Bahraini youth invited to participate in fifth edition of global hackathon challenge

TDT | Manama                                                             

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The National Space Science Authority (NSSA) has announced the opening of registration for all programmers, scientists, designers, storytellers, technologist and students who are passionate about space sciences and students to participate in the fifth edition of the Space Applications Challenge Hackathon, which will be held in person.

This competition is organised by the NSSA, under the supervision of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and in cooperation with the Bahrain Polytechnic (Bahrain Polytechnic) and the Bahrain Society of Engineers.

To register for the competition, visit the NSSA website (www.nssa.gov.bh). The hackathon is open to all ages and attracts participants from all over the world to form teams of creators who use space data available from NASA for space and compete in order to devise solutions to a number of challenges facing the space industry, as determined by the agency.

Competing teams are required to complete their work within 48 hours. The idea of the hackathon motivates the participants to devise new ways and ideas through which space data can be presented in the form of applications, games or innovative technical solutions by the participants.

This event is part of a package of awareness activities implemented by the NSSA, in partnership with local institutions, to promote a culture of innovation and spread creativity among members of society in general, and youth in particular, and encourage them to adopt innovative practices in various sectors, especially the space sector, which constitutes one of the future sciences of growing importance.

The hackathon is held in different cities around the world, where 11 space agencies participate in this edition of the competition, including NASA, European Space Agency, Japanese Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency, Brazilian Space Agency, among others.

The previous edition of the competition witnessed the participation of more than 28,000 people in more than 320 gatherings around the world. NSSA Chief Executive Officer Dr Mohammed Ibrahim Al Asiri said: “The National Space Science Authority used to participate in this event annually to highlight the name of the Kingdom of Bahrain in international forums.

The authority sees the value in this kind of competition since it allows them to share their knowledge gained by organising competitions at the local, national, and international levels as well as their extensive network of contacts with professionals, academics, and students.”

Al Asiri extended his sincere thanks to everyone who contributed to the preparation of this event, especially the Bahrain Polytechnic, Bahrain Society of Engineers, and the authority’s team that handles the preparation and coordination process at the local and international levels.

Prof. Kieran Okohan, CEO of Bahrain Polytechnic, said: “We are pleased to cooperate with the National Space Science Authority in organising this global competition, which will enhance opportunities for scientific research and open new horizons for students to engage in various fields, future sciences, and providing them with twenty-first century skills.

“This international competition gives students an opportunity to represent the Kingdom of Bahrain globally, gain practical experience in this field, stimulate innovation, problem-solving skills, and teamwork skills.

This will contribute to promoting innovation keeping pace with the development witnessed by the Kingdom, and achieving scientific and technical progress in line with the vision of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

In addition, it will contribute to achieving the goals of the two national strategies related to higher education and scientific research.” Dr Raeda Al Alawi, President of the Bahrain Society of Engineers, expressed the Society’s pride in co-organising this global competition.