The Bits & Bytes Program is for high school junior girls interested in finding out more about the fields of engineering and computing. This year, we will invite approximately 30 academically talented young women to attend this free program supporting CWIT’s mission to encourage and support women to be leaders in computing and engineering fields. Participation in this event will include interactions with college students and faculty, an engineering or computing-related hands-on design competition, and general advice on being a strong STEM college applicant. This year, the event will be fully virtual. It is free to attend for students who are selected.
The computing design competition uses the Scratch environment, which allows students to create, animate, and interact with computer-generated scenes. Students work in teams to design an animated story with various interactions, scenes, animated characters, and other features. In the engineering design competition, students are required to work in teams to invent something to solve a problem.
For each of the design competitions, the teams’ designs were judged by a group of judges, including a UMBC faculty member, industry professional, and a current CWIT or Cyber Scholar in the field. Teams are chosen for awards for their design, technical and creative achievement, and cost-efficiency.
For the Bits and Bytes Program, we are looking for students with the following characteristics:
- Female
- Junior standing in high school
- 3.0 GPA or higher
- Strong in mathematics and science
- Possess a desire to learn and explore engineering and IT fields
- Display leadership qualities
Applications coming out soon!
**Each year, we receive more applications from qualified students than we can accommodate for the Bits and Bytes program. Acceptance into this free program is based on a holistic review. We welcome all students interested in CWIT to reach out with questions and seek all opportunities to learn about our community.
Thank you to our sponsors!
Spring 2016- Northrop Grumman, SAIC, and BAE Systems
Spring 2015- Northrop Grumman, SAIC, and BAE Systems
Spring 2014- Northrop Grumman, SAIC, and BAE Systems
Spring 2013- Northrop Grumman, SAIC, and BAE Systems
Spring 2012 – Northrop Grumman
Spring 2011 – Northrop Grumman
Spring 2010 – Mr. Paul Mauritz