Organization:Cornell BOOM

Overview

BOOM (Bits On Our Minds) is an annual showcase of student cutting-edge research in digital technology at Cornell University. It is in its 17th year of running and is organized by the Department of Computing and Information Science in collaboration with the College of Engineering. Cornell students present their projects which feature a variety of disciplines in digital technology such as games, robotics, autonomius vehicles, and smartphone apps. Prizes are awarded to the most creative and innovative projects, and some of the names of the categories are based of the corporate sponsors. BOOM originally started as a simple science fair that only featured Computer Science students. However, it is now an event that promotes large collaboration across many different departments at Cornell University. 

Boom2011.png

Purpose

According to Amy Fish, the BOOM 2008 coordinator, BOOM is a "chance to say, 'Congratulations, you've been working hard. We think your project is really fabulous; let's show it off!" 

In addition to showcasing the creativity and talent of Cornell students, BOOM is also sponsored by well known and large corporations such as Google and Lockheed Martin who send representatives to the event for scouting and nurturing of talent.

Distinct Differences From Other Offerings

Constant Influx of Quality Projects

A large amount of projects at BOOM originated as class projects. There are many classes at Cornell University that involve the creation and the implementation of digital technologies. This is especially the case in the Information and Computer Science Department where there are classes on video game design and robotics. Cornell University and its faculty recognize the number of creative and exciting projects students work on in class or independently. These class help continue the increase in the number of quality projects at BOOM. 

Appeal

The corporate sponsorship at BOOM plays a large role in attracting students to the event. Big and prestigious companies in different industries such as Google, Yahoo, Cisco Systems, Lockheed Martin, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, and Golman Sachs send representatives to recruit at BOOM. Most schools have fairs that showcase research and class projects but they do not provide powerful incentives and stakes to the extent that BOOM does. The corporate sponsorship adds extra incentive for students to continue their projects and build new inventions.

http://www.cornell.edu/video/boom-2013-bits-on-our-minds

K-12 Outreach Program

BOOM is free and open to the public. Middle school and High school students and their teachers often attend BOOM. There are special pre-event presentation and showcase sneak peaks available to school groups where they have the opportunity to meet with the Cornell student presenters prior to the general public’s arrival. All BOOM attendees will be able to  participate in demonstrations and vote on their favorite project. Last year in BOOM 2013, the Ithaca High School Robotics Club had the opportunity to demonstrate their work before the event. This outreach program gets students excitied about technological innovation even before they are in college. 

http://boom.cornell.edu/students-and-faculty/outreach/

Impact Achieved For Students and Campus

• Bottom line: Venture for America is a strong training program for graduating students who want to get into business creation and also helps revitalize our economy. Todays VFA partnerships are over 50% non-technical, so it does not limit any candidates from applying (in some ways, the fellowship seeks to open doors particularly for these students).  Therefore, Venture for America's resources would be best used on a campus looking to: (a) give benevolent entrepreneurial students a new outlet for post-graduation plans, (b) create a role-model/success story, (c) build support for this lifestyle as a career path.
• By advertising Venture for America as a prestigious scholarship/fellows program, a campus ambassador could build a long-term vision in students from varying degree paths and eventually place high achieving students in the program. 

Steps Required To Bring Resource to Campus

Here are the options for getting Venture for America involved on your campus: 

1. Schedule an event.  Venture for America is currently touring the country and visiting top schools and looking to expand.  If your school is not scheduled for a visit (see calendar: http://ventureforamerica.org/events/), contact events@ventureforamerica.org for more information (VFA attracts a lot of attention at career fairs).
2. Become a VFA campus ambassador.  Send resume and cover letter to jobs@ventureforamerica.org, titled "Application for Campus Ambassador - [your name]."  For more information see: http://ventureforamerica.org/jobs/.

Contact Information

Mailing Address:
Venture for America
c/o Eileen Lee
40 West 29th St., Suite 301
New York, NY 10001

info@ventureforamerica.org    |    (646) 736-6460

Resources

[1] http://ventureforamerica.org 

[2] http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=7537948&authType=NAME_SEARCH&authToken=DpBX&locale=en_US&srchid=2371142341380851232981&srchindex=7&srchtotal=687&trk=vsrp_people_res_photo&trkInfo=VSRPsearchId%3A2371142341380851232981%2CVSRPtargetId%3A7537948%2CVSRPcmpt%3Aprimary

Also see:

https://twitter.com/venture4america

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t383l_7-o4o&feature=youtu.be (Andrew Yang @ Georgetown TEDx)