Join Canada's 🇨🇦leading hackathon for middle school students
At STEM Hacks, participants collaborate, create, and innovate with like-minded peers and industry mentors in a fun and competitive hackathon environment. Discover the thrill of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math in action!
The Ultimate Hackathon for Ontario's Youth
STEM Hacks is the first hackathon for middle school students in Canada, created and organized by Mathstronauts. It is an annual competition that brings together youth from Ontario to apply and celebrate science, technology, and engineering.
In STEM Hacks, groups of 4 to 5 participants collaborate to tackle an exciting hands-on design and development challenge focused on STEM.
With guidance from university and industry mentors, student teams develop solutions to a given problem and present them to a panel of judges.
They are evaluated based on the teams’ knowledge, technical skills, and creativity in design. At the final ceremony, the top projects are showcased, and prizes are awarded to the most outstanding designs.
To date, the event has engaged over 1,000 youth, helping to build province-wide interest in STEM.
Our Latest STEM Hacks
In December 2023, we hosted our 6th STEM Hacks in Oshawa at Ontario Tech University, where 135 students from the Durham District School Board showcased their Python coding skills to solve an autonomous vehicle challenge.
STEM Hacks through the Years
In STEM Hacks, participants solve real-world problems through the application of science and technology. Typically, the STEM Hacks competitions feature two challenge streams: Hands-on Hack, where participants design and build innovative prototypes using scientific principles, and Coding Challenge, where they code and develop design to build and implement cutting-edge solutions.
Through these projects, students applied scientific theory, developed problem-solving skills, and bridged the gap between learning and real-world applications.
A total of 135 students from Durham District School Board competed in the 6th STEM Hacks at Ontario Tech University, showcasing their Python coding and STEM skills and knowledge. As part of the Regional Future Workforce (RFW) Program by the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Centre. The core focus of this year’s competition was an autonomous vehicle challenge. High school students applied introductory machine learning principles using a pre-trained machine learning model to classify traffic signs. Their task included writing a control algorithm to navigate an autonomous vehicle based on the detected traffic signs. View STEM Hacks 2023 page.
225 participants in grades 7-8 tackled two exciting challenges at McMaster University. In the Hands-on Hack, students designed and built Balsa wood airplanes to test aerodynamics and forces, aiming for the farthest glide and safest landing. Meanwhile, the Coding Challenge tasked participants with creating miniature home security systems using Arduino coding, sensors, and LED alerts to detect fire, flood, and break-ins.
At STEM Hacks 2019, 205 participants tackled two exciting challenges at McMaster University. In the Hands-on Hack, students designed and built two-speed gearboxes for cars using Knex pieces, applying gear ratio calculations to optimize performance. Meanwhile, the Coding Challenge focused on autonomous vehicles, where participants coded simulated cars with advanced features like emergency braking, lane keep assist, and adaptive lane changing.
175 middle schoolers gathered at McMaster University to tackle two sustainability-focused challenges. In the Hands-on Hack, students designed and built wind turbines, exploring renewable energy, energy conversion, and electromagnetic induction. Meanwhile, the Coding Challenge simulated the effects of climate change in a model city, demonstrating the benefits of renewable energy sources like wind turbines and solar panels in mitigating pollution, sea level rise, and flooding, highlighting the importance of environmentally friendly alternatives.
The 2nd annual STEM Hacks competition drew 145 participants, who tackled two exciting challenges at McMaster University. In the Hands-on Hack, grades 7-8 students designed, built, and tested Balsa wood airplanes to optimize aerodynamics and forces, powering their creations with rubber bands and propellers. Meanwhile, the Coding Challenge focused on building an autonomous parking lot system using laser sensors, 3D printing, and C++ programming, where students designed and coded a functional system to track parking spots and vehicle entries.
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