lumohacks - Canada's Ultimate Health Hackathon

what is lumohacks?

500 People / 24 Hours / 4 Mental Health Challenges

lumohacks is a 24-hour hackathon where we will use tech to improve the lives of people facing mental health challenges! There will be mentors in Healthcare and Tech. lumohacks is open to students in any faculty from post-doc research, to med students, to undergrad, to people who’ve graduated within the past year.

Leading researchers will present challenges in 4 areas of mental health for participating hackers. These challenges are guidelines to help come up with project ideas. Our aim is for hackers to turn challenges into solutions and viable projects, to test after the hackathon.

What is a Hackathon? A hackathon is an event where teams of 2-4 people come together to collaborate on a project. Mentorship will be available and prizes are awarded to the most creative or useful projects. lumohacks is 24 hours and teams will be searching for ways to improve the lives of people with mental health challenges.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How can I apply?

Click on the application button at the top of this page and fill out the form to apply! Current University students (undergrad to PhD), as well as students within one year of graduation, are eligible. Please note that all hackers must be 19+ and receive an acceptance to attend Lumohacks.

What if I don't have a team yet?

You can form a team beforehand, or, we will have team formation sessions where you will find your next team! In fact, we encourage people in sciences to partner up with people in tech, whom you can meet through our Facebook social group, or on the day of the event through our Slack team.

What if I don't have computing science / engineering experience?

We will have mentors from the healthcare and tech industries at lumohacks, as well as workshops throughout the day to help you learn and understand the challenges. Don’t worry–you are free to chat with any mentor during the event, who will help you get started as soon as possible.

What if I don’t have a background in sciences?

We will have mentors who specialize in science and health research to give talks and guidance to help point you in the right direction. Our hacking topics will help you find solutions for the patients! You also have the option of partnering with health science or med students / researchers.

What should I bring?

lumohacks is a 24 hour event, which means that you should come prepared to spend the night at the venue. Please bring an ID as well as a student ID if applicable. Also, bring everything you need to get beauty sleep and keep your skin moisturized! As our hacking areas will include coding and 3D modeling, please bring your own computers to work on. Food will be provided at the event.

How much does it cost?

Registration for lumohacks is free! Food and drinks are provided.

Can I work on my previous projects?

No, all projects must start from scratch and built during the time you are at the event. Ideas may be generated beforehand. The rule is strictly enforced at lumohacks and the penalty for a project from before the event is disqualification. However, feel free to use any libraries or tools.

How big can my team be?

Teams can be 2-4 people. You may have a bigger team, but your team wouldn’t be eligible for the judging process or prizes. You can still work on a project in a bigger group or receive feedback on the project from mentors at the event.

I just graduated, can I still come to the event?

Yes. Anyone who has graduated within the last 12 months is still eligible to attend the event.

Can I be reimbursed for travel expenses if I don’t live in the area?

Unfortunately, we are not able to provide reimbursements for travel or accommodation at the moment. Please look towards future editions of the event as this may become available.

What if I can only come for part of the weekend?

That’s fine, teams can take the amount of time they want to work on their projects. As long as your project is submitted before the deadline, it will be eligible for judging. If your ideas aren’t completely finished by the end and that’s completely fine! Mentors will be at the event to provide feedback.

Speakers & Judges

Margo Nelson, PhD
Professor, HSCI & SSW, Langara

Sylvain Moreno
Director of the Digital Health Hub and Associate Professor at the SFU SIAT

Marilyn Champagne
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist

Dr. Faranak Farzan
Chair, Technology Innovations for Youth Addiction Recovery and Mental Health / Assistant Professor, Mechatronics, SFU

Dr. Jason Ernst
Chief Network Scientist, RightMesh

Chin Chang
Head of Growth, Spring, The Global Startup School for Better Business

Brian Fisher, PhD
Professor, School of Interactive Arts and Technology, SFU

Dr. Ram Randhawa
Clinical Assistant Professor, UBC Sleep Disorders Program

Dr. Carl Birmingham
Professor of Psychiatry, UBC,
Eating Disorders & Loreta Neurofeedback Consulting Physician

Mahesh Kamat
Program Manager, Microsoft

Dr. Peter Payne
Adjunct Professor, Beedie School of Business

Max Leung
Co-founder of nwhacks, Startupstorm President (2016)

Dr. Cathy Puskas
Clinical Educator, BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS Clinical Education and Training Program / Instructor, Langara and SFU

See Event Photos

Event Schedule

Sept 16th

10:00am – Registration Begins
11:00am – Opening Ceremony and Challenge Introductions (AQ C9001)
12:00pm – Team Formation and Challenge Details

Dr. Faranak Farzan & Dr. Ram Randhawa (Saywell 10081)
Dr. Carl Birmingham & Dr. Margo Nelson (Saywell 10041)

1:15pm – Lunch (Atrium)
2:30pm – Workshops: First Segment

Intro to Machine Learning by Denis Zubo (Blusson 10011)
Wings of Hope (Blusson 10011)

3:30pm – Workshops: Second Segment

Everyday Guide to Managing Anxiety by Jason Lee (Saywell 10051)
Intro to React Native by Eric Bosung (Blusson 10011)
Data Visualization by Uzma Ali (Blusson 10021)

4:30pm – Workshops: Third Segment

Crossroads of Entrepreneurship & Health by Aidan Scott (Saywell 10051)
Pitching to Win by Keith Ippel (Blusson 10011)

6:30pm – Dinner (Atrium)
12:00am – Midnight Snack (Atrium)

Sept 17th

8:00am – Breakfast (Atrium)
12:00pm – Team Registration Deadline
12:30pm – Lunch (Atrium)
1:30pm – Project Submission Deadline and Expo Setup (Atrium)
2:30pm – Project Expo Begins! (Atrium)
4:30pm – Closing & Award Ceremony (AQ C9001)
5:30pm – Go Home!

Event Partners

Interested in becoming an event partner for 2017? Get in touch at contact@designlablive.com

Bronze Partners

Community Partners

Exclusive Media Partner

Presented by

Previous Partners

who we are

Design Lab is an organization is using tech to solve problems in different areas such as medicine. We produce design & tech workshops throughout the year. Meet the team or follow us on Twitter.

Design Lab presents lumohacks