TechOlympics
TechOlympics is an information technology (IT) conference for high school students. It connects students with IT professionals and with companies in order to promote the field of IT. The conference is held in the Millennium Hotel in Cincinnati, Ohio. The event is run by the INTERalliance of Greater Cincinnati, a non-profit organization seeking to empower students through a robust knowledge of IT. Colleges and other organizations are present at the event as well. Schools often attend as groups, but individual attendance is also permitted. The conference takes place over the course of one weekend, starting of Friday and going until midday Sunday. The events that take place during the conference fall into one of four categories: a Breakout, a Competition, a Showcase Demonstration, or a Speaker Presentation. However, there are other events that do not fit into one of these categories. Each year, the theme of the conference changes, and as such, so do the Breakouts and competitions offered, as well as the speakers presenting.[1][2][3][4]
TechOlympics | |
---|---|
TechOlympics 2018: Imagine logo | |
Status | Active |
Genre | Conference |
Dates | 2010-present |
Frequency | Annually |
Venue | Millennium Hotel, Cincinnati, Ohio |
Location(s) | Cincinnati, Ohio |
Country | United States of America |
Years active | 10 |
Founded | 2010 |
Most recent | 2019 |
Next event | 2020 |
Attendance | 500 |
Area | Greater Cincinnati |
Organised by | INTERalliance of Greater Cincinnati |
Filing status | Non-profit |
Website | Official Website |
Current Theme (2020): Activate |
Breakouts
TechOlymipcs offers the opportunity for students to learn from professionals through Breakouts. Breakouts are typically one hour long and generally focus on IT. A selected list of topics covered in Breakouts during TechOlympics 2018: Imagine is provided below.
- Chatbots
- Cloud Computing
- Network Security
- Making a technology startup
- Agile software development
- Data Analytics
Competitions
TechOlympics is home to many competitions ranging from Wikiracing to competitive hacking. Below is a selected list of competitions.[5]
- Wikiracing
- Tech Trivia
- Hacker Heaven
- QR Code Scavenger Hunt
- Speed Keyboarding
- Web Design
- Kerbal Space Race
- iMovie
- Code Golf
- Art Tech
- Capture The Flag
Showcase Demonstrations
A showcase project is large project that a group of students, often from the same school, take part in working on, in order to present the project to a panel of judges. This project is in competition with other projects to be the best project submitted. Winning this event is seen as a very important feat during the conference.
Speaker Presentations
Generally, after each meal, students will hear from a speaker, often one with an IT background, that discusses the merits of entering the IT field.
References
- Jones, Hannah (2012-03-12). "Talented students show off skills at Tech Olympics". Local12.com. Cincinnati, Ohio. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
- Heyne, Mark (2015-02-02). "TechOlympics provides students with look at Information Technolgy [sic] careers". WVXU. Cincinnati, Ohio. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
- "INTERalliance hosts TechOlympics Expo for area students". Cincinnati, Ohio: Cincinnati Business Courier. 2012-04-06. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
- Gundrum, Kyle (2017-07-06). INTERalliance of Greater Cincinnati: Connecting High School Students with Information Technology Career Pathways (MS). Retrieved 2018-03-02.
- "Competitions". Competitions - TechOlympics 2019. INTERalliance. Retrieved 21 December 2018.