UW’s Wyoming Blockchain Stampede Explores Impact of Tech Innovation Sept. 11-15

How the world is adapting to technical innovation in the areas of digital assets; artificial intelligence; Web 3.0; esports; cybersecurity; decentralized finance and governance; education; government; and business will be examined during the Wyoming Blockchain Stampede Sept. 11-15 at the University of Wyoming.

Among those scheduled to speak at the Wyoming Union are Caitlin Long, founder of Custodia Bank, one of Wyoming’s first special purpose depository institutions; Charles Hoskinson, CEO and founder, and Tamara Hansen, president, of IOHK, one of the world’s preeminent blockchain infrastructure research and engineering companies; Gov. Mark Gordon; and UW President Ed Seidel. Also, Paul Steiner, president of El Salvador’s National Commission for Micro and Small Enterprises, will be interviewed about the impact of his country’s adoption of Bitcoin as legal tender.

The event is presented by UW’s Center for Blockchain and Digital Innovation. The title sponsor is IOHK. Preregistration is encouraged due to limited seating. To register, go to www.uwyo.edu/stampede.

As it enters its sixth year, the 2023 Wyoming Blockchain Stampede is rebranding the WyoHackathon as the Wyobuildathon to reflect the broad spectrum of opportunities involving digital assets and related technical innovation.

Long, who has chaired the Wyoming Blockchain Stampede’s WyoHackathon since its founding, says “build” more accurately represents what is done by teams entered in past events and does not have the negative public connotations “hack” has.

“Most software actually does not reinvent the wheel,” says Long, a 2023 UW Distinguished Alumni Award recipient. “Instead, it builds on top of existing open-source code libraries that developers ‘hack together.’”

The online Wyobuildathon is tentatively scheduled to start Thursday, Sept. 14, with winners announced Oct. 6. Participants will compete for prizes awarded by sponsors for blockchain-related challenges.

Highlights of the week include a meeting of the Wyoming Legislature’s Select Committee on Blockchain, Financial Technology and Digital Innovation Technology; the UW School of Computing’s “First Wyoming Computing Symposium: Emerging Computing Approaches, Technologies and Applications”; the 307 Startup Challenge for blockchain businesses; and a collegiate esports competition.

The week will conclude with a free concert for attendees and sponsors, as well as the UW community, Friday, Sept. 15, at 8 p.m. in the UW Indoor Practice Facility. This year’s featured performer is country singer/songwriter Travis Denning. Denning’s current song, “Strawberry Wine and a Cheap Six Pack,” is his second-highest debut and has already amassed over 3.5 million global streams.

Visit www.uwyo.edu/stampede for registration information, sponsorship opportunities, hotel room availability, parking areas and the latest event agenda.