Port Jefferson students at Stony Brook Hackathon

Port Jefferson students at Stony Brook Hackathon

Port Jefferson students at Stony Brook Hackathon

Earl L. Vandermeulen High School in the Port Jefferson School District sent their students to the second annual Center of Excellence in Wireless and Information Technology (CEWIT) High School Hackathon Event at Stony Brook University along with 12 other participating school districts from across Long Island.

The students had approximately four hours to collaborate with their teams to tackle the challenges presented by Stony Brook professors, engage with real research data from Stony Brook Research Labs, and explore their own project ideas. Once their projects were developed, students presented to judges. Since its inaugural event, the Hackathon has doubled in size, providing students with the chance to work with software such as Java and Python, along with cutting-edge AI tools. Participants left the event with valuable experiences that will serve them well in their future endeavors, classes, and opportunities.

"The Hackathon offered a valuable opportunity for our students to unleash their creativity and work collaboratively as a team," said Principal John Ruggero. "These fundamental skills will play a key role in shaping our students into well-rounded individuals as they continue their learning and development."