Dalton News

Students Explore Urban Nature at the 8th Grade Hackathon

At the 8th grade Hackathon, MS students spent six days applying their ingenuity, creativity, and technical proficiency for collaborative problem solving to help build a more sustainable future for Dalton and the greater community.
 
Originally started in the early 2000s by tech companies aiming to create new products, Hackathons have become popular in schools and universities a way to encourage team building and problem-solving. After two days of workshops to practice their prototyping and creative brainstorming skills, students broke into small groups to collaborate with a faculty advisor on a project inspired by this year’s theme, “Urban Nature.” 
 
During the first two days, the students completed a series of workshops on prototyping, including an introduction to HTML, a lesson on how to sketch a product idea, and a Design Thinking primer. Over the next four days, students honed important skills such as product design, programming, engineering, culinary arts, and Computer Aided Design (CAD) in the following projects:

  • Android App Development: Collaborating in a design team to invent and code a working Android app that teaches users good sustainability practices
  • Building Birdhouses: Learning about NYC’s threatened bird populations by using laser cutting technology to design homes for birds whose populations have been impacted by climate change
  • In the Dalton Kitchen: Practicing culinary skills in Dalton’s Teaching Kitchen using ingredients that would normally go to waste
  • Listening to the Trees: Live coding immersive audio experiences using natural habitat sounds as a source of inspiration and data
  • Make Digital Children’s Books: Creating interactive digital children’s books about animals in New York City to share with First Program students
  • Product Development - Water Filtration: Building a device that makes water from the East River potable using UV light to kill viruses and bacteria, mechanical methods to filter particulate matter, and desalination systems
  • Solar Energy: Joining forces with Solar One (a non-profit energy company) to design and build a custom solar-powered phone charging station for the Dalton community
  • Window Hydroponics: Helping fill the 14th floor greenhouse with plants by designing and building a custom hydroponic growing system
After completing their project work inside classrooms and on field trips around New York City, students gathered on Dalton’s new 13th floor to share their presentations with their classmates and special guests from across the Dalton community. This pilot program for Dalton’s new Intersession initiative was a success. Congratulations to our 8th grade students and Faculty Advisors for their equally important and impressive work!
 
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