LingHacks IV was the fourth iteration of the world's first computational linguistics hackathon for high schoolers. Our goal was to expose students of all backgrounds to the field of natural language processing and inspire students to pursue computer science in their careers. ​LingHacks IV was a weekend-long invention competition where you come together with a team and build a software project that integrates computational linguistics and may or may not solve a scientific or social problem. LingHacks is a member of the Obama White House's CSforALL National Consortium and is the inaugural recipient of the AI4ALL Impact Grant.

Why computational linguistics?

Computational linguistics bridges the gap between simple rule-following computers and complex humans who can comprehend emotion and interpret ambiguity, which gives computers more humanistic abilities. Comp ling techniques also power tools used in biology, fintech, IT, and more. Computational linguistics intrigues people across a broad spectrum of artistic and technical interests.

What should I bring?

Computational linguistics, otherwise known as natural language processing, is the field of artificial intelligence that applies to the synthesis and analysis of language and speech. Things like machine translation technologies, voice assistants, search engines, and chatbots are all powered by computational linguistics tools. It's a fascinating synergy of scientific techniques applied to an elegant humanity that is part and parcel of our core human identities.

What is a hackathon?

A hackathon is an invention competition and educational experience. Check out this video by MLH for an inside look at what happens at a hackathon!

When, where, and how much?

In light of COVID-19 concerns, LingHacks IV was completely virtual (and free, as always) and took place from June 18th to June 21st, 2022.

Prerequisites & rules?