Shooting Stars Foundation

Here is a glimpse into the day of one of our participants. With a variety of workshops to attend and items to learn, our participants have a very busy day!

Our participants came from all over the United States! Learn about our diverse group below!

As our participants were gearing up for the hackathon, we asked them what their initial thoughts were! Read all about how they were feeling down below!

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/ / - Don't miss this opportunity to learn more about Why Data Science is the most talked about subject today ! We are limited to 75 spots for the panel ! Register today - www.nebulayouthcamps.org

Grace, one of our hackathon participants, highlights the challenges and success she had working with her team! Some things she enjoyed were the effective communication, the teamwork, and watching other performances!

"The hackathon was great! My team worked very hard to write a 15 page code and we made great friendships with each other. Our hard work payed off and we won! I can’t wait to do any other hackathon with Shooting Stars!" - Arushi (Participant) #GirlsWhoCode

Mr Srihari was so impressed that he got his 2 year old daughter to the closing ceremony saying his toddler was inspired by this!

Masks For Your Community, a project created by Danielle, Huarui, Madison and Nadine, aims to help provide PPE (personal protection equipment) to people who do not have access to it. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, many healthcare workers have gotten sick or even died due to a lack of PPE and as such, this project aims to fulfill this need through a platform that provides instructions on how to make essential items such as masks and then how to donate them to people who need them.

Here is what Huarui, one of our hackathon participants, had to say about her experience: "Going into the hackathon, I was a bit nervous since I had never done a hackathon before, and my teammates were from a different state. However, not long after the event began, we all introduced ourselves and figured out our strengthswhether that be working on writing content for the website, designing the layout, or working on the slideshow and presentation. I think one of our team’s gr...eatest strengths was communication; whenever we ran into an issue, we’d consult with other group members or a mentor. I think the key to achieving the prize was teamwork, meaning that everyone in our group was satisfied and excited about the project idea, we had some knowledge on the aspect of the project we were working on, and we felt comfortable reaching out for help when needed. When I found out our team won, I was surprised and ecstatic. The lessons we learned on coding, presenting, troubleshooting, and teamwork are invaluable, as those skills can be used towards future projects. Thank you so much for this amazing opportunity!" See more

The hackathon was a first coding experience for one of our 8th grade participants - and she is now determined to continue to code!

Here are some thoughts from Rianna Santra, one of the participants of our previous all-girls hackathon: "Our team was formed of two incoming 7th graders, one incoming eighth grader, and I am the incoming ninth grader. The workshops that were conducted by the Starhacks Team before the Hackathon helped us a lot - they gave us the sources and materials that we could use during the Hackathon. As for winning the Hackathon - I felt absolutely elated, and I’m sure my teammates were too. I am so wholly euphoric that my teammates and I were able to work together and win this second place in the Hackathon!" #girlswhocode #stargirlsinstem

The Netscout VP of Legal Counsel Azar Khansari - one of the judges for the evening, was overwhelmed with the project presentations - citing "No two projects were the same everyone had a different take on the situation!" She remarked If you girls don’t end up in technology I will happily recruit you in the Legal world! Watch her 1 minute feedback right after judging!

Grace from Sunnyvale thoroughly enjoyed the hackathon experience - Her favorites were: - Getting to work with colleagues on a project. - Listening to the inspiring stories of the beginning keynote speakers. - Learning and hearing other team's projects #girlswhocode

Amazing keynote speech by Ally Huang Ph.D in Biology, MIT Co-founder of Biobits She went through the exciting field of Biology / research and biomedical industry and had a lot to offer in terms of major advise to the participants One feedback from the participant said it all Dr. Huang's story of her wanting to become a doctor but finding her passion in technology instead really inspired me, because I am worried that I may choose the wrong field to go into when I grow up

Masktopia, made by Ellen, Danika, Claire and Michelle, is a website where one can upload a picture of themselves wearing a mask and then be informed whether or not they have worn the mask correctly or not. AI/ML was used to make a model that would be able to distinguish between pictures depicting face masks that are being used correctly and ones where the mask is being used incorrectly. #code #coding #stargirlsinstem #artificialintelligence #mask #covid19 #quarantine #masktopia