Introduction
Food Systems: All parts of the food value chain - agriculture, transportation, retailing, food prep, consumption, disposal, and more.
The three main areas of focus that the students will create solutions for are:
1. Food Waste
- 30 % of all food grown is wasted
- Food waste is responsible for around 8% of greenhouse gas emissions
- of the 30% of food wasted, 20% is at the consumer level
2. Regionalization of food systems
- Supply chain disruption during the pandemic was extremely evident
- Regionalization of food systems will be an essential component to limit global warming
3. Human diversity in agriculture
- Only 7% of all farmers in the US are BIPOC
- Historically black colleges and universities often do not receive adequate funding for their agricultural programs, so there remains an information gap with potential black farmers.
Tools and Technologies
Flip (formerly Flipgrid) is a video-based tool that allows for discussion across digital devices but in a fun and engaging way that makes it ideal for use in education. Use Flip to submit your video pitch. You can easily sign up for a Flip account with your email address. Learn more about Flip on the Flip help pages.
Miro online collaborative whiteboard platform to bring teams together. Useful for ideation, task tracking, digital boards, mock-ups, and wireframes. Library of templates freely available. Sign up for a free account and learn more about it by viewing Miro tutorials.
Balsamiq is a rapid low-fidelity wireframing tool that reproduces the experience of sketching on a notepad or whiteboard. It enables you to focus on content and structure; it facilitates idea generation. Learn more about Balsamiq and wireframing at balsamiq.com
Inspiration
NIU is about to embark on significant journey with the building of the Northern Illinois Center for Community Sustainability. NICCS three main pillars of research, water resource management, climate adaptation and food systems innovation all weave themselves into the hackathon’s focus. As part of NIU’s vison and mission we serve society and confront local, national, and global challenges through collaborations that improve our learning, teaching, and research. What better way to move the university forward than to highlight our commitment to this mission by helping build a platform where students can collaborate on solutions to some of the most pressing issues of our time. This event has the ability to showcase NIU in its pursuit towards a better world for all.
Contact Us & Support Channels
email us at [email protected]
and join the Discord Hackathon Hub
