New student group supports experimentation with technology

A new student group, Michigan Hackers, has formed to support the creative urges of students who enjoy expressing creativity through technology. Whether a student is prototyping a new hardware product or writing an innovative web or mobile app, Michigan Hackers aims to be the first on-campus resource he or she turns to for advice and community.

The group spent the Winter ’12 semester building its brand on campus and gaining recognition. They hosted two tech talks (archived on YouTube), both of which drew 30+ attendees, and helped over 50 U-M students gain free education accounts on Github, a popular cloud solution for the DVCS tool Git. This fall, the group seeks to host tech talks, hackathons, group work sessions, mock technical interviews, and social gatherings with the goal of empowering a network of talented hackers with great opportunities, both on and off campus.

According to Michigan Hackers President Max Seiden, “We really feel like we’re ahead of the curve with regards to our timing. A few peer institutions already have established student organizations in this space, including ‘Hackers @ Berkeley,’ ‘PennApps’ (a multi-school, student organized hackathon), and Brown’s ‘CS DUG.’ However, this type of highly organized, hacker student group is relatively new on campuses. Thus, as we move forward, we will definitely think of ways to connect with other orgs across the country.”