About
In the jargon of the computer programmer, a hacker is someone who strives to solve problems in elegant and ingenious ways.
NUS Hackers is a student-run organization committed to the spread of hacker culture and free, open source software. We provide a support system for hackers in NUS who are currently building things, be it for charity, business or pleasure. We also hold workshops, run technical meetups, organize hackathons, and maintain open source code for the NUS community.
What we do
During the semester, our primary events include
- weekly meetups every Friday called Friday Hacks that include one or two technical talks, sometimes followed by a hacking session;
- workshops on Tuesdays called Hackers Toolbox (formerly Hacker Tools) that cover skills that are essential to those in computing fields but are not usually taught by schools; and
- workshops on Saturdays called Hackerschool that cover a range of technical topics, and are aimed at introducing technologies to those who have no prior knowledge.
Near the start of each calendar year, we also run Hack&Roll, the largest student-run hackathon in Singapore. Hack&Roll is unique for being one of the few hackathons, if not the only, that do not have a set topic for participants; instead, the aim is to simply encourage people to come and have fun building something.
We also run smaller initiatives for the NUS community, like Project Mentor, where seniors mentor freshmen to help them navigate their first year of university; and Project Intern, where students share their internship experiences and advice to help (mostly) Year 2 and Year 3 students. Once in a while we also initiate other events like OpenHack.
Most of our events are recorded if consent is given by the relevant parties. Find our recordings here.
Participants at our events must follow our event code of conduct.
Philosophy
We believe that hacking is necessary for good innovation. (In fact, the best computer-related startups and technologies have all come from hackers.) As an extension to that, we think tinkering is win-win-win: you learn new things, you get to show off, and you become more attractive to employers.
(Though, honestly, most of the time we hack because it’s fun.)
Goal
Our long term goal is to build a healthy community of passionate hackers in NUS. We think that this benefits everyone: professors benefit because they are able to source for good programmers; startups and tech companies benefit because they are able to recruit from a central pool; and students benefit because they get to meet and learn from like-minded peers (and get opportunities from professors and tech companies).
Coreteam
NUS Hackers is managed by a coreteam of student volunteers. You can reach us by email. Want to help us in spreading hacker culture? We want you!
Coreteam members
Yi Hong [President] is a computer science undergraduate who enjoys C++ as long as it’s not in his transcript. He also loves running (both physically and lines of code). Reach him at yihong@nushackers.org.
Ziqing is a computer science undergraduate who loves learning how to “HelloWord” new things and meeting new friends. She loves anime, music and weird drinks. Reach out to her at ziqing@nushackers.org •ᴗ•
Choon Yong is a CS and Stats undergraduate. Catch me either watching wholesome vids, playing FPS or just learning a new language. I get my hands dirty into router firmwares, network security and some custom Android ROM development. Hit me up at choonyong@nushackers.org ^-^
Ashley is a business analytics undergraduate who often goes out of her comfort zone to try new stuff. She occasionally figure skates when she isn’t busy mugging for mods. Reach out to her at ashley@nushackers.org
Jivesh is a computer science undergraduate who’s having fun learning new things. He enjoys reading, football, and foods he hasn’t tried before. Reach him at jivesh@nushackers.org
Simon is a computer science undergraduate who is still exploring the vast swathes of computer science. He loves playing squash, watching Netflix series/animes, and pondering about his life >_<… Hit him up at simonjulianl@nushackers.org!
Zhao Wei is a computer science undergraduate who’s still exploring his interests in various aspects of CS and Math. He enjoys reading and bouldering. Reach him at zhaowei@nushackers.org.
Irene is an information system undergraduate who is intrigued by a lot of stuff. She can never get enough of desserts, aesthetic Pinterest posts, and lame jokes in Youtube. Hit her up at irenelie@nushackers.org :)
Richard is a computer science undergraduate with a keen interest in software engineering and augmented reality. He enjoys exploring design and listening to good movie soundtracks 🎧 Reach him at richard@nushackers.org.
