and a sleeping bag — it makes a world of difference to be coding when you’re well-rested and energized. Other than basic necessities like that, we’ve got you covered: we will be providing all the snacks and food you could eat, a Codestellation t-shirt, lots of hardware, 3D printers, and monitors for all your coding needs.

Sleeping in a rocket can be hard. Where will I sleep?

We will have designated sleeping rooms where the lights will be off and you can sleep on a carpeted floor. Feel free to bring your own sleeping bags, pillows, blankets if you would like to sleep elsewhere.

Are there showers on the rocket? Where will I shower?

Unfortunately, there will not be any showers available to you during the event. However, feel free to leave to shower and then come back, or just bring some dry shampoo and deodorant (it’s okay we won’t judge you!)

There is probably a lot of cool stuff in space. Will there be swag?

Of course! Last year’s haul included t-shirts and stickers! You will also be able to get swag from some of the other sponsors attending Codestellation!

I heard astronaut food is pretty gross. What will I eat?

We will be providing all the meals during Codestellation along with a constant stream of snacks and energy drinks so you will never go hungry. Some examples of our meals from previous years includes: PF Chang's, Domenics, and Dunkin Donuts. And don’t worry if you have any dietary restrictions, we will have vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free options for all!

What if I can only come for part of the weekend? Can I still participate in this space adventure?

Of course! We always recommend that hackers come for the whole event in order to get the most out of their experience, but you can come late or leave early. Due to our school’s policies, we do have one rule that you may not come to Codestellation between midnight on Saturday and 5 AM on Sunday. However, you can come and go any other time.

Who do I contact with other questions? Is there anyone at mission control I can talk to?

Feel free to reach out to mission control at codestellation@gmail.com and tell Houston if you have any problems or questions.

Is there some space conduct that we need to abide by?

Make sure to follow smart decisions during your interstellar travels. As a Major League Hacking event, we follow and enforce the MLH Code of Conduct at Codestelltaion.

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