Bronxites interested in the science and tech industries should consider attending a two day event.
The chapters of the National Society of Black Engineers and Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers at Lehman College will host the fourth annual two day hackathon from Friday, November 10 at 3 p.m. until Saturday, November 11 at 5 p.m. at the college’s Music Building on 250 Bedford Park Boulevard W.
A hackathon is a design sprint-like event in which computer programmers and those involved in software development collaborate on software projects with the goal of creating usable software.
The free event is open to all CUNY and SUNY students and NSBE, SHPE and Society of Women Engineers collegiate members.
Daniel Encarnacion, NS Hackathon Committee treasurer and Lehman College sophomore, said over 300 students are expected to attended the event.
Participating organizations include title sponsor Mastercard, American Express, LinkedIn, Capital One, Goldman Sachs, GitHub, BuzzFeed, Stack Overflow, Viacom, Accenture, JP Morgan Chase and Co, Flatiron Health, Lehman College and Major League Hacking.
This year’s theme is ‘Diversity and Inclusion in STEAM’ with the goal of providing the underrepresented local community an opportunity to display their talents and skills in the corporate world.
“The hackathon’s environment is so conducive to learning and teamwork and it’s exhilarating for everyone participating in this event,” shared Encarnacion, a Bedford Park resident. “I’ve participated in three hackathons this year and have built up a substantial amount of knowledge about technology.”
Encarnacion, a computer science major and physics minor, said prior experience with hackathons, coding or other tech industry practices are not mandatory for those interested in attending the college’s annual hackathon.
Mentors and volunteers will be on-site to assist participants throughout the event.
Participants must bring a valid form of government-issued ID and student ID, laptop and charger and anything else to make themselves comfortable.
Wi-Fi, meals, refreshments, music and workspace will be provide free of charge.
All participants on a team must stay overnight for the event.
This year’s winners will be named at an awards ceremony on Saturday, November 11 at 4 p.m.
The mission of Lehman College’s NSBE and SHPE is to increase the number of unerrespresented students whom are thriving in science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines like computer science and computer information systems.
These organizations provide Lehman students with ample support, resources and networks to help advance their careers.
“We are really trying to shine a light on how great the opportunities are for everyone in the tech industry regardless of their race, gender or socioeconomic standing,” said Encarnacion, NSBE-SHPE Committee Pre-Collegiate Initiative chairman.
Lehman College students interested in this event should contact ns.lehma
For more information and mentor applications, visit www.nshac
