Hackathons for Biophysics Education: Simulating the Cytoskeleton

ABSTRACT Hackathons are intensive innovation-oriented events in which participants work in teams to solve problems or create projects in as little as 24 or 48 h. These events are common in start-up culture, open-source communities, and mainstream industry. We examine how hackathons can be ported to academic teaching, specifically in computational biophysics. We propose hackathons as a teaching modality that is distinct from traditional courses and structured workshops. In particular, we suggest they offer a low-stakes platform for students to overcome entry barriers to computational tools or to explore new topics, disciplines, and skills beyond their academic comfort zone. We tested this format in two computational biophysics hackathons at the Göttingen campus in 2023 and 2024, providing practical insights and a preliminary evaluation. To the best of our knowledge, the 2024 event is the first public hackathon dedicated to biophysics. This paper explores the benefits of the hackathon format for teachers and researchers and provides guidelines for running a hackathon adapted to a teaching goal.