UMD College Park’s Technica is angling to be the biggest female hackathon in the US

Space was tight at the University of Maryland’s first all-women hackathon, Technica.
That was with 400 attendees – computer science majors, professionals hoping to change careers and students from all fields in college, high school and middle school.
This year, Technica organizers hope to double that number. But they’ll only need 600 participants to become the biggest female hackathon in the U.S. (Pearl Hacks, based out of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, set a national record last year.)
The free, 24-hour hackathon takes place on Nov. 5-6 at the University of Maryland’s Reckord Armory in College Park. Anyone who identifies as female or non-binary is welcome to participate. Men are encouraged to sign up as mentors or volunteers.
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The hackathon will feature workshops oriented toward both beginners and advanced hackers, from hands-on hardware and virtual reality tutorials to introductions to Github and React.js.
“You could’ve literally never touched a computer before, and we’ll teach you,” says co-director Amber Mirza.
There will also be plenty of mentors, recruiters and sponsors scattered throughout.
Find the full event schedule here.
Leading up to Technica, the team has also prepared a full week of events, dubbed Tech+X Week, to demonstrate how technology intersects with other industries. (Tech+X Week is open to all genders.)
Because the event aims to address tech pipeline issues, funds and transportation should not be an issue, she says. Six free bus routes are available to participants from across the country and across the border – one bus will stop at universities in Ontario, Canada.