Information for Teachers

NMHack2020 is a virtual event for teams of NM high school students who will be matched with university mentors. These teams will LEARN great tech skills together as they tackle interesting projects. Simultaneously, they will be part of a local NMHack2020 event that is part of a larger, global hackathon hosted by Major League Hacking (www.mlh.io).

NMHack is For

  • Teams from NM high schools that don’t have any experience in hackathons and are pretty new to coding and computer science. Curiosity, creativity and persistence are the only pre-reqs.
  • University mentors that have some coding experience and are willing to work with high school students to help inspire them and build their confidence.
  • Schools in targeted are areas of NM that would like to introduce their students to the power of computer science through an intense and fun event.

We would like to have 7 high school students on each of our 15 Hacking Teams

Each Team Will
  • Have two college mentors — one each from UNM ABQ and Northern New Mexico College.
  • Have 7 Northern New Mexico high school students.
  • Each Team will have one Media mentor from TrueKids1.
  • Total # of participants in our NMHACK 2020 Teams = 150!

What is Needed

  • A diverse team that can have fun while learning and collaborates on open-ended, creative projects. Co-ed groups are encouraged!
  • Access to a computer and good internet (ideally teammates can be nearby but socially distanced, like in shouting distance to share the fun and excitement). Lots of libraries, government buildings and schools have opened their internet access. Be creative in how you’ll get connected. Or come to UNM’s campus and we’ll get you connected!
  • A high school teacher willing to identify high school students who are interested in being part of a team.

(Note: The high school student commitment is 1) a one hour Zoom prep meeting with their college mentors; 2) participating in the Local Hack Day on 18 October 2020 with their Team members.)

One informational webinar will be offered to participating teachers. Paige Prescott, Computer Science Alliance, will conduct the webinar. The date is TBA.

More Information

NMHack2020 is an event that is being organized by a group of organizations who are committed to expanding access to computer science and building the tech economy of tomorrow.

For questions, please email itevents@unm.edu.

Partners

Northern New Mexico College Computer Science Department
Computer Science Alliance
Supercomputing Challenge
True Kids 1
Major League Hacking
Adobe
Dell