Data & models
Work with a dataset, test an approach, and improve it against a clear benchmark.
Columbia Software Solutions
A competition team at Columbia.
We’re putting together a small team of programmers and builders to take on online hackathons and technical challenges.
What we’ll work onCompetitions
A reason to try
something difficult.
A competition gives us a problem to work on, a deadline, and a way to see how our work holds up.
We’re interested in remote competitions in the spirit of Kaggle and OpenAI. Some will call for a better model. Others will ask us to turn an idea into working software. The team should have room for both.
Areas we’re consideringNot a confirmed schedule
AI builds
Use new tools to make something useful, with a working demo at the end.
Programming
Bring strong algorithms and implementation to problems with tight constraints.
The team
Small enough
to know each other.
We plan to bring together five to seven members and enter three to five competitions each semester, roughly one a month. Squads will change to fit each event’s team limits and the work involved.
Everything is remote. There’s no travel to organize, so our time goes into preparing and building.
- Roster
- 5–7 members
- Cadence
- 3–5 events / semester
- Leadership
- 2 captains
The proposed team structure
Captains serve overlapping two-semester terms, with one replacement elected each term by the outgoing captains. Both captains join the CSS board.
Half of any prize goes to the competitors, divided equally with no captain/member distinction. The other half returns to CSS and 290C.
Join 290C
Help build
the first team.
We’re looking for competitive programmers and strong builders who enjoy figuring things out with other people. You should be able to take on difficult work, explain your thinking, and follow through when a deadline gets close.
Applications will be separate from normal CSS recruiting. The team is still taking shape; recruiting details will be posted here when applications open.
Applications are not open yet.