21
Thursday, August 1, 2013
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Thursday, August 1, 2013
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
n
MHacks to host the largest
college hackathon in country
Event to be held in
Big House, anticipates
1,200 contestants
By GIACOMO BOLOGNA
Daily Staff Reporter
In February, more than 500
students from across the country
attended the first ever MHacks
hackathon at the University,
taking over Palmer Commons and
setting a new college hackathon
attendance record.
But when organizers sought a
location for the September 20-22
event, they realized one of the
only locations on campus big
enough to hold the anticipated
1,000 hackers was the nation's
largest footballvenue - Michigan
Stadium.
Hackathons are competitions
where "hackers" develop apps
and programs in a period that
usually spans between 24 and 48
hours. Participants often forgo
sleep to create the most polished
product possible, and there are
no limitations on what they can
make. MHacks only asks that
competitors don't continue past
work or use parts of past work.
Engineering junior Thomas
Erdmann, the director of the
hackathon, said given the
expected scale of the event,
housing it in Michigan Stadium
isn't a stretch. He said Palmer
Commons was overflowing
during February's event and
though the Ross School of
Business was considered as a
possible venue for the upcoming
hackathon, it was deemed not
large enough.
Though Oosterbaan Field
House could have held the event,
Erdmann said they settled on the
Big House instead. The hacking
will take place in indoor luxury
suits overlooking the field.
"It's going to be epic,"
Erdmann said of the hackathon,
which will give out about
$30,000 in prize money, but will
have no attendance cost and even
reimburse some attendees for
travel costs.
Within the first 24 hours after
tickets were made available
online Tuesday, Erdmann said
1,000 tickets were claimed.
While Erdmann said MHacks
is renting Michigan Stadium for
the event, he declinedto comment
on the rental fees as well as the
total budget of MHacks.
He said, however, there is a
tremendous financial interest in
field of computer science.
"There's an incredible demand
right now for engineers," he said.
"There's so much money going
into technical companies and
technical start-ups."
The event has yet to announce
this year's slate of sponsors, but
last year's included Facebook,
Groupon and Ann Arbor Spark.
"It's not inexpensive,"
Erdmann said."What's important
is that we're going to be able to
provide an incredible experience
for the people attending."
Tom Zurbuchen, a professor
and an associate dean of
entrepreneurial programs in the
College of Engineering, is the
faculty advisor of MHacks. He
said MHacks is one of several
highly visible and student-led
entrepreneurial events held at
the University.
Zurbuchen said MHacks is a
telling representation of what's
great about the University in
the way the event facilitates a
massive collaboration in which
people of different disciplines
work together. He added that
Michigan Stadium is an ideal
venue for the event.
"What speaks better about
competition than being leaders
and coming together as a team in
The Big House?" he said. "This
is what Michigan is about, these
mega-solutions ... I'm really
proud of the students."
Erdmann said MHacks,
together with PennApps
at Pennsylvania State
University and hackMIT at
the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, make up the three
biggest college hackathons.
PennApps and hackMIT
are aiming for 900 and 1,000
students, respectively, Erdmann
said, but he remains confident
that MHacks will hold onto to
its title as the biggest college
hackathon.
"I'm pretty confident that
MHacks will still be the largest
student hackathon in the world,"
he said.
Still, Erdmann emphasized
that the focus is on the
experience, not the number.
"Being the biggest isn't what's
most important," he said. "Our
number one goal ... is to provide
a really incredible experience for
each and everyone of attendees."
Tentatively, MHacks is
See MHACKS, Page 3
dhjA~an&U*
420 Maynard St.
AnnArbor, MI 48109-1327
www.imichigandaily.com
KATIE BURKE MERYL HULTENG
Editor in Chief Business Manager
CONTACT INFORMATION
Nesoomof
Sun-Thurs 1 am.-2a~m.
734-763-2459 ot.3
News Tips ,,.,usichigzndaiyc.,
Corrections crron michr4igandailycom
Letterstothe Editor othedaiIy@michigandaziy.com
or visit michgandalycom/leters
Photo Depiartnent poto@mihigandaiycom
ts Section varsu.ichundaleao"'
Editorial Page opinion@michigndailycom
Sports Section sports michiandaiycom
Magazine statement. ichigandaicy.com
Adveting n e:73r4-764-554
QassifledS Phone: 734-764-0557
Department classified@michigandailycom
Catching up with No. 1 overall pick Jake Long
By ALEXA DETTELBACH
Daily Sports Writer
In 133 years of Michigan football
only two Wolverines have been
selected with the No. 1 overall
pick in the NFL Draft. There was
running back Tom Harmon in the
1941 Draft, who was chosen by the
Chicago Bears. Then a short 67
years later, left tackle Jake Long
was selected No. 1 overall by the
Miami Dolphins in 2008.
Long has had a successful NFL
career thus far, having made four
Pro Bowls in five seasons with the
Dolphins. But the left tackle finds
himself on a new team this season
- the St. Louis Rams - after he
left Miami in free agency this past
offseason.
After being redshirted his
first year on campus, Long took
over the starting job at left tackle
duringhis redshirt freshmenyear
and solidified the position for
then-quarterback Chad Henne
(now with the Jacksonville
Jaguars) for four years. Long
eventually became a two-time
All-American, two-time Big Ten
Offensive Lineman of the Year
and a two-time First-Team All-
Big Ten selection.
Long spoke with the Michigan
Daily over the phone recently
to talk about his time at school,
reflecting on his five seasons with
the Dolphins as well as transi-
tioning to a new team and recov-
ering from his offseason injury.
