Hello ACM@UMN members,
Hope you're all enjoying your summers. Here are some of the events we have coming up this summer and early next semester:
Software Development Competition: The Software Development Competition, or SDC for short, is like a hackathon in miniature. Students are tasked with designing a piece of software to solve a problem. They then create a concept and prototype a solution to fit the requirements of the problem. The competition is spread over two weeks. During the first week, competitors ideate and design their concept. New this year, competitors can use the second week to implement a prototype of their idea. The first meeting will be held on October 16th, and participation is free. There will be prizes, to be determined.
Capture the Flag Competition: On November 8th, we'll be holding a kickoff event for our CTF in Keller Hall, where we'll do a gentle introduction to CTF. You don't have to come to be able to compete, but if you're not too familiar with CTFs yet, it'll definitely cover all the basics you need to know before you dive in headfirst. The competition will then run on for the rest of the week online. You don't need to have any background in computer science or programming to participate in the very first CTF, but we do want you to come with an open mind ready to learn. The competition will be covering topics such as analyzing programs for bugs, reverse engineering, basic web technologies, cyberforensics, cryptographic techniques and more!
Are you interested in participating in outreach to middle school students? Join the STEM Outreach Coalition! The STEMOC is a coalition of CSE student groups designing and presenting STEM curriculum to middle school students at a local school. Participating groups are required to have a representative and alternate available for STEMOC planning meetings and general members available participate in regular school visits throughout the school year. Please email acm@umn.edu if you are interested in participating in this program!
Code42 is interested in hosting our members at their Minneapolis headquarters on September 25th from 1-3 P.M. There will be a tour of their facilities and a meeting with some of their dev team and their leadership. Read more about Code42 on their website. There is room for 20 people on the site visit. Please let us know if you are interested and if you (would be willing to drive others to the event/need a ride) as soon as possible.
Returning ACMUMN members must pay the membership fee before the end of August to maintain paid member status. The membership fee can be paid to any officer. Also, starting this semester, the membership fee has been lowered to five dollars per semester.
If you want to get more involved with ACM@UMN or see what we’re up to, our weekly officer meetings are held on Wednesdays at 7:00 pm in Keller 2-204, and our meeting minutes can be found on our website. You can also join our Discord server.
Hope to see you all next semester!