Chun Yu is a computer science undergraduate with an interest in free software, building awesomely useless stuff, tinkering and breaking anything and everything. Feel free to reach out at chunyu@nushackers.org.
Kok Rui is a computer science undergraduate whose specific interests within computing seem to change every year or so. He enjoys watching sports, playing GeoGuessr, and walking around random countries. You can email him at kokrui@nushackers.org.
Jing Wen is a physics undergrad who got lost in SoC once and is currently being held captive. He enjoys reverse-engineering and automating stuff in his life. Send a message to him at sawjingwen@nushackers.org.
Devansh Shah is a computer science undergraduate who is exploring his interests in CS and entrepreneurship. He loves to meet new people, read books and play badminton. Feel free to reach out at devansh@nushackers.org
Li Heng is a CS undergrad interested in building things with new technologies. He can’t function without coffee. Feel free to reach him at tohliheng@nushackers.org.
Aditya is a computer science undergrad with an interest in experimenting with things. He hates coffee. Reach him at aditya@nushackers.org.
Shuwen is a computer science undergraduate who loves to learn new technology stacks that can allow her to turn ideas into real products. She can’t resist pink or white coloured electronic devices and computer accessories. Feel free to reach her at shuwen@nushackers.org.
Yadunand is a computer science undergraduate with an interest in the intersection of hardware and software, keyboards and everything inbetween. Hit him up at yadunand@nushackers.org.
Parth is a jaded CS undergraduate who’s currently interested in operating systems and distributed systems. He also enjoys reading books and cycling, and keeps an eye out for any deliciously interesting or cynical quotes. Say hi to him at parth@nushackers.org.
Ravern is a Computer Science undergraduate interested in programming languages and software engineering. He also enjoys reading, climbing and watching movies. Reach out to him at ravern@nushackers.org.
Jia Hao is a computer science undergraduate who enjoys learning and talking about the many sides of computer science (but mostly software engineering and programming languages) on his blog. Feel free to reach him at woojiahao@nushackers.org.
Yetong is a CS undergrad interested in mobile apps, playing tons of pool and drinking coffee. Ask him anything at tangyetong@nushackers.org.
Rebecca is a Business Administration undergraduate who enjoys exploring and learning all things web3. Previously a film student, she occasionally relaxes by watching a good film and trying new hobbies for fun. Hit her up at Rebecca@nushackers.org.
Hejin is a CS undergraduate who appreciates the sweet and bitter of the cs people life. She loves cool things, cool people, cute furry creatures and acai bowls. Reach her at hejin@nushackers.org.
Shang Yi is a CS undergrad who happens to be an aviation geek. In his free time, he enjoys playing simulation games and flying a virtual plane around a virtual world. Reach out to him at kushangyi@nushackers.org.
Vangmay is a CS undergrad with a passion for AI and Programming Language theory. When not immersed in code, he enjoys reading books, playing chess, sharing insights on his blog or enjoying his 6th cup of chai for the day. vangmayy@nushackers.org.
Benn Tan is a computer science undergraduate who occasionally tries to revive his Youtube Channel. He likes to indulge in poker, search for hidden food gems (i.e supper spots), and most importantly sleep. Don’t ask him how he lost 7k in a get-rich-quick scam. Reach him at benn@nushackers.org.
Jun Yu is a computer science undergraduate who likes to ponder over life’s greatest philosophical questions, like whether we’re all just characters in a cosmic game of Minecraft. He loves exploring new places and enjoys a good run or hike in nature. Reach him at junyu@nushackers.org!
Justin Cheah is a computer science (and BBA) undergraduate who enjoys reading up about philosophy outside of tech, he is particularly interested in epistemology and random thought experiments. Within tech, he is currently exploring the applications of LLMs in software engineering. Reach him at justincheah@nushackers.org!
Kara is a business analytics undergraduate who likes throwing frisbees and throwing exceptions. She enjoys exploring different aspects of computing. She also loves jamming in a band and (of course) late night chats! Reach her at kara@nushackers.org.