Machine Learning for Microscopy Hackathon
December 16 @ 8:00 am – December 18 @ 5:30 pm
The Machine Learning for Microscopy Hackathon accelerates the use of AI in microscopy and materials research. By connecting microscopy and machine-learning communities, we foster collaboration, open science, and reproducible workflows for imaging, spectroscopy, and automated experimentation.
Global Hybrid with In-person at ILSB Auditorium
December 16 – 18, 2025
Connect with researchers, students, and data-science enthusiasts for a high-energy, interdisciplinary hackathon focused on applying machine learning to cutting-edge microscopy challenges. Participants will work in teams to develop innovative solutions for real imaging challenges spanning imaging, spectroscopy, and automation.
We will be hosting a local site in the Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building (ILSB) Auditorium from 8:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M. from December 16–18th, with check-in from 8:00–9:00 am.
Food and drinks will be provided. Join your fellow Aggies and connect across disciplines to solve these pioneering microscopy challenges. Below are links to register for the local site and the hackathon. To register for this event, join the Slack workspace, and learn more about this hackathon, click the links below:
Slack: https://tiny.utk.edu/slack
For more information, visit: https://kaliningroup.github.io/mic_hackathon_2/
Hackathon Registration: https://kaliningroup.github.io/mic_hackathon_2/registration/
Registration Closes December 10
Awards
Numerous prizes will be awarded for winning teams that show outstanding work across categories such as Best Overall Project, Best Open Science, Best Methods, and Best Visualization.
1st Overall: $10,000, Mystery Prize
2nd Overall: $5,000
Award Categories: Two $1,000 awards, Two $500 awards, Merchandise
Top student team by the MSA Student Council: $500, Student registration to PMC at MSA 2026
Agenda
The agenda for the global hackathon is as follows:
Day 1 – Tuesday, December 16th
Kickoff & Talks:
7:45 AM CST – Sign-In Starts
8:00 AM CST – Welcome and Introduction
8:05 AM CST – Keynote Speaker: Sergei V. Kalinin (University of Tennessee, Knoxville), Topic: Machine Learning Across the Microscopy Workflow
8:25 AM CST – Sponsor Presentations
8:50 AM CST – Speaker: Rama K. Vasudevan (Oak Ridge National Laboratory), Topic: Ecosystems for Microscopy
9:10 AM CST – Speaker: Gerd Duscher (University of Tennessee, Knoxville), Topic: Joining the Hackathon – Projects, Organization, Deliverables, Awards
9:30 AM CST – Short Break & Last-Minute Team Formation
10:00 AM CST – Hackathon Launch!
Hacking continues throughout the day.
Day 2 – Wednesday, December 17th
Full Work Day:
All Day – Teams work on hackathon projects and problem statements
Throughout Day – Office hours and organizer support available on Slack & Zoom
4:00 PM CST – Organizers remain available until 4 PM CST
Day 3 – Thursday, December 18
Submissions & Wrap-Up:
Daytime – Final touches, testing, and preparing deliverables
10:59 PM CST – Final Submissions Due
If there are any questions, please contact Dr. Jian Tao jtao@tamu.edu, Dr. Shakti Padhy shaktippadhy@tamu.edu, Chase Katz ichasekatz@tamu.edu, or Dr. Raymundo Arroyave raymundo.arroyave@tamu.edu.