The Michigan Daily: You've
had a hectic offseason with
changing teams and recovering
from injury, but what was it like
to make the decision to move to
St. Louis? And what has the tran-
sition been like after spendingthe
first five years of your career with
the Miami Dolphins?
Jake Long: The transition has
been going great. I had an oppor-
tunity to come up here and take a
visit, meet with the Rams and coach
(Jeff) Fisher. I really fellin love with
his philosophy and really wanted to
be a part of his team and part of the
Rams organization because I felt
like it was a team that was going
somewhere, going to do something
and I wanted that, soI picked here.
It was a great fit for my wife and I,
and I'm just really happy to be here.
TMD: What are your initial
impressions of your new team and
coach Fisher?
Long: It's a team on the rise,
you know, they did some great
things last year and are only get-
ting better. I think coach Fisher is
a coach every player would love
to play for. This team is young,
energetic and hungry and made
some moves in the offseason, and
I think with a lot of work we can
do some great things this year.
TMD: You have Ohio State-
alum linebacker James Lau-
rinaitis as a teammate on the
Rams - and you used to play with
wide receiver Brian Hartline on
the Dolphins - what's that like?
Do the old college rivalries ever
resurface in the locker room?
Long: Yeah we mess around and
talk about it every now and then,
especially when The Game comes
on and we bring up some memo-
ries. Brian Hartline was a great
player, great teammate, and James
- I went up against him when we
were in college. He was a great
player and now with the Rams he's
a great leader and I'm excited to
play with him.
TMD: You're about to play in
a tough NFC West division. What
are your predictions for the Rams
this season?
Long: It really is a tough division
and that's fun to be a part of because
you can test yourself against the
best players and the best teams, and
that shows you what type of team
you are. You want to go against
the best in every single game and
that's lucky. People will come and
play the best on your team and I
think we can do some great things.
I'm not a guy that predicts wins or
losses, butI think we're going to get
better everysingle day, work hard in
practice and I think we can do some
great things this year.
TMD: How did the culture of
Michigan Football prepare you for
the NFL?
Long: Having (former Michi-
gan) coach (Lloyd) Carr - he is
a father figure to everyone. He
turned boys into men and just
FILE PHOTO/Daily
Former offensivetackleiJake Long discusses his NFL career and time at Michgan.
taught you to do the right thing. everything he told usto heart, that
He taught you to practice hard and would make you a better person,
just carry yourself in the right way better player and so I think that's
in everyday life and in the NFL. helped me out in the NFL.
I learned a lot from him. I also
learned a lot from the alumni at To read the rest of the interview,
Michigan, but he really prepares along with more sports content,
you. If you listen to him and take visit TheBlockM.com
EDITORIAL STAFF
Elliot Alpem
ealper"*michiga"da"ly'co
Managing Editor
Aaron Guggenheim Maa,gn esE.ditor
Eric Ferguson Editorae Editor
opinioneditors@ihigandaily.com.
Meghnycnald aeig..Eia
GrgManocase MsannporasaEditar
sportedi@.ichigdaily.
John Lnhed M,,esgsnrs Editor
jplyn.@ihigadily.om.
Meaghan Thompson MnaggCopyEditar
fU' archaeologist aids discovery
of oldest inland European fort
BUSINESSSTAFF
Leah Louis-Prescott
Sales Manager
North Carolina site
found containing
16th century Spanish
artifacts and ruins
By STEPHANIE DILWORTH
Daily StaffReporter
A group of archaeologists have
discovered the ancient remains of
the oldest known European fort in
the U.S. - Fort San Juan - near
Morganton, North Carolina.
Assistant Anthropology Prof.
Robin Beck, assistant curator of
North American Archaeology,
is collaborating with fellow
archaeologists David Moore
of Warren Wilson College and
Christopher Rodning of Tulane
University to excavate the site.
Though Beck and his team
began work around the site in
2004 with help from the National
Geographic Society and the
National Science Foundation,
it was not until last month that
remains of Fort San Juan were
discovered. The fort was hidden
beneath a mound of dirt that was
built on top of the ruins as a result
of the ancient mound-building
culture in the Native American
community of Joara from 800 to
1500 C.E.
Beck said he was excited to
discover the fort, adding that
these discoveries are what make
his job worthwhile.
"It's incredible," he said. "It is
the reason we do archaeology. In
the moment that we realized we
had found the fort after 20 years of
looking for it, for all of us, there is
this euphoria."
The fort was built by Spanish
captain Juan Pardo and men under
his command in the Appalachian
Mountains in 1567.
Joyce Marcus, Director of
the University's Museum of
Anthropology and curator of Latin
American Archaeology, wrote in
an e-mail that Beck's discovery is a
significant archaeological finding.
"Our Museum and Department
(of Anthropology) are filled with
scholars who conduct fieldwork
to obtain new and important data
sets," Marcus said. "As famous
See FORT, Page 7
The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is
published every Thursday during the
spring and summer terms hi students
at the University of Michigan. One copy
is available free of charge to all readers.
Additional copies may be picked up at the
Dailys ofiefor $2. Subscriptions for fall
term, starting in September, via U.S. mail
are $110. Winter term (January through
April) is $115, yearlong (September
through April) is $195. University affiliates
are suhjecttos reduced subscription rate.
On-campus suhscriptions for fall term
are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid.
The Michigan Daily is a member of The
Associated Press and The Associated
Collegiate Press.