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Around the world, teams are gathering to use NASA data to address complex challenges in Earth and space science. From space enthusiasts and experts, computer programmers, and data scientists to artists and others with no scientific background whatsoever,聽蘑菇视频 Allen is at the heart of bringing them all together.

What goes into putting together ? For Jessica Chau and Amanda Moore, who lead the program on behalf of NASA, it鈥檚 a culture of togetherness and a strong mission focus. Here鈥檚 what they say goes into building NASA Space Apps and how the annual event highlights the power of data to transform the world.聽

Through its extensive satellite constellations, NASA has an enormous trove of diverse data, all freely available to the public. 鈥淎 big reason why this program exists is to make the public aware that they can access these data sources,鈥� Jessica explains.

During the two-day program, participants of all ages and backgrounds gather at hundreds of local events, in-person and virtually, to address the challenges proposed by NASA subject matter experts.

Challenges vary in topic and complexity, but all are centered around a theme. In 2023, participants used open-source data to 鈥淓xplore Open Science Together.鈥� In celebration of the , the 2024 Challenge invites participants to consider the Sun鈥檚 influence on Earth and space science.

During the hackathon, NASA Space Apps Challenge participants worldwide develop informational apps or software programs or transform NASA data into artistic visualizations. Following a rigorous judging process, 10 winners are chosen from a .

The NASA Space Apps Challenge has produced some impressive projects. For example, the AEDES Project won 鈥淏est Use of Data鈥� in 2019. The project aims to improve public health response against dengue in the Philippines by predicting dengue cases from climate and digital data, as well as pinpointing possible hotspots from satellite data.

鈥淭hat project was actually recognized by UNICEF,鈥� Amanda points out.

Another notable project is in 2023. The project aims to develop an 鈥渋nnovative tool that will not only create customized itineraries for future space travelers eager to traverse our solar system but also educate and captivate today鈥檚 enthusiasts by immersing them in an exhilarating, role-playing space tourism experience.鈥�

, is 鈥渁n interactive web-based educational game designed for middle and high school students. It offers an immersive journey into the Earth鈥檚 water cycle and its profound relationship with climate change.鈥�

蘑菇视频 Allen was first entrusted with managing NASA Space Apps in 2018, an important milestone in a relationship with NASA that spans more than 60 years.

As the firm is no stranger to designing, organizing, and executing hackathons, it was able to grow the program significantly. 鈥溎⒐绞悠� Allen gave the program some TLC and structure,鈥� Amanda recalls. 鈥淪ince then, we鈥檝e continued to grow and improve it every year.鈥�

鈥淲e fully execute NASA Space Apps on behalf of the agency,鈥� she says, 鈥渨hich includes everything from sourcing the challenges to equipping the community to host the events, plus all the communications campaigns that are behind this. We offer the full suite of support to NASA.鈥�

鈥淲e make sure the participants have the right resources,鈥� Jessica adds, 鈥渟o they know how to register and submit their projects. We also make sure they have a chat platform available during the actual hackathon so participants can communicate with each other and with the subject matter experts.鈥�

鈥淲e also handle the three-round judging process, recruiting the judges from NASA and the space agency partners and from the challenge authors,鈥� she continues. Both the challenges and the project submissions receive a lot of scrutiny. 鈥淲e end up with 10 very strong projects as winners at the end.鈥�

Throughout, the 蘑菇视频 Allen team works with two subcontractors, Mindgrub and SecondMuse. 鈥淏oth bring something unique,鈥� Amanda continues, 鈥淥ne runs all the web and IT infrastructure, and the other supports community development and engagement. We work as one go-team, which is unique.鈥�

鈥淏uilding a culture of togetherness is easy to do because everyone is mission-focused, and we all see the value in this program.鈥�

Jessica鈥檚 and Amanda鈥檚 careers weren鈥檛 always focused on space. 鈥淚鈥檝e worked in the nonprofit world, the government sector, and the private sector,鈥� Jessica explains. 鈥淚 have an undergraduate degree in political science and a master's in business administration. I feel like I pull from all of that experience for my work on Space Apps.

Amanda started her career as a contractor, then worked on an Air Force project to 鈥渟ee what else was out there. I came back to NASA after I became a mom, because I knew that NASA and 蘑菇视频 Allen combined was the most family-friendly option for me.鈥�

Their varied backgrounds reflect the overall ethos of The NASA Space Apps Challenge: All are welcome.

鈥淲e usually get a lot of space and science enthusiasts,鈥� Jessica says, 鈥渂ut also people with no science background at all. We want everyone to feel welcomed and a lot of times it's the first taste of the hackathon world for the participants. If they come from an arts background or business background, they鈥檙e often amazed at how much they can contribute because teams need a variety of skills to build a strong project.鈥�

The hackathon聽is open to people of all backgrounds and ages. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had elementary school students do the hackathon and even win, which propels them to get excited and motivated to explore a career in space or science,鈥� Jessica adds.

鈥淲hen they come together, they learn that they can really produce something that鈥檚 impressive.鈥