29 November 2007

Computing students have a hack at Yahoo! Challenge

Photo/interview opportunities from 2 pm, Friday November 30th at the School of Computing, Queen Mother Building. (Presentation to winning teams around 4.15 pm)

Computing students at the University of Dundee who have been given the chance to take part in the legendary Yahoo! ‘hackdays’ will present their work to representatives of company tomorrow (Friday November 30th.)

‘Hackdays’ challenges computer programmers to come up with fresh ideas. These days are a regular occurance within Yahoo!, with their own employees developing new ideas on Hackdays when normal duties are suspended in favour of the quest to find new creative avenues.

This is the second year that Yahoo! has worked with the University of Dundee. Last year Sarah Hale, one of the students who took part in the day, got a summer internship with Yahoo! as a result of her work.

Andy Cobley, who teaches the 3rd year students taking on the Yahoo! task, said it represented a fantastic challenge for the students.

"They have already been buzzing at the chance to work on these projects and they are coming up with some really good ideas, which hopefully will impress the people from Yahoo!" said Andy.

The students have been working on their `hacks' for the past few weeks, developing their ideas with feedback and input from some of Yahoo! Europe's senior representatives.

Dundee University was the first to host a Yahoo! hackday and remains the only University to have the hackday as part of their course work.

For media enquiries contact:
Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk