Event Schedule
| Time | Title | Location | Speaker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1: Monday, October 6, 2025 | Holiday Inn Vanderbilt | ||
|
Registration and Check-In
Grab your badge and fuel up (light breakfast and beverages) |
Centennial Ballroom | ||
| Welcome and Opening Remarks | Centennial Ballroom | Sandeep Neema (Vanderbilt University) and Michael Almeida (AWS) | |
|
Big Ideas Keynote: The Future of Autonomy
Opening keynote presentation |
Centennial Ballroom | Jeff Anderson (Head of Autonomy for Global Defense at AWS) | |
| Break | |||
|
Mission Intel: Scenarios and Objectives
Maritime Infrastructure Protection • Drone Swarm Reconnaissance • Disaster Response Coordination • Supply Chain Security |
Centennial Ballroom | ||
|
AWS Power-Up: Tools, Services, and Simulations
Tutorial on capabilities, services, and simulation tools |
Centennial Ballroom | ||
| Time to Refuel – Lunch | On Your Own | ||
|
Lightning Lab: Vibe Coding with AI
Build Something Cool, Fast |
Centennial Ballroom | David Hyde (Vanderbilt University) | |
|
Show Me the Money!
Prize pool and how judging works |
Centennial Ballroom | Sandeep Neema (Vanderbilt University) | |
| Team Formation Time | Centennial Ballroom | ||
|
All Systems Go: Environment Setup + Idea Storming
Team Development Time - teams begin exploring approaches and defining technical priorities |
Centennial Ballroom, Vanderbilt Room, Parthenon A and B | ||
| Mission Log: Day 1 Closeout | Centennial Ballroom | ||
| Day 2: Tuesday, October 7, 2025 | Holiday Inn Vanderbilt | ||
|
Morning Briefing
Fuel Check & System Boot-Up (light breakfast and beverages) |
Centennial Ballroom | ||
|
Mission Planning: Architect Your System
Team Development Time |
Centennial Ballroom, Vanderbilt Room, Parthenon A and B | ||
|
Mini-Talk: From Simulation to Reality
The Hardest Leap in Robotics |
Centennial Ballroom | Forrest Laine (Vanderbilt University) | |
|
Mission Planning: Architect Your System
Team Development Time |
Centennial Ballroom, Vanderbilt Room, Parthenon A and B | ||
| Time to Refuel – Lunch | On Your Own | ||
|
Mini-Talk: Beyond the Hack
How to Build Systems that Scale |
Centennial Ballroom | Daniel Stojcic (Vanderbilt University) | |
|
Prototyping and Early Testing
Team Development Time |
Centennial Ballroom, Vanderbilt Room, Parthenon A and B | ||
| Mission Log: Day 2 Closeout | Centennial Ballroom | ||
| Day 3: Wednesday, October 8, 2025 | Holiday Inn Vanderbilt | ||
|
Morning Briefing
Systems Online: Caffeinate & Code (light breakfast and beverages) |
Centennial Ballroom | ||
| Mini-Talk: Leveraging Cloud with AWS | Centennial Ballroom | ||
|
Into the Simulator: Build & Break (Integration & Testing)
Team Development Time |
Centennial Ballroom, Vanderbilt Room, Parthenon A and B | ||
| Time to Refuel – Lunch | On Your Own | ||
|
Mini-Talk: From Lab to Highway
Building Autonomy for Real-World Chaos |
Centennial Ballroom | Daniel Work & Will Barbour (Vanderbilt University) | |
|
Keep Hacking
Team Development Time |
Centennial Ballroom, Vanderbilt Room, Parthenon A and B | ||
|
Checkpoint Charlie: Mission Status Check
Mentor/Judge Feedback |
Centennial Ballroom | ||
| Day 4: Thursday, October 9, 2025 | Vanderbilt University - Featheringill Hall (FGH) | ||
|
Morning Briefing
Charge Up & Lock In (light breakfast and beverages) |
FGH Auditorium | ||
|
Mini-Talk: How Do You Know It Is Safe?
The Challenge of Assured Autonomy |
FGH Auditorium | Gabor Karsai (Vanderbilt University) | |
|
Polish and Perfect
Team Development Time |
FGH 106, 110, 129, 132 | ||
| Time to Refuel – Lunch | On Your Own | ||
|
Stage 1 Judging: Feedback & Coaching
Judges rotate through teams in their workspaces; Teams give 7-8-minute prototype demo; Judges provide will provide a preliminary score bases only on the technical demo, live feedback on clarity, feasibility, and integration |
FGH 106, 110, 129, 132 | ||
|
Rapid Rework
Team Development Time - teams refine presentations based on feedback |
FGH 106, 110, 129, 132 | ||
| Mission Log: Day 4 Closeout | FGH Auditorium | ||
| Day 5: Friday, October 10, 2025 | Vanderbilt University - Featheringill Hall (FGH) | ||
|
Final Call: Showtime
Spin Up Your Engines (light breakfast and beverages) |
FGH Auditorium | ||
|
Stage 2 Judging: The Big Pitch
Final presentations + Q&A Preliminary scores from stage 1 judging subject to change based on feedback adjustments |
FGH Auditorium | ||
|
Judges’ War Room Deliberations
Teams break for lunch |
FGH 136 | ||
| Mission Accomplished: Closing Keynote and Awards Ceremony | FGH Auditorium | ||
|
Hackathon Adjourned
Safe Travels Home |