DAVIE, Fla. - On Oct. 10 Broward College will celebrate 10 years of hosting 24-hour student hackathons.

PlutoHacks will kick off at noon in Building 10 of the A. Hugh Adams Central Campus in Davie. Over the course of 24 hours, hackers will take a trip through the different stages of growth—from beginner, to expert, and everything in between. Hackers are given the tools to build something great and the space to learn, iterate and evolve their ideas.

“It’s become this unbelievable, huge community event,” said Michelle Levine, an associate vice president at the Center for Teaching Excellence & Learning who has been organizing the annual event since 2015. “It’s near and dear to my heart.”

Last year’s event drew 124 hackers who created projects under the theme of “rise, code, overcome.” In recognition of the 10th anniversary, this year’s theme is “past, present, future.”

In the weeks leading up to the hackathon, students attend workshops on subjects like 3D design and how to improve their presentations. Once the event gets started, they will participate in interactive games and work with mentors, who are sometimes returning alumni coming full circle. Levine said past students are passionate about continuing to be a part of PlutoHacks.

“This is one of my favorite days of the year, and I get to see old students and how they’re out doing awesome things in the world,” Levine said.

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