Lauzhack, or how to rescue your semester project in three days

The Lauzhack hackathon gave students a chance to redirect their semester projects towards issues related to the coronavirus. An intense, exhilarating experience for everyone involved. Lockdown had just been imposed, and hundreds of semester projects were suddenly in question. Two long weeks of uncertainty followed, until an announcement was made of how students could earn their course credits - the Lauzhack. Despite skepticism, anxiety and doubt, a number of students spent their Easter weekend on a hackathon devoted to finding real-world solutions to problems raised by the pandemic. We spoke with several participants who, far from defeated, came out of the experience with a new sense of their capabilities. An emotional roller coaster Their names are Lison, Florence, Camille, Ekaterina, Aurélien and Tristan.