Calling all designers, programmers and eco-warriors: this hackathon is for the birds.

RSVP to hold your spot at www.squawkathon.org

Top 5 reasons to attend:

1. Apply your skills to an important environmental challenge

2. Meet and work with some seriously smart and creative Portlanders

3. Showcase your talents to international marine bird scientists and the Packard Foundation, who have pioneered environmental work in sustainable seafood and beyond

4. A monetary prize will be awarded to the winning team

5. There'll be free food, beer and other surprises for all participants

THE PROBLEM Seabird bycatch is when birds are unintentionally captured and killed in fishing activities. Bycatch is always bad, but for endangered species with already vulnerable populations, it’s devastating. In order to address this critical environmental challenge, we need to find an ingenious way to track this bycatch. Better data collection could lead to better long-term management and protection protocols.

WHY ME? If you have design, programming, or project management chops, you can prevent the accidental death of marine birds. A monetary prize will be awarded to the winning team. Plus, there will be plenty of free food and beer.

WAIT, HOLD ON... WHAT’S A HACKATHON? A hackathon is an event where creative and tech-savvy people collaborate to build solutions for hard-to-solve problems. You’ll fit right in.

FAQs

Where can I contact the organizer with any questions?

Please direct your questions to packardx [at] contextpartners [dot] com.

Where can I find some more background on the issue?

Relevant background materials will be shared to the Squawkathon wiki as they become available: wiki.squawkathon.org

Will the David and Lucile Packard Foundation provide funding to further develop concepts?

Through this Squawkathon, the Packard Foundation is interested in surfacing ideas for efficiently monitoring marine bird bycatch. The ideas that come out of the Squawkathon will be all of ours to develop further and build on. At this point in time, the Foundation is not committing resources to the development of any particular idea, but will continue to assess whether our support could have significant impact in the protection of marine birds species. A monetary prize will be awarded to the winning team.

Do I need to come to both days?

Because we have a lot to do in a short amount of time, we are asking participants to attend both the kick-off and the day of the hackathon itself.

Is there a dress code?

Very informal. Wear whatever you work best in.

Will free food and drinks be involved?

Local beer and local food. Duh. It's Portland.