CS Club Preview 2015

In case you weren’t able to fully check out this year’s First Look Fair, here are a few computer science related clubs you can check out:

Terrapin Hackers:  the Terrapin Hackers are an organization that helps students interested in going to hackathons meet other people and get involved.  There is a hackathon going on almost every weekend, and Terrapin Hackers organizes bus trips to get you there.  The club also hosts Hacktorials where students lead workshops to teach you some aspect of design or engineering.  They even have their own design space, Collider.  This club is great for networking, learning, and getting into hacking (and not the movie version of hacking!).  This is open to all skill levels and backgrounds.  The club has an open group on Facebook as well as a website, with more ways to reach them.

Association for Women in Computing: the AWC is a group that aims to make women in Computer Science feel more connected, comfortable, and excited about the field.  But you don’t have to be a woman to enjoy it -- the AWC holds multiple events each semester such as Casino Night and the Flower Ball, which not only help raise money but give you something different and fun to do on a weeknight.  The group also welcomes members from other fields.  As long as you support women in STEM, you will find a place in this club.  If you are interested in joining, they have a Facebook group and a website where you can get updates and see pictures from past events.

Bitcamp: it’s not only an awesome hackathon, but a great chance to get involved with planning a large event.  Bitcamp is a student run hackathon, that needs a lot of support.  This group was born out of the Startup Shell, and with the previous directors graduated, there is a lot of room for new people to come in and make a large impact.  Bitcamp attracts a lot of attention from other schools and companies and requires a lot of planning, so check out their Facebook page and get involved.  

UMCP Mobile App Developers: smartphones are here to stay, and if can’t get into the elusive 400 level mobile app class, then join this club.  Whether you are trying to get people to test out your new app, you’re looking for people to work with, or you have no idea about anything to do with mobile applications and want to jump in, this club can help.  Another perk is that since there is only one, small course on mobile application development, and mobile developers are in such high demand, you can get valuable experience it would be hard to find elsewhere.  There is a lot of collaboration, and many of the apps being developed are meant to directly benefit UMD students.  They have a Facebook group you can check out and a website with links to apps that have come out of the club.

Virtual Reality Club: the Virtual Reality Club at UMD is a great place to be if you want to be on of the first to construct Virtual Reality experiences the world has never seen before. The Virtual Reality Club has access to development equipment and environments tailored to encourage collaboration. Experienced developers are here to offer guidance and mentoring to anyone looking to become a developer for the next big thing. This year, there will also be weekly classes, good for all skill levels. You can even schedule time to test your projects in the lab. They have a Facebook group you can check out for more information.