IEEE-HKN celebrated its 120th anniversary in 2024 with its first international hackathon, an online event where members worked in teams on engineering and computing challenges inspired by the honor society’s history and founding principles. IEEE Spectrum later reported that 62 people took part in 12 teams; 16 IEEE members judged their final presentations on Founders’ Day, October 28.
What the 2024 IEEE-HKN hackathon was
Eta Kappa Nu (HKN), IEEE’s international honor society, was founded at the University of Illinois in 1904 and merged with IEEE in 2010. Its 120th anniversary fell in 2024. The anniversary page published that year listed 279 chapters worldwide and more than 200,000 members; those are figures reported in the context of the anniversary, not verified current totals. IEEE-HKN’s anniversary page
The hackathon was designed as an online, asynchronous collaboration for HKN members, rather than a single in-person coding session. The announcement described tasks in introductory computer science, electrical engineering, and computer engineering. The organizing committee shaped mathematical and engineering problems around HKN’s history and the obstacles encountered by its founders. The aim was to connect members across chapters through collaborative problem-solving, drawing on HKN’s principles of scholarship, character, and attitude. IEEE-HKN’s June 2024 announcement IEEE Spectrum’s retrospective
How members collaborated
IEEE-HKN encouraged teams of three to eight members. Participants could form teams within a chapter or mix members across chapters. GitHub was identified as the platform for tasks and information, while Discord was the venue for open discussion and networking. These tools supported the event’s distributed format; they were not products recommended for purchase.
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What happened, from schedule to results
The dates in the original announcement describe a completed 2024 event, not an open registration period. It gave October 11–21 as the project-submission window, described the competition period as October 11–22, and scheduled the Founders’ Day finale for October 28. IEEE-HKN’s announcement
In its later account, IEEE Spectrum reported that 62 participants competed in 12 teams from October 11–22. Teams presented their solutions virtually on October 28 to 16 IEEE members, who judged submissions for completeness, accuracy, and timeliness. The publication quoted committee chair Christian Winingar: “It was a valuable experience for IEEE-HKN members both at the professional and student member levels to connect with each other and to foster a community focused on problem-solving and innovation.” IEEE Spectrum
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Prizes and Founders’ Day program
IEEE-HKN’s 2024 Annual Report, published in 2025, also records 62 students in 12 teams and says TestEquity awarded prize packs to the top five teams. This is the report’s account of the event’s awards, not an endorsement of the sponsor’s products. IEEE-HKN 2024 Annual Report
The hackathon presentations were part of a wider anniversary program on October 28. IEEE-HKN scheduled them for noon, followed at 2 p.m. Eastern by a virtual fireside chat with Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn, then a networking session at 3 p.m. Eastern. The society described Cerf and Kahn as IEEE Medal of Honor recipients and IEEE-HKN Eminent Members. IEEE-HKN’s anniversary program announcement
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Why the event mattered to HKN
The event linked practical technical work with the organization’s own story: teams solved computing, electrical engineering, and mathematical problems built around HKN’s history and its founders’ challenges. Its international, asynchronous format gave members a way to collaborate across chapters, while the Founders’ Day presentations brought that work into the society’s anniversary program.
IEEE-HKN’s anniversary page also quoted founder Maurice Carr: “Eta Kappa Nu grew because there have always been many members who have been willing and eager to serve it loyally and unselfishly”. The event’s emphasis on member collaboration echoed that account of service and shared commitment. IEEE-HKN anniversary page
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How the 2024 event differs from the 2025 edition
The 2024 hackathon was framed around HKN’s 120-year history and founding principles. IEEE-HKN’s announcement for its second hackathon, in 2025, described a different focus: a real challenge facing HKN chapters, with an event scheduled for November 14–23, 2025. The later edition should not be confused with the anniversary event or its results. IEEE-HKN’s 2025 announcement
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