Hackathons as essential tools in an interdisciplinary biological training - report from trainings for Sub-saharan students

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)

Abstract

Abstract Hackathons are collaborative, fast-paced events where participants from various fields work together to solve real-world problems. They are increasingly used in higher education to foster collaboration, problem-solving and applied computational skills, yet their role in interdisciplinary biological training remains under-documented. We report on the design and implementation of two computational biology summer schools in Kenya (2022, 2023), each culminating in a hackathon that integrated biological problems, quantitative methods, and coding. Both events targeted early-career researchers from multiple sub-Saharan countries and combined intensive teaching in programming and modelling with a time-bound group challenge using authentic marine conservation and synthetic epidemiological datasets. We describe the educational design, including its grounding in project-based learning, authentic learning, and Self-Determination Theory, and we document how performance-based assessment and structured participant feedback were used to evaluate learning outcomes. We present a critical reflective account of what worked, our teaching philosophy, and how hackathons can be embedded responsibly within biological curricula. We argue that, when embedded in sustained training and supported by appropriate mentoring, hackathons provide a practical and effective way to help biologists build computational skills, communicate across disciplines, and gain confidence in shaping their own research.

Authors 5

1. Marvin van Aalst Aachen Computational Life Science Department of Biology

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Computational Life Science, Department of Biology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

2. Tobias Pfennig Aachen Computational Life Science Department of Biology

   Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences · Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany

   Computational Life Science, Department of Biology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

3. Faraimunashe Chirove

   University of Johannesburg

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, University of Johannesburg, South Africa

4. Marilyn Ronoh

   University of Embu

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Embu, Kenya

5. Anna Matuszyńska corresponding Aachen Computational Life Science Department of Biology

   Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences · Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany

   Computational Life Science, Department of Biology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany