TechGuard: Empowering Youth in the Age of AI and Social Engineering
TechGuard Hackathon: Nurturing Digital Literacy, AI Understanding, and Security Awareness for Today's Youth
In today's digital age, computer literacy and knowledge of the latest technologies are crucial for modern individuals. The emergence and rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) have revolutionised every aspect of contemporary society, both in private and professional life. In response to these significant shifts, we present the "TechGuard Hackathon," a dynamic and forward-thinking event designed to tackle the multifaceted challenges faced by today's youth.
Understanding the Challenges
Our hackathon addresses a range of vital challenges that are at the forefront of our digital world. Participants may address one or more challenges:
1. Digital Literacy and Technology Adoption: The digital landscape is continually evolving, making it imperative for participants to enhance their digital literacy and swiftly adopt the latest technologies. At TechGuard, we aim to inspire and empower our participants to be at the cutting edge of digital innovations.
2. Harnessing the Power of AI: AI is not only a buzzword; it's a transformative force. In our hackathon, we delve into the world of artificial intelligence, understanding its role in modern society and examining the ethical implications and risks associated with AI's omnipresence.
3. Security Awareness: Cybersecurity is a cornerstone of the digital age. We highlight the critical importance of security awareness, focusing on social engineering as a common security threat, especially for young and less experienced users.
4. Deepfake Recognition: Deepfakes, characterized by AI-fabricated realistic videos and audio recordings, have reached new heights of sophistication, posing a risk of deception to individuals. Our participants acquire the skills to identify and counteract deepfake content, a critical competency in today's digital landscape.
5. Education and Empowerment: Collaboration between the educational system and security experts is essential. We foster a dialogue and cooperation to provide young users with the knowledge and tools to navigate the digital world responsibly and securely.
6. Innovation for Social Good: Our hackathon encourages participants to innovate and create solutions that address these challenges and contribute to the betterment of society. We emphasise the broader social impact of their technological solutions, urging them to consider the wider societal implications of their creations.
The TechGuard Experience
TechGuard Hackathon is an immersive experience designed to inspire, educate, and empower participants. We provide you with a unique platform to:
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Learn: Participants gain insights into the latest technological trends, AI's role in society, and the critical importance of cybersecurity.
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Collaborate: Through teamwork, participants pool their diverse skills and perspectives to address the challenges presented.
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Innovate: Innovation is at the heart of our hackathon. We encourage participants to create and prototype solutions that address real-world challenges.
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Network: Participants connect with like-minded individuals, mentors, and experts, fostering connections that extend beyond the event.
- Certificate: Significantly enhance your CV with a participation certificate for future project or job applications.
Questions?
jelena.nakic@pmfst.hr
Who can join?
Specific conditions to apply
The participants are students from the University of Split and other universities in Croatia. Please register with your AAI account.
We recommend you to form a team of 4-5 students, with different competencies (from the same or different faculties). If we have sparked your interest in participating, but you don't have a team, you can still apply, and we will form teams later.
Join to innovate, learn and network! Win a prize and enhance your CV!
11 - 12 NOV 2023
Register by 02 NOVOnsite
Rudera Boskovica 33, 21000, Split - Croatia
The Learning Experience
Challenge and goals
The hackathon's primary aim is to cultivate critical thinking and stimulate participants to devise innovative solutions and prototypes. These solutions, developed during the hackathon, hold the potential to bring about significant improvements in helping students recognise deceptive content and respond effectively to security threats. The focus is on fostering creativity, problem-solving skills, and pioneering concepts that can enhance our approach to digital literacy, artificial intelligence, and security awareness in the contemporary digital landscape.
We anticipate that the winning solution will:
- Address one or more challenges related to technology usage, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence and social engineering.
- Develop a solution, whether in the form of wireframes, mock-ups, or any type of MVP (Minimum Viable Product), that empowers students to think critically and assess threats.
- Tackle these challenges innovatively, with a commitment to ethical technology usage and inclusivity for diverse learners, including those with disabilities.
Expectations and requirements for the solutions and participants
No prior programming experience is required for participants.
We welcome all students with a passion for learning, collaboration, and fostering innovative ideas.
Available Support
The hackathon takes place at Faculty of Science, Ruđera Boškovića 33, Split. Computing labs are available.
Mentors from academy and industry, including an expert in cybersecurity, will support teams in developing their ideas.
Workshop on rapid prototyping (mock-up) and pitching will be held on site.
Schedule
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11.11. at 9:00
Onboarding session
Meeting in the lobby area at PMF. Introducing the venue and house rules. Introducing the schedule. Teams introduce themselves and the main idea of their projects. Accreditation of participants. Explaining how the mentoring system works. -
11.11. at 10:00
Working time
Brainstorming ideas in teams. Fruit is available all day long. You can take a break whenever you need. -
11.11. at 13:00
Lunch at Kampus (Studentski centar).
Lunch is paid by sponsors for all accredited participants. Please make sure that you have your accreditations with you. -
11.11. at 14:00
How to make a successful pitch?
Workshop by Ivana Vuka. Location: B-2-73 -
11.11. at 15:00
Working time
Until 17:00 -
11.11. at 17:00
In-house break
Fruits and sandwiches (Sandwich bar "Rizzo") -
11.11. at 18:00
Working time
Until 20:00 -
11.11. at 20:00
How to make a high fidelity prototype using Wix?
Rapid prototyping workshop Mate Elez and Jakša Janković (PMF). Location: B-2-73 -
12.11. at 09:00
Working time
Developing solutions. Fruit is available all day long. You can take a break whenever you need. -
12.11. at 11:00
Catch the Flag
Cybersecurity workshop by Harald Nandke. Location: B-2-73 -
12.11. at 13:00
Lunch at Kampus (Studentski centar)
Lunch is paid by sponsors for all accredited participants. Please make sure that you have your accreditations with you. -
12.11. at 14:00
Working time
Finishing the submittion form - fine tuning of your solution -
12.11. at 16:00
In-house break
Fruits and sandwiches (Sandwich bar "Rizzo") -
12.11. at 17:00
Working time
Preparing presentation for your pitch -
12.11. at 18:00
Pitching and judging
Presenting your solution to the judges - max 5 minutes per team -
12.11. at 20:00
Awards ceremony
Announcement of the winner. Awarding ceremony for the top three teams.
Judges
Harald Nandke
Cybersecurity Expert at EVIDEN (Atos Convergence Creators)
Prizes
The best solutions will be awarded from a pool of 1800 euros, generously sponsored by EVIDEN.