The Maine Edge interviews Schilling ahead of America East Hackathon
The Maine Edge interviewed Peter Schilling, executive director of Innovation in Teaching and Learning at the University of Maine, for an article advancing the America East Hackathon 2019, or Hack AE, to be held at UMaine March 2 and 3. Hack AE, now in its third year, is a 24-hour “civic hackathon” organized by the America East Academic Consortium (AEAC) that brings together students in different disciplines from all over the country to build software and hardware to find unconventional solutions to specific problems. This year’s event will focus on helping to integrate technology and general tech-savviness into the world of small agriculture, the article states. “A hackathon is a timed event in which teams (or individuals) attempt to develop solutions to problems,” said Schilling. “They draw on new technologies though, rather than identify an existing product as the top-to-bottom solution to the problem, they try to develop their own or combine parts of a number of available technologies in new and innovative ways.” According to Schilling, UMaine offers several “Makerspaces,” or spaces where clients or the public can use tools to create things. These include the Innovative Media Research and Commercialization Center, the Advanced Manufacturing Center, and the Hackerspace in Memorial Union, established in March 2017 “to help students and faculty discover a range of new technologies that may help them ask new questions as well as discover the answers to their questions,” Schilling said. Spectators and the public are welcome to attend throughout the event, during which 125–200 students are expected to work toward developing a functional prototype or proof of concept, according to Schilling.