The College of Southern Maryland (CSM), in partnership with Ensemble Consultancy and Brightidea, will implement a hybrid (virtual and in-person) hackathon in May 2022. 

Invent, design, and test new solutions. Join us and transform community challenges into problem solving opportunities!

In collaboration with the Town of Indian Head, Naval Surface Warfare Center at Indian Head, and the Information Management Team at CSM solve one of three Challenges.

1. NSWC’s Field Testing Analytics Challenge 
2. Town of Indian Head’s Cost Coordination Challenge 
3. CSM IMT’s Tech Eval Challenge 

Enter and build solutions within three Challenge Areas. Click the links above to learn more about each Challenge!

VelocityX is an exciting and novel program, but its success relies on the active participation from people like you. By participating in VelocityX you can:

• Make a real community impact addressing real-world problems
• Earn prize money from a $12,000 pool (There are three 1st place prizes worth $2,500 each)
• Get support and technical resources to build your entrepreneurial ideas
• Get access to mentorship opportunities
• Contribute to an innovative program to build your resume and professional network

1. Learn about the Challenges. To participate in VelocityX you first should learn more about the different challenge areas, the Velocity Center, and consider which problem and solution area you are interested in working on during the hackathon. You will only have the time to build one solution for one challenge area during the hackathon.  

2. Register your Team. Form a group of friends, colleagues, or partners and register a team. Click on the ‘Register Team’ button on the navigation bar and complete the sign-up process. This will officially start your hackathon experience.

3. Prepare for the Hackathon.  Shortly after registration you will have the chance to prepare your solution by answering some questions. If you wish to develop your solution ahead of time you can work on it via the VelocityX website.

4. Create Innovative Solutions at the Hackathon. The hackathon will be conducted in-person at the Velocity Center, but for those who are participating remotely, virtual hackathon participants can also participate using the hackathon site. The hackathon is a 2-day event which will be focused on building technical ideas, code solutions, and conceptual approaches to address the Challenge problem areas.

The new CSM Velocity Center, operated and managed by CSM, is a place of innovation, learning, and collaboration for academia, the Navy, and the community.  This collaborative learning space supports workforce development and economic growth in Southern Maryland.

Learn more here: https://www.csmd.edu/about/locations/velocity-center/index.html

Charles County Economic Development Department

The Charles County Economic Development Department promotes the economic vitality of Charles County, a rapidly-growing region in the Washington DC metro area. Their strategies, incentives, programs, and partnerships position businesses for success.  CHARLES COUNTY  is a code home rule county governed by a five-member Board of Commissioners. The five Commissioners are elected at large to four-  year terms of office. 

The Town of Indian Head

Indian Head is a municipality with a population of about 3971.  It is a corporate and political entity that local residents organized for the purpose and authority to provide municipal services to the community.  The Town of Indian Head occupies land that was once part of the territory of the Algonquin Indians. The origin of the name Indian Head originates from the term "Indian Headlands", as the entire lower end of the peninsula was occupied by Native Americans and was an Indian Reservation.

The Town provides a wide range of services that include operation of Town-owned water and wastewater facilities, solid waste pickup, street maintenance and snow removal, planning, zoning, permitting, community social activities, community crimewatch and code enforcement.

Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Indian Head

As a field activity of the Naval Sea Systems Command, and part of the Navy’s Science and Engineering Establishment, NSWC IHD is the Navy’s premier facility for ordnance, energetics and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) solutions. We support the warfighter of today and tomorrow through discoveries that anticipate the next generation’s future needs.

College of Southern Maryland Foundation

The CSM Foundation serves as the fundraising arm of the college connecting donors and regional partners in support of our students, faculty, programs, and community by cultivating relationships and stewarding assets consistent with our donors' intent. 

College of Southern Maryland

The College of Southern Maryland is a public, regional community college with a far-reaching goal—to help our students and community meet the challenges of individual, social, and global changes. CSM enhances lives and strengthens the economic vitality of a diverse and changing region by providing affordable postsecondary education, workforce development, and cultural and personal enrichment opportunities.

March 15 - May 15

Team Formation and Public Registrations

May 19-20
Hackathon Event

Agenda

May 20

Winner’s Announced

May 24

Cash Prizes Distributed

A total prize purse of $4,000 will be granted for each challenge, which is a total of $12,000 up for grabs!

1st Place

$2,500

2nd Place

$1,000

3rd Place

$500

Top Student Team

Makerspace Membership for CSM's Velocity Center

Join by Zoom