The McMaster Materials Society Presents
MATLS Hacks: An Introduction
MATLS Hacks is the first ever hackathon based on materials science and engineering (MSE) where students will get to apply their materials science knowledge to devise innovative solutions to unique materials challenges. Join us for a fun-filled weekend of tackling real-life industry challenges in the materials engineering world by gaining skills through our professionally led workshops on materials selection, failure and forensic analysis, and more!
Looking for a job related to materials science and engineering? Join MATLS Hacks to network with top MSE employers from all across Canada as they will be joining the event to connect with students, and discuss co-op and new-hire opportunities for 2022 and beyond.
Why should you apply?
Get hands on experience from projects directly inspired by the work of Materials Engineering co-op students
Network with top MSE employers who are looking for 2022 co-op students and new graduates
Be a part of the first materials hackathon in Canada
Learn the cutting edge of modern technology of materials selection and failure/forensic analysis techniques from the leading experts
The event is free! Attend and complete a challenge to receive a custom MATLS Hacks t-shirt, and swag bag from industry sponsors.
Event Details
Event Date - March 4th - 6th 2022
Who can participate - Any student enrolled in a university program (undergraduate or graduate) in a Canadian University.
Event Venue - The event will be fully online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Application Deadline - Applications open December 6th. Priority deadline is January 9th 2022, and the hard deadline is February 9th 2022.
Challenges: Progress Through Failure
The development and improvement of new and existing materials drives the technological advancements in the manufacturing & infrastructure, smart and electronic, computational and biomedical industries. In the ever-changing and demanding world, the materials needed to sustainably meet the increasing demands of society are developed through analyzing failure.
“A Person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” - Albert Einstein
No previous experience is necessary, and no coding!
There will be professionally led workshops before and during the event to provide the necessary preliminary knowledge and skills to get started. These include (but are not limited to) software skills (CAD, FEA, CFD, AM), and materials knowledge (materials selection, and failure & forensic analysis).
The MATLS Hacks Failure/Forensic Analysis Challenge
The MATLS Hacks Failure/Forensic Analysis Challenge draws inspiration directly from the cutting edge lab work done by McMaster MSE co-op students in industries ranging from high performance powder metallurgy to forensic analysis in the nuclear and aerospace industries. Hackers will order tests to be done in the real materials lab to utilizing their knowledge of material properties and failure mechanisms to decipher a mystery, while producing data to analyze to improve a failed material.
The MATLS Hacks Materials Selection Challenge
The MATLS Hacks Materials Selection Challenge is an approachable but complex problem where hackers will be tasked with utilizing their knowledge of material properties, computer aided design (CAD), finite element analysis (FEA), computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and additive manufacturing (AM) skills to the test in designing a unique solution to an exciting problem in the transportation industry.
Tentative Schedule
Detailed schedule to be released closer to the event
Meet Our Sponsors!
This event would not be possible without the support of our lovely sponsors. Many of them will be attending the event (in-person and/or online as per COVID-19 guidelines) and will be offering co-op and new graduate positions in 2022.
Meet our Sponsors!
Click to see their sponsor pages!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
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A hackathon is typically a weekend-long event for students to tackle challenges to gain experience, eat food, meet new people, play games, and network with employers. The traditional hackathon is focussed on software, code, and electronic hardware based solutions to challenges. MATLS Hacks will operate in the same regard as a traditional hackathon, with the exception that the challenges, sponsors, and technical workshops will be focussed on Materials Science & Engineering (MSE) topics.
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Any student enrolled in a postsecondary program at a Canadian University or College. Acceptances are given in priority to students studying Materials Engineering and McMaster 1st year engineering students, then to a related degree (for example, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, computer science, bachelors of technology), then to all university and college programs.
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The event will be fully online in order to minimize COVID19 exposure. All challenges will offer “lab time” for online participants so they will be able to virtually conduct the experiments, and receive the results for analysis online. In future years when the pandemic has less influence on our daily lives, we hope to open the McMaster MSE campus to all students to join in-person!
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NOTHING, IT’S FREE! A key driving factor for running this event is to provide an accessible platform for students to gain valuable and relevant experience in the field of MSE. If you are attending in-person, you will just need to bring a personal computer (laptop). If attending online, you will simply need your personal computer and an internet connection.
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See below for a general list of proceedings for the weekend, but stay tuned as we release a detailed itinerary closer to the date of the event.
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Everyone attending will receive a “Swag Bag” which will include a custom MATLS Hacks t-shirt, and a bunch of swag from our many sponsors! If you are a McMaster student, you will be able to pick up your swag bags in-person after the event. If you are from another Canadian University, we will ship your swag bag to your respective Materials Society/club, and they will distribute it to you.
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The applications will open on Sunday December 5th 2021. The priority applications deadline will be on Sunday January 9th 2022, and the hard deadline will be on Wednesday February 9th 2022. If you apply for the priority deadline in January your application will be reviewed FIRST and we will be sending out acceptances as early as mid January.
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There is a maximum of 4 people per team, and there is no minimum.
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You can form a team before the event with people you know who are attending, but there will be numerous opportunities before, and in the beginning of the event to form a team if you are unable to do so before the event.
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Both projects will have a detailed marking scheme which will be in the Challenge Document. The Challenge Document will be available on the day of the event, and it will include the scope, constraints, and goals for each challenge, as well as the marking scheme and some information to get hackers started.
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Email us at matlshacks@gmail.com and we will be happy to let you know more about the event.
Sponsorship Opportunities
Learn more about MATLS Hacks and pathways for engagement with students for companies and technical societies.