NC State Materials Science & Engineering presents

OSI Hackathon @ NC State

A free, two-day build sprint where scientists and builders team up to create AI tools for real research — part of the worldwide Open Scientific Intelligence Hackathon for the physical sciences & mathematics.

  • Wed–Thu, Oct 21–22, 2026
  • Centennial Campus, Raleigh
  • Free · Everyone welcome
Register here Join the Slack

Kickoff in

--days
--hrs
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fig. 1 — crystal lattice ⇄ neural network

Formerly the LLM Hackathon for Materials Science & Chemistry · Worldwide event

  • 2 daysOct 21–22
  • FreeNo fee, ever
  • T-shirtEvent tee for you
  • Food on usMeals, snacks, water
  • TeamsCome solo or bring one
  • All levelsNo AI experience needed

Why this hackathon

The best ideas need both halves.

Scientists know which problems matter. Builders know what today's AI can actually do. For two days on Centennial Campus, they sit at the same table.

Bring the science

Materials scientists, chemists, physicists, mathematicians. You bring the hard problem, the messy dataset, the workflow that eats your week.

  • domain knowledge
  • real data
  • research questions

Bring the code

Computer scientists, data folks, engineers, designers. You bring LLMs, agents, pipelines and interfaces, plus a curiosity about where they break.

  • LLMs & agents
  • software
  • data & ML

A worldwide movement

NC State is one of the on-site hubs of the global OSI Hackathon. Every site hacks the same two days and submits to the same showcase.

Visit the worldwide event
  1. 202314projects in the first sprint
  2. 202434projects · 7 sites
  3. 2025120projects · 16 sites
  4. 202625+sites worldwide — incl. NC State

Who should come

Everyone is welcome.

Any department, any institution, any level. If you're curious about AI for science, there's a seat for you.

  • Materials & chemistry researchers

    Turn a bottleneck from your lab into a tool that solves it.

  • Physicists & mathematicians

    This year's scope spans all of the physical sciences and math.

  • CS, data & engineering folks

    Find a problem worth solving and a domain partner to solve it with.

  • Students at every level

    Undergrads and grad students — a great first hackathon.

  • Postdocs, staff & industry

    Share your experience, mentor a team, or build alongside one.

  • Complete beginners

    Never called an AI model from code? The resources below will get you going.

On us

You bring the ideas. We'll handle the rest.

  • Free event T-shirtYours to keep.
  • Food & snacksProvided on site, both days.
  • Water & drinksStay hydrated while you build.
  • Help when you're stuckMentors from academia and industry on Slack.

What to build

Tools that move science forward.

LLMs, agents, datasets, benchmarks, models, scientific software — if it helps researchers work faster or see further, it counts. A few seeds to get you thinking:

  • 01

    Lab copilots

    Assistants for materials databases and electronic lab notebooks.

  • 02

    Simulation agents

    Agents that set up, run and analyze MD or DFT workflows.

  • 03

    Data & benchmarks

    Curate datasets, extract data from papers, build evaluations.

  • 04

    Design & discovery

    Generative tools for polymers, alloys, molecules and soft matter.

  • 05

    Scientific software

    Plugins, models and pipelines other researchers can reuse.

  • 06

    Teaching & outreach

    Interactive labs, tutors and explainers for science classrooms.

Schedule

Two days, one sprint.

All times Eastern. Tentative Times follow the worldwide OSI format; final details will be posted on Slack.

  1. Kickoff & team formation

    Global opening, then meet people and form teams on site. Come solo — we'll help you find a team.

  2. Hacking begins

    Pick a problem, sketch a plan, start building.

  3. Lunch on site

    Food, snacks and water provided. Exact time announced on Slack.

  4. Build & mentorship

    Mentors from academia and industry available on Slack throughout.

How to join

Three steps. Two minutes.

  1. 1

    Register for the NC State site

    Fill out our short form to save your on-site spot.

    Register here
  2. 2

    Join our Slack

    Room details, schedule updates, team-finding and questions — it's also how to reach us.

    Join Slack
  3. 3

    Register globally

    Sign up for the worldwide OSI Hackathon. You need this to submit your project to the global event.

    Global registration

Venue

Centennial Campus, NC State

Where
NC State University, Centennial Campus, Raleigh, NC
Building & room TBA
When
Wednesday–Thursday, October 21–22, 2026
Bring
Your laptop and charger. A problem you care about is a bonus.
Remote?
Can't make it to campus? Join the worldwide event virtually.

Exact room will be shared on Slack and with registered participants.

Resources

Get a head start.

Optional, but handy. Curated from the worldwide resource list.

See the full worldwide resource list

FAQ

Questions, answered.

Anything else? Ask us on Slack.

Who can participate?

Everyone. Students, researchers, postdocs, staff and industry professionals from any department or institution are welcome.

How much does it cost?

Nothing. The event is free, and food, snacks, water and an event T-shirt are provided on site.

Do I need AI or coding experience?

No. Teams work best with a mix of domain experts and builders, and the resources plus mentors on Slack will help you get started.

Do I need a team?

No. Come solo and we'll help you find teammates at kickoff or on Slack. You're also welcome to arrive with a team.

What should I bring?

A laptop and charger. If you have a research problem or dataset you'd love to work on, bring that too.

Where exactly is it?

On NC State's Centennial Campus in Raleigh. The building and room will be announced on Slack and shared with registered participants.

Can I join remotely?

The NC State site is in person. If you can't make it to campus, you can join the worldwide OSI Hackathon virtually.

What are the tracks and prizes?

They'll be announced before kickoff. Join the Slack to hear first.

Do I also need to register for the global event?

Yes. Global registration is required to submit your project to the worldwide OSI Hackathon, and it keeps you in the loop on announcements and the showcase. Register for both: our NC State form and the global event.

How do I contact the organizers?

Join our Slack and post your question there — that's the fastest way to reach us.

Looking back

How it went last year.

In September 2025, researchers and students filled a room on Centennial Campus as one of 16 sites in a worldwide sprint that produced 120 projects.

This year the event has a new name, a wider scope and more sites. Same idea: put scientists and builders at one table and see what happens.

Participants wearing red lanyards work on laptops along a long conference table at the 2025 NC State hackathon
Teams at work · Sept 2025
Four participants gather around their laptops to work through a problem together at the 2025 NC State hackathon
Science + code · Sept 2025

Thank you

See you on Centennial Campus.

We can't wait to see what you build. Grab your spot, join the Slack, and bring a friend from the other half.

Register here Join the Slack