Major League Hacking 2026 Hackathon Season
MakeCU

$ ./boot_makecu.sh

MakeCU 2026

November 7-8, 2026

Columbia University at Carleton Commons

Columbia University Robotics Club's 24-hour hardware hackathon for students who want to design, prototype, and demo real hardware projects.

Hacking starts in

000Days 00Hours 00Minutes 00Seconds
When Nov. 7-8, 2026
Where Columbia University at Carleton Commons
Format In-person hardware
Teams 1-4 students

Build something physical in one focused weekend.

Columbia University Robotics Club's 24-hour hardware hackathon for students who want to design, prototype, and demo real hardware projects.

$ ./boot_makecu_2025.sh

MakeCU 2025 participants and projects
$ ./prepare_hackers.sh Required before the hackathon

Checklist

Complete the required makerspace training and equipment checklist before arriving at MakeCU.

Complete Checklist
$ cat SCHEDULE.txt

Schedule

Review the MakeCU weekend timeline, from check-in and workshops through demos and awards.

View Schedule
$ ./meet_team.sh

Team

Meet the organizers building MakeCU 2026 across logistics, business, web, experience, and outreach.

Meet the Team
$

ls TRACKS

$

tar SPONSORS

$

open JUDGES

David Watkins

David Watkins

Research Lead at Tutor Intelligence

David Watkins is a Research Lead at Tutor Intelligence, where he works on foundation model research and training for robot manipulation, and an advisor to Tola Capital on robotics and AI investments. Previously, he was a Research Lead at the RAI Institute (formerly Boston Dynamics AI Institute), joining as one of its first employees and building its foundation models research team and its largest robot data collection effort. He created Theia, a vision foundation model published at CoRL 2024, and won first place in the MineRL BASALT competition at NeurIPS 2021. He earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. at Columbia University in the Columbia Robotics Lab under Prof. Peter Allen, where his paper on mobile manipulation was an IROS 2022 Best Paper Finalist.
$

./FAQ

Is MakeCU free to attend?

Yes. Food, swag, hardware, and prizes will be provided.

Where is the event?

MakeCU 2026 will be held in Carleton Commons at Columbia University in New York City.

Who can attend?

MakeCU is intended for college hackers, from undergraduate to PhD students.

Do I need hardware experience?

No. Beginners are welcome, with workshops and mentors available to help participants learn during the event.

How large can teams be?

Teams of 1-4 students.

Will hardware be provided?

Hardware, tools, and makerspace access will be provided.

When can teams start building?

Hackers can begin after the opening ceremony.

What code of conduct applies?

All participants should follow the MLH Code of Conduct and any additional Columbia University event policies.

Who should I contact?

Contact us at curc@columbia.edu.

$ ping CURC

Organized by Columbia University Robotics Club.

Questions, sponsor interest, and volunteer interest can go through the organizing team while the 2026 event plan is finalized.

Join Discord Email Us MLH Code of Conduct