Hackathons are marathon events ranging from one day to several days where coders, newbies and experienced alike, develop technology to meet an event mission. At Eco Hackathons coders create apps for use in ecology and environmental science research, education, and outreach.

New to coding? Don't worry. We can kick-start the hackathon with an Android app development workshop.

Want to learn to code your own apps? No problem! We use MIT App Inventor at our workshops. App Inventor is a simple web-based visual development platform that allows users to rapidly build mobile apps. Instead of writing text-based programs, users learn to assemble program blocks in a similar fashion to putting together puzzle pieces. This easy to learn approach to app creation allows users to build complex Android apps within a short period of time.

As an educator, ecologist and technologist, I'm interested in bridging the gap between the world of technology and ecology through mobile app development. To this end I develop a variety of Android apps for use in ecology, outreach, and education, teach app development workshops, and run Eco Hackathons.

George has over 15 years of professional software experience. He is a technical leader and has worked in several successful early-stage tech startups. George is an early adopter of technology and has participated in and mentored many hackathons. He co-organized and co-ran the first Eco Hackathon with Jere Boudell in 2013.