Students Poised to Tackle Environmental Challenges in ‘Hacking for the Oceans’ Course

Originally published by Scripps Institute of Oceanography at UC San Diego

The oceans-oriented program is modeled after Hacking for Defense, a course that focuses on training students to address national security challenges. Initially launched at Stanford, Hacking for Defense has since expanded to more than 30 universities across the United States, including UC San Diego. It is a program of the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN), powered by BMNT Inc. and the Common Mission Project—BMNT's nonprofit arm which coordinates and facilitates entrepreneurship programs.

“A new course offering at UC San Diego is providing students with tools and training to tackle real-world problems facing the ocean environment. Launched in the spring of 2020, Hacking for the Oceans is a solutions-focused class led by marine scientists Eric Terrill and Sophia Merrifield at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and collaborator Steve Weinstein, a lecturer at UC Berkeley and Stanford.”

“Our mission at the Common Mission Project is to create an international network of entrepreneurs solving the tough problems. We felt that the oceans was an area that is underfunded and not a focal point for entrepreneurship, and figured teaming up with UC San Diego was the first step in creating a new network of mission-driven entrepreneurs.” - Steve Weinstein, senior vice president of strategy at BMNT and a board member of the Common Mission Project.