The 6th annual Hack Bahamas STEM camp 2019, kicks off today, August 13 for five days at St. Andrew’s School.

Open to private and public school students in grades 9-12, Hack Bahamas 2019 provides five days of hands-on STEM instruction. With a focus on developing a technology-based startup, the camp will give nearly 100 attendees the opportunity to apply their knowledge to an issue of social impact within the Bahamas and compete for a cash prize.

Hands-on instruction begins at 9am Tuesday, August 13th and concludes Friday, August 16th. The culminating competition and awards ceremony, which will be held at 10am on Saturday, August 17, is open to the entire community where students will compete for a grand prize.

This year marks the sixth for Hack Bahamas. Since its inception, nearly 500 students throughout the Caribbean have participated in programs designed and executed by STEMBoard and its partners.

“We are hoping this year’s camp proves to be yet another outstanding experience for our students,” says Aisha Bowe, Bahamian-American aerospace engineer and Founder of STEMBoard. “We are honored to partner with so many amazing companies that understand our vision for the future young people of the island.” Aisha continued, “With support from the Ministry of Education and ALIV, we are able to create a program that provides the fundamentals of technology and entrepreneurship to allow our students the opportunity to create innovative projects that showcase the genius that lies within the Bahamas.”

Sponsors of Hack 2019 include ALIV, The Ministry of Education, Bahamas Power and Light Company Ltd (BPL), The Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) and the Caribbean Bottling Company, Pizza Hut, Dairy Queen and PricewaterHouse Coopers. For more information on how to support Hack Bahamas 2019, please visit www.bahamascamp.com.

STEMBoard is a technology solutions company that creates smart systems and software solutions for government and large-scale private-sector clients. Committed to closing the achievement gap, STEMBoard empowers historically underrepresented youth to build transformational technologies. Through demonstration-based technical curricula for K-12 and college students, the STEMBoard engineering team designs and delivers activities that mirror real-world challenges.