Press Release

Franklin University Announces its Annual CBusStudentHack Coding for Community Contest

2018 CBusStudentHack Coding for Community: Peacebuilding Hackathon

Columbus, OH (March 8, 2018)

Franklin University, its branch campus Urbana University, and Battelle have announced the 2018 CBusStudentHack Coding for Community: Peacebuilding Hackathon – a 7-week programming contest for central Ohio area high school students. An annual event for the University, this year’s contest will concentrate on creating apps focused on peacebuilding and conflict resolution for a better community.

The CBusStudentHack seeks to provide Columbus area high school students 21st century skills via computer science education, prepare the students for college and career readiness, solve real world problems and open the doors of opportunity and creativity.

Teams of 2 to 4 students will participate in this year’s competition from the following central Ohio high schools: Bishop Hartley High School, Central Crossing ALC, Circleville High School, Columbus Downtown High School, Dublin Jerome High School, Dublin Scioto High School, eSTEM Academy, Reynoldsburg High School, Franklin Heights High School, Gahanna Lincoln High School, Grove City High School, Horizon Science Academy Columbus High School, Marburn Academy, Mechanicsburg High School, Metro Institute of Technology, Reynoldsburg (HS)2 STEM Academy, Thomas Worthington High School, Upper Arlington High School, Watkins Memorial High School, Westland High School, and Delaware Area Career Center.

"STEM programs such as Computer and Information Sciences are driving innovations that affect how we work, play, and interact with others. Despite the growing demand for a qualified next generation of tech talent, technology-focused education remains a side interest in our schools,” said Franklin University Provost and Senior Vice President Dr. Christopher Washington. “By joining with industry and government partners to host this year’s CBusStudentHack, we not only help prepare high school students for college and careers, we enable them to more effectively and diplomatically communicate to help address business and societal issues.” 

This year’s kickoff event will be held on Friday, March 16 at the Columbus Metropolitan Library (CML) Main Library.  The kick-off meeting will allow teams to brainstorm project ideas, hear from technology leaders and learn from local coding experts.

Through the remainder of the 7-week period, the student teams will use coding software to develop their own app. The apps must be focused on creating apps focused on peacebuilding and conflict resolution for a better community. The students’ work will be judged on software quality, the potential impact on peacebuilding, execution and creativity. A team of central Ohio area leaders will judge the students’ work, and winners will be announced at a finale event on April 27.

Winning student teams will be awarded the following prizes:

•           Grand Prize: $2,500
•           2nd Place:  $1,500
•           3rd Place:  $1,000

Other raffles and prizes will be available to the students.

To learn more please visit the CBusStudentHack website at http://cbusstudenthack.org/ and to join the conversation on social media, please use the hashtag #CBusStudentHack.

About Franklin University

Accredited, nonprofit, and dedicated to educating adults since 1902, Franklin provides onsite course options at our Main Campus in downtown Columbus, Ohio, and is an innovator in providing personalized online education. The University offers applied in-demand undergraduate, masters, and doctorate programs that enable adult learners to achieve their educational and professional goals. Through agreements with partner institutions, the University also offers international academic programs, including its top-ranked MBA.

Franklin University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and holds specialized accreditations for specific academic programs through the International Accreditation Council for Business Education, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, and the Commission on Accreditation of Health Informatics and Information Management Education. The National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security have designated Franklin University as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE).

News Type

  • University