ll- _AMPUS campus@technewsiit.com TechNews | Tuesday, january 24th, 201 7 ACM holds first meeting of 2017, outlining plans for the new semester Divya Soopal TECHN EWS WRITER Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), Illinois Tech chapter, hosted its first callout for the spring semester on January 12, at the Stuart Building Auditorium during lunch break time (1 p.m.). Mohsin Haider gave out a breakdown of the ACM and its upcoming plans. Computer science is a wide-reaching department at Illinois Tech, and ACM is simply an organization that seeks to ‘educate to inspire’ computer scientists and other tech enthusiasts. With approximately 160 members at Illinois Tech, activities that are highlighted at this organization are mainly programming workshops and tech talks. Last semester, Fall 2016, it received positive feedback for its workshops. ACM members are active participants of hackathons. These social coding events invite people with technical background to collaboratively code a one-of- a-kind idea. They spur creativity. Mobile apps, websites, robots, and more are created from scratch during these events. 48 ACM tech individuals attended hackathons last semester with around 40 percent of them attending for the first time. The two largest hackathons attended by ACM, PennApps and MHacks, gather 1000 hackers from universities across the globe. These students often spend the most exciting and high-energy weekends of their lives at these event. For 24 to 48 hours, they team up with a motley group of creative minds. They challenge their abilities, learn new technologies, throw together tons of code, and set out to build. Sleep deprivation often fades out with the anticipation of competing for prizes. Haider jested about ACM being a hackathon club. On a more serious note, he added that these events are just part of the equation of ACM. The purpose put at heart is to build a community of future computer scientists, engineers, and developers around this ‘hacker’ culture. Their objective is CERMC: Competition, Education, Recruitment, Mentorship and Collaboration. As a premier computer science organization on campus, ACM is committed to helping its members learn and grow outside of the classroom. The upcoming activities in the January calendar are mostly meetings, hackathon trips, technology workshops, and tech talks by Chicago tech companies, startups, and academia. ACM's two big announcements for this semester are the establishment of the Student Interest Groups (SIGs) project and the Scarlet Hacks. SIGs are member-led “mini clubs” within ACM. Students can lead their own SIG, which may specialize in many different areas: SIGmobile or SIGweb, for example. All those interested in a specific area can therefore network. These groups involves being creative with technology while fostering leadership, communication, and strong work ethic skills. The best part, to some, is that SIGs allow students to run their own organizations while neglecting all the other administrative hassles. “ACM will do the finances; you do the cool stuff,” says Haider. In addition to this, another upcoming project for the semester is the launch of ACM's website. ACM is planning big. Inspired by past hackathon success, ACM is working to launch their own hackathon, Scarlet Hacks, in conjunction with Major League Hacking (MLH). In that respect, ACM is looking for individuals who can take on a challenging, but at the same time rewarding, task for their Scarlet Hacks hackathons. Anxious to be an entrepreneur? Stop Talking and Start Doing! Teesta Iain, Donna Rockin KNAPP ENTREPRENEURSHIP CENTER Illinois Tech has the best and the brightest students, capable of solving large problems. So if you think you have what it takes to solve a large problem in today’s complex world: stop talking and start doing. You can get tons of help all under one roof, in one weekend, all at Campus 1871, March 31-April 2, 2017. It’s a weekend of learning and an experience you’ll never forget. Campus 1871 takes places at 1871 Chicago, the high-tech and digital tech hub in Chicago’s iconic Merchandise Mart. 1871 is regarded as one of America’s top university business incubators and home to 500 tech startups...and you can participate in a FREE startup weekend, utilizing 1871’s facilities and work for resources, March 31-April 2, 2017. At Campus 1871 you’ll learn about all the facets you need to consider to bring a new product or service to life. This exceptional hands-on learning experience is a unique startup extravaganza, that is a collaborative cross-campus initiative between 1871, The Illinois Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, The University of Illinois Urbana- Champaign, The University of Illinois at Chicago, The University of Illinois Springfield, DeVry University, DePaul University, Loyola University Chicago, and The University of Chicago. Space is limited and this exclusive startup weekend only accepts approximately 100 students. The weekend includes Startup 101 crash courses, keynote speakers, mentorship, pitches, and a grand prize of membership to 1871 for the winning team to continue their hard work and make their idea a reality. The purpose of Campus 1871 is for you and your team to create a viable business model and design for a potential startup company that would solve a meaningful problem in today's world. Come in with ideas and get ready to pitch to the crowd. You don’t have to know it all, or be a computer science major; your area of expertise is enough to get you started and take you far. They are looking for students with interests that range from graphic design, humanities, and mechanical engineering to chemistry. Campus 1871 will pair you with students from other universities, with other skills to complement those skills you do have. luminAID®, GrubHub and the X-Cube were brought to life on Chicago campuses. Maybe you’ll be the next Illinois Tech student inventor. You’ll only know if you try. Attending Campus 1871 is a terrific networking opportunity and will look good on a résumé too. Don’t delay, apply today: Application is hosted on the 1871 website at http://www.1871.com/Campus1871 DEADLINE TO APPLY: February 3, 2017 by 5pm Tuesday, 2/28/2017: All accepted students are notified March 31st- April 2nd, 2017: Campus 1871! write articles take photos layout copy edit email: / editor@teehnewsiit.eom