“One of the challenges we face in academia is that what we do is often theoretical—it’s not always real.”

For Ross Chambless, community engagement manager at the Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy, that gap between theory and reality is exactly what programs like the Energy & Climate Hackathon are designed to address.

Held at the University of Utah Asia Campus, the hackathon is part of a broader effort to move beyond research and into solutions. While the Wilkes Center focuses on advancing climate science, it also aims to create opportunities for students to actively engage with real-world challenges.

“The hackathon is part of the solutions aspect of what we do,” Chambless said, emphasizing that the goal is not only to study climate change, but to encourage students to think about how solutions can be developed and applied.

From Theory to Practice

Unlike traditional coursework, the hackathon format requires students to work under time constraints, collaborate across disciplines, and present ideas that are both innovative and realistic.

“We are preparing our students to be in the real world,” Chambless said. “So we try to engage them with real-life activities.”

In this environment, students are not just learning concepts—they are practicing how to apply them. Teams are challenged to define complex problems, develop solutions, and communicate their ideas clearly within a limited timeframe.

This shift from theory to application is particularly important in fields like climate and energy, where solutions must be both technically sound and practically viable.

Why Cities Matter

From an urban perspective, these challenges take on even greater urgency—something faculty at the Asia Campus see firsthand in both research and teaching.

“Energy and climate change are among the biggest challenges for cities,” said Reazul Ahsan, program lead of urban ecology at the Asia Campus. He emphasized that what students learn must connect directly to real-world challenges.

“The classroom teaching now becomes real,” added Idil Ayral, professor of urban ecology, highlighting the importance of experiential learning.

Learning to Collaborate—and Communicate

A defining feature of the hackathon is its interdisciplinary approach—bringing together students from engineering, business, urban planning, and the sciences to tackle shared challenges.

“Students take their skills and collaborate across disciplines,” Chambless said.

For faculty, this kind of collaboration reflects the reality of climate problem-solving, where no single discipline has all the answers.

But collaboration alone is not enough. Participants are also expected to communicate their ideas effectively—an essential skill that is often overlooked in traditional academic settings.

“Scientists are very good at communicating with other scientists, but that doesn’t always translate to business or policy,” Chambless noted.

By requiring students to present their ideas in clear, accessible terms, the program challenges them to think beyond technical details and consider how their solutions can be understood by broader audiences.

“If you can’t explain your idea, people won’t understand it,” he added.

For Chambless, the ability to translate complex ideas into accessible language is what allows innovation to reach broader audiences—whether in policy, industry, or everyday life.

From Ideas to Impact

While the hackathon focuses on idea generation, both faculty and organizers see it as the beginning of a much longer process.

“We really want to help students turn their ideas into something real,” Professor Ayral said.

That vision is increasingly shaping how the program evolves. Rather than stopping at concept development, organizers are working to create pathways for students to refine and implement their ideas beyond the event itself.

Recent efforts include collaboration with business and entrepreneurship programs, where students can develop their concepts into viable proposals and explore opportunities for funding and real-world application.

For faculty, this shift—from ideas to implementation—is essential.

It is not just about encouraging creativity, but about helping students understand what it takes to turn an idea into something that can function in the real world—something scalable, impactful, and sustainable.

The urban ecology faculty sees this as an opportunity to expand the program beyond the campus itself. Ayral noted that there is growing interest in creating pathways for student teams to move from local competitions to broader, even international stages—allowing their ideas to be further developed and recognized.

“Working with the Wilkes Center, we really hope that the hackathon will continue to grow as an annual initiative, providing students with consistent opportunities to engage in interdisciplinary, real-world problem-solving.” Ayral said.

At the University of Utah Asia Campus, initiatives like the Energy & Climate Hackathon represent a broader shift in education—one that prioritizes real-world engagement and interdisciplinary thinking. As the program grows, it aims to equip students not just with knowledge, but with the tools to turn ideas into meaningful impact.