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STEM students get hands on with coding at Navy Digital hackathon event
6 December 2024
A group of students from University Technical College (UTC) Portsmouth had the opportunity to put their digital and coding skills to the test thanks to a hackathon STEM event run by the Data and Navy Applications unit (DNA) in Navy Digital.
The event, held on Thursday, 28th November at UTC Portsmouth in Hilsea, saw students between the age of 14 and 18 tackle a simulated scenario and use their coding skills and digital tools to develop sustainable solutions for a range of real-life challenges affecting maritime shipping. Unlike traditional hacking, this hackathon emphasised fast coding and the effective analysis of large data sets, requiring students to interpret their findings, plan for solutions, and concisely present their ideas back to a judging panel.
A first-time running event, this hackathon was the result of a close collaboration between the Data and Navy Application unit, responsible for developing software for the Royal Navy, UTC Portsmouth and Navy Digital contractors, Digi2al. Joint by the shared vision to inspire young people to explore innovative career pathways, their goal for this event was to provide students with enhanced skills and a clearer understanding of the opportunities available in the digital and technology sectors. In the weeks prior to the event, participants worked closely with the Data and Navy Applications unit to familiarise themselves with the hackathon challenge whilst learning essential skills such as coding, data analysis, and problem-solving. DNA provided the test environment for the students to work on, which enabled them to develop practical skills while freely experimenting with the scenario without any real-world repercussions.
On the day of the event, students were split into five teams and assigned specific roles and responsibilities to mimic an agile way of working. By leveraging on each other’s skills and expertise and utilising creative problem solving, the teams were able to analyse a set of open-source maritime data and use their findings to provide informed solutions on how to make shipping more sustainable.
Upon completing the challenge, a Year 10 UTC student and team lead, said: “The whole experience has been really fun. I can now work and experiment with data which is something I couldn’t do before.”
In the afternoon, the Head of Data and Applications at Navy Digital, Ben Holloway, along with the Chief Operating Officer at Digi2al, Roo Reynolds, UTC Maths teacher, Jonathan Turner, and His Majesty’s Naval Base Portsmouth’s Captain of the Base, Captain Lee McLocklan RN, participated as judges. They engaged with the teams, evaluated their solutions, and presented an award to the top problem solver, concluding the event with an official award ceremony.
With regard to the hackathon, Ben Holloway said: “Events such as this one provide a great gateway for young people to understand more about opportunities in the digital and tech sector.”
“As a significant employer representing the Royal Navy in this region, we almost have a social duty to give back to the community. As technology rapidly develops, digital skills are in short supply; therefore, we have a moral imperative to build resilience in the local area and help young people develop more of those skills.”
The hackathon was supported by four facilitators, two students from UTC and two others from Fareham College, currently undertaking their T Levels with the Royal Navy. T Levels are a new 2-year course which students can take after GCSEs offering practical and knowledge-based learning through an industry placement. With T Level Week 2024 taking place between 2nd and 6th December, the event provided a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness about placements offered by the Royal Navy and showcase the success of the programme.
Moving forward, the hackathon will be followed by six ‘post hack’ sessions where students will have a chance to dig even further into their findings to make them applicable to the Royal Navy.