#GovHack 2022: Torrens University & Media Design School teams ready to solve global problems

GovHack 2022 is an international competition and the largest hackathon in the Southern hemisphere. It will be held on the weekend of 19-21 August, and will bring together thousands of participants including students, university staff, and professionals including coders, designers, story tellers, activists, analysts and more.

Linda Brown, CEO and President of Torrens University Australia said that open data hackathons can be a powerful for generating new ideas and for collaboration across research, government, industry and community sectors.

“At Torrens University, innovation is in our DNA. It is the cornerstone of our courses, our teaching, connection with students and what we contribute to the world.

“We are a partner at GovHack 2022, because at Torrens University we are firm believers in backing good ideas, learning from taking risks and developing stronger ties between universities, government and business.

Our staff and students will work with like-minded collaborators, compete globally and explore how we can use open data in ways that improves post-pandemic life.

Professor Alwyn Louw, Vice Chancellor of Torrens University says that GovHack is an example of how information and data can be so potent in the search for collective solutions to global challenges.

The challenge for all participants at GovHack is this: use the GovHack weekend to access open government data and harness the collective creativity of the crowd to come up with products and services that can be used externally in the marketplace”, Professor Louw explained.

"How will they come up with solutions to solve environmental problems such as climate change, managing biodiversity and maintaining water security?

“How do we reshape health and wellbeing of the community – around mental health issues, skills development, STEM education and community engagement challenges?

“And with more and more data captured by organisations – how do we maintain security and establish or retain trust?” 

For Linda Brown, what is exciting about GovHack is that it promotes teamwork, collaboration, and partnership on a global scale where people come together to produce solutions to local, national, and international problems.

"At Torrens University, we encourage our staff and students to immerse themselves in opportunities like GovHack where teamwork and the power of ‘we’ is always greater than the power of ‘me’.

“GovHack is not just about the adrenaline of a couple of days of high-paced fun. Its real value is how can all of us use government data to create solutions and protypes in a short amount of time,” said Linda.

GovHack will be held simultaneously across Torrens University and Media Design School campuses in Australia and New Zealand over a 46-hour timeframe, as teams compete to create concepts and models examining the challenges facing government and communities in new and innovative ways. Staff and students are welcome to join - either in person on campus or virtually.  
 
For more details about GovHack 2022 go to https://govhack.org/

Check out last year’s winners, go to https://govhack.org/2021-winners/