Xiaohui Liu talks molding young developers through the sCrypt hackathon project

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Blockchain developers have become among the most in-demand professionals in the world, several job market surveys have indicated. Through the sCrypt hackathon project at the University of Exeter, Xiaohui Liu is playing his part in molding the next generation of Bitcoin developers.

The first sCrypt hackathon ran for four days in early June, with about 80 students turning up daily, Liu told CoinGeek Backstage reporter Becky Liggero. They learned about sCrypt, Bitcoin smart contracts, and other fundamental skills. Ultimately, the students would be tasked with building a prototype to cement what they had learned, with the experts from sCrypt at hand to assist them.

“People just constantly have questions, it’s where the rubber hits the road, and people are really excited,” Xiaohui Liu stated.

“So, I’m also excited, and we really look forward to what kind of things these young students build out of this,” he added.

The students didn’t need any prior experience with Bitcoin or smart contracts. Liu pointed out that with the sCrypt developer tools, novice developers can quickly get into Bitcoin development and deploy basic applications.

“We now have a full stack developer platform that helps the students who don’t have prior knowledge to get onboard quickly,” he shared.

Liu brought along Elas founder Brendan Lee and the BSV Blockchain Association’s curriculum specialist Todd Price to assist the students. Dr. Craig Wright also made a surprise appearance on the third and fourth days of the hackathon.

The Hackathon series will extend beyond the University of Exeter, with Liu revealing that Cambridge University and a university in the Philippines would be next on his roster.

In partnership with the BSV Blockchain Association, Liu also plans on targeting university lecturers in the Philippines who can then pass on the skills to their students, expanding the target audience.

He also recorded all the sessions during the four-day event and plans to make the material available to other aspiring developers worldwide who can’t attend the sessions physically.

sCrypt Hackathon at University of Exeter: Building smart contracts with blockchain