Each fall, as the UMass Amherst campus settles into the rhythm of the semester, one weekend stands apart. Learning spaces stay lit long into the night, whiteboards fill with sketches and code, and students gather to test ideas, learn new skills, and build something from scratch. That creative energy was on full display during the 2025 Tech for Change HackUMass XIII, UMass Amherst’s student-run hackathon focused on innovation, experimentation, and problem-solving.

Now in its 13th year, HackUMass has grown into one of New England’s largest student-led hackathons, welcoming more than 800 participants from UMass Amherst, the Five College Consortium, and universities across the country. Over an intensive weekend, students with a wide range of academic backgrounds came together to explore how technology can be used creatively—and responsibly—to address real challenges.

A Space to Learn, Build, and Experiment

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For student codirector Dev Mehta, a senior majoring in computer science with a business minor, HackUMass is intentionally designed as a space for exploration that's accessible to beginners. “It’s really a space for anyone and everyone—any background, any major—to come and learn how to use technology in whatever field they’re interested in,” Mehta says. “If you have an idea or even just the interest, you can come, learn in a supportive community, and start building.”

Throughout the weekend, participants attended beginner-friendly workshops on topics ranging from web and app design to hardware prototyping, cloud infrastructure, and artificial intelligence. Access to UMass makerspaces and a dedicated hardware table allowed teams to experiment with tools such as sensors, microcontrollers, Raspberry Pi devices, and NVIDIA Jetson Nano boards—lowering barriers to hands-on innovation.

Mentors were available throughout the event to help students refine ideas, troubleshoot challenges, and move projects from early concepts to working prototypes. According to Mehta, the goal is not just to teach skills, but to give students the confidence and resources to apply them. “We teach them the skills, give them the opportunity and resources to actually build, and then help them see what’s available on campus so they can take it forward later,” he says.

Innovation with an Entrepreneurial Mindset 

HackUMass XIII also emphasized entrepreneurial thinking, encouraging students to see their projects as more than one-off experiments. Mehta noted a growing interest among students in learning how to turn ideas into viable next steps. “You’ve built this project, you’ve got an MVP [minimum viable product]—how do you take it forward?” he says. “That might be through careers, entrepreneurship, or other pathways.”

Support from the Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT-UN) helped expand access to the event, including travel stipends that enabled students from across the U.S. to participate. The Tech for Change theme further encouraged teams to think about how innovation intersects with ethics, equity, and community impact.

Many student projects reflected that focus, exploring topics such as ethical AI, cybersecurity, and public-interest technology—aligning closely with UMass Amherst’s broader goal to ensure research breakthroughs have real-world impact.

They’re learning how to build off each other’s ideas, how to negotiate, how to handle frustration at two in the morning. Those are skills you can’t really get in a classroom.

Matthew Hale Rattigan

Creativity, Collaboration, and Community

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For Matthew Hale Rattigan, a senior teaching faculty member in the Manning College of Information & Computer Sciences and longtime HackUMass advisor, the value of the event goes beyond technical skill-building. 

“It’s a contact sport,” Rattigan says. “Everyone is there in person, working together. They’re learning how to build off each other’s ideas, how to negotiate, how to handle frustration at two in the morning. Those are skills you can’t really get in a classroom.”

“It’s the soft skills—the social aspects—that really matter,” Rattigan says. “A lot of people will tell you, ‘Isn’t ChatGPT great for brainstorming?’ And it is—if all you want are a few technical solutions to a problem you’re stuck on.”

Rattigan argues that while programming languages and tools can be learned in many ways, the ability to collaborate, communicate, and problem-solve with other people is far harder to develop—and increasingly critical in computer science.

“Brainstorming with a computer isn’t going to get you new friends or future project partners,” he says. “You don’t learn how to negotiate ideas, handle frustration, or build something together by yourself.”

At HackUMass, students work in person, often under time pressure, navigating different perspectives, skill levels, and personalities. That experience mirrors how real-world software and technology projects actually happen.

“Technical skills are important, but anyone can learn those,” Rattigan says. “You don’t watch YouTube videos to learn how to work well with people, to learn how to build off each other's ideas, to learn how to negotiate what you want versus what your group wants.” To Rattigan, HackUMass is a proactive force in community building.

Student Leadership Driving Innovation

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HackUMass is organized entirely by students, a distinction that becomes more striking as the event continues to grow in size and complexity. What began years ago as a small, informal gathering has evolved into a large-scale, multiday hackathon that brings together hundreds of participants, all planned and executed by a team of full-time students.

That level of leadership continues to impress faculty advisors.

“I’m continually amazed at how a group of full-time students pulls off an event of this scale,” says Rattigan. “The level of organization and professionalism they bring is remarkable.”

For Dev Mehta, the growth of HackUMass has been intentional—focused not just on scale, but on expanding access and opportunity.

“As we’ve grown, we’ve been really deliberate about lowering barriers to entry and supporting more students,” Mehta says. “It’s not about coming in with a fully formed idea. It’s about showing up, learning, and building in a community that’s here to help you succeed.”

Behind the scenes, student organizers manage logistics, programming, mentorship, and participant support, balancing ambition with a commitment to inclusivity. Their work ensures that HackUMass remains both welcoming to first-time participants and challenging enough to inspire experienced builders.

HackUMass demonstrates what student leadership can accomplish when it combines vision with execution. The event stands as both a continuation of a long-running tradition and a platform for new ideas, showing how students at UMass Amherst are shaping not only projects and prototypes but the culture of innovation itself.