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Acadiana coding enthusiasts to work on solutions to opioid crisis

Apr 02, 2018 12:58PM ● By Flint Zerangue, Sr.

Calling software developers of all ages: an event at The University of Louisiana at Lafayette is seeking inquisitive minds to create systems to address the U.S.’ opioid epidemic for a cash prize -- and some free crawfish.

Set for April 13-14 at the Cecil J. Picard Center for Child Development and Lifelong Learning, CajunCodeFest, hosted by the university’s Center for Business and Information Technology, brings developers in K-12 schools, college and professional realms together to create innovative solutions to problems that affect both the state and the nation.

While teams build their software, the public can attend the Opioid Healthcare Summit from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. in the Abdalla Hall Auditorium.

Healthcare officials such as U.S. Sen. Dr. Bill Cassidy, state Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rebekah Gee or U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, all confirmed to attend the summit and discuss solutions to addressing the opioid epidemic, as well as treat and prevent addiction.

Developers can work in teams of one-to-six-person teams, and contestants as young as 10 years old can participate in the 23-hour coding event. Teams may start developing software at 1 p.m. Friday, April 13, and contestants are able to work through the evening and next morning. Developers can also enjoy a crawfish boil on the hall’s patio.

Previous CajunCodeFest events tasked participants with developing software tools for treatment for diabetes, as well as community improvement.