OpenMR 2021 Hackathon
This repository hosts the hackathon projects and communication related to the HackTrack of OpenMR 2021. Visit our website if you want to learn more about OpenMR, or register now if you want to join!
In order to take part in the HackTrack, you will first have to register for the event. After that, you can either suggest a project to lead at OpenMR 2021, or join a project that has already been suggested.
At the beginning of our event, all project leaders will briefly describe their project to recruit team members. If you are interested in a certain project, you can approach the project leaders afterwards and express your interest in participating. At the end of the OpenMR event, there will be a wrap-up of each project with a short presentation to inform attendees about the project progress and future tasks to be done.
What is a hackathon?
The word hackathon can be split into "hacking" and "marathon”.
A hackathon can then be defined as an event in which you can intensively (that's the marathon part) and collaboratively work (that's the hacking part) on a common project. Hackathons are different than the typical academic conference sessions because individuals will be actively trying to accomplish something rather than merely attending. As a rule of thumb, think of hackathon attendees as saying "I am here to help" and of a hackathon leader being able to tell them "here's what you can do to help."
Although many hackathon projects might involve coding, it is not necessarily the case and many projects can be done using only Google Docs for example.
After the hackathon, you can keep collaborating to finish the project and even decide to publish it depending on the predefined goals.
What kind of projects can you find in a hackathon?
The projects can be things the project leader is already working on, or a project for which they would like to receive contribution/opinion/help, or a completely new project they would like to accomplish with group work.
You can find example of projects listed in the different brainhack events or directly on the websites of previous hackathons:
If this is not enough, here are some projects that you could propose:
- improving existing materials to comparing certain methods or creating packages
- creating YouTube videos to present your favorite tool or some of its features
- help to improve the online documentation of some software (like the SPM wikibook)
- ...
Suggesting or joining a project
When you propose a project, make sure that it has a rough plan about the amount of work that needs to be done and that it has clear goals that can be (partly) achieved during the (short) amount of time you are provided with.
Since you won’t have any knowledge about the expertise profile of the other Brainhack attendees until the hackathon starts, it is better to incorporate some flexibility into your project plan and schedule. Because there is always a possibility of getting help from any number of attendees on many different aspects of your project that you didn’t plan ahead. Please do not undermine the contribution that would come from any of the attendees at the event. This is one of the important parts of the event. Be inclusive and open to the contributions. Especially if they come from an early career researcher and he/she is there to learn from you; please do not forget that you were one of them once too and that providing people with an environment to learn and improve themselves is one of the main goals and gains of the event. And again you would never be able to know which contribution an attendee could provide you with. Therefore, it is always better to keep yourself open to different ideas and contributions and to let the brainstorming help you achieve your project’s goals.
We explain below how to to propose your own project idea, but if you're not sure whether or how to work it out to a full project, please get in touch using our Contact Page and we're happy to help you out!
Using GitHub issues to create a project
Projects are created as issues on this GitHub repository to allow for a sensible workflow of project description and communication. For a good example of how this has worked in the past, see the list of projects for last year's OpenMR Benelux.
First, select the Issue tab and then click on New Issue.
Then, select Get Started in the Hackathon Project Template section.
Finally, create a project title, replace the template content with the specifics of your own project, and click on Submit new issue.
Label your project
We have designed a list of issue labels so that attendees can quickly identify projects that might match their interests and skill levels.
Make good use of those labels and you tag your project appropriately.
Tips to run a successful hackathon
Preparation:
- Have a clear (concrete) goal in mind: what would you like to achieve during the event? If applicable, you can even define subgoals to keep everyone motivated and to plan for uncertainty.
- Make explicit what you expect from collaborators: do they need specific skills or knowledge?
- Think about how you are going to work together and prepare for it, for example via Google Documents, GitHub, Discord, Open Science Framework, HackMD, etc.
During the event:
- Don’t assume people know more or less than you. You never know who is going to be interested in your project
- Provide an introduction to your project at the start of the project
- Get to know each other: how can and does everyone want to contribute? What skills does everyone have?
- If your group is large enough, divide tasks so that everyone can contribute in their own way
- Have an open mind: others may have ideas you hadn’t thought of yet!
- Remind everyone that swapping groups or leaving is ok and encouraged. This is all about getting the most about people’s enthusiasm; having people feel like they have to stay can kill that.
After the event:
- Acknowledge and thank everyone for their contribution to the project
- Try to organize any materials that you want to share with others before ending the project, so your precious work doesn’t get lost! You are free to continue the project after the event. If you want to keep collaborating, make sure you have each other’s contact details!
Questions?
If you are still uncertain about this process or have any other questions, please create a new (no template) issue. We'll do our best to respond as quickly as possible.