Human-Centered Engineering for Hurricane Disasters

IHAWKe-A-Thon provides KU engineering students from historically underrepresented populations an opportunity to raise awareness and change the world by competing in interdisciplinary teams in an all-night, creative design competition.

The competition will serve as a first phase in selecting an engineering product to prototype, build, and market in the hurricane hit areas of Houston, TX, Tampa Bay, FL, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Students in the competition will start in the KU engineering complex. They will be grouped into random, interdisciplinary teams and given instructions, supplies and food. Students will spend the night in the KU engineering complex to work on their designs and will be expected to report back by 11:45am on October 21st. Each team will be given basic prototyping supplies (e.g. cardboard boxes, markers, paper) and a budget of $50 for their materials.

Students will develop a prototype and give a brief presentation on their design solution using the given materials to demonstrate how their prototype works and interacts with humans to preserve, protect, house, connect, or restore human lives before, during, and after a Category 5 hurricane with special attention to viability, creativity, and feasibility. A panel of judges from industry, community groups, and faculty will judge the first, second, and third place winners.

Make a gift today to support the IHAWKe-A-Thon! Your support will allow for the implementation of the winning prototypes in the Spring 2018 semester and for a fact-finding, service learning, or prototyping trip to one of the areas impacted by the recent hurricanes.