Frequently Asked Questions

What is the MCF AI bootcamp?

• A 4 half-day bootcamp on Saturdays in Fall 2022 (Oct 22nd, Oct 29th, Nov 5th, Nov 12th)

Who is the bootcamp for?

• Any current high school student (9th-12th grade) in the U.S. interested in learning more about Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

• No prerequisite courses and no knowledge of coding is required.

Who is eligible to participate?

• All high school students that live within a 15-20 mile radius of our host cities are encouraged to apply. MCF is focused on serving students on free and reduced lunch as well as recruiting girls and students of color to participate in our bootcamps.
• Are you a middle school student?
  Fill out our K-12 Interest Form to sign up for our newsletter and learn more about potential middle school programs in the future.

What is the time commitment?

• 5 hours each Saturday (12pm-5pm CST) on Oct 22nd, Oct 29th, Nov 5th, Nov 12th 2022.

Where are the bootcamps being held in 2022?

• Addison, TX (Headstorm)
• Atlantic City, NJ (South Jersey Gas)
  
• Baltimore, MD (ThoughtSpot @ Johns Hopkins University)
  
• Birmingham, AL (Protective Life)
• Cedar Rapids, IA (Circle Computer Resources with NewBoCo)
• Chicago, IL (McDonald's)
  
• Denver, CO (Western Union)
  
• Fort Worth, TX (Elevate)
  
• Grand Prairie, TX (ABLe Communications with UT Dallas)
• Honolulu, HI (The Odom Corporation)
  
• Houston, TX (Perficient)
• Johnston, IA (Granular)
• Los Angeles, CA [Boyle Heights Neighborhood] (CSL Behring with i.am.angel Foundation)
• Miami, FL (Argo AI @ Miami Dade College)
• Omaha, NE (Notified)
• Pasadena, CA (Pasadena Educational Foundation @ Caltech)
  
• Philadelphia, PA (CSL Behring)
  
• Pittsburgh, PA (Argo AI & The Readiness Institute)
  
• Plano, TX (Perficient)
• Pontiac/ Detroit, MI (United Wholesale Mortgage)
• Portland, OR (Notified)
• Round Rock/ Austin, TX (Dell Technologies)
  
• Tempe, AZ (DriveTime)
  
• Twin Cities, MN (Strategic Education)
• Union Townships, NJ (Elizabethtown Gas)
• West Palm Beach, FL (Florida Power and Light) & more to come!
  

Do I need to live in a city above to attend a bootcamp?

• Yes, it is imperative that students live within a 15-20 mile radius of the city they are applying to. If you have any questions about your location, please email hi@markcubanai.org.
• Would you like to hear when we come to a city near you? Fill out our K-12 Interest Form to sign up for our newsletter and learn more about when an MCF bootcamp comes to a city near you.

Where can I apply?

• Click here to apply.
  
• Please only apply once. Applying multiple times will NOT increase your chances of being selected.

What does the schedule for a half-day bootcamp look like?

• 12-12:45pm CST- Guest Speaker and Q&A
• 12:45-3pm CST- Interactive Lesson (Topics: Chatbots, Machine Learning, Computer Vision, and Natural Language Processing)
• 3-5pm CST- Lab Exercise with support of Host Company Mentors

What is required of students who are selected to attend the bootcamp?

• Attend the bootcamp every Saturday from October 22nd-November 12th from 12pm to 5pm CST
• Engage, ask questions, and immerse yourself during the bootcamp to receive the best possible student experience
• MCF works with host companies to coordinate laptop and wi-fi support, food and snacks (1 meal at the start of camp), and lastly transportation options (differs by city) over the camp duration, all at no cost to students and parents/legal guardians.
• Contact the MCF team or your Bootcamp Leader should any issues arise.

I am a parent/guardian interested in having my student a attend bootcamp. Where can I apply?

• Click here to apply.
• Please only apply once. Applying multiple times will NOT increase your chances of being selected.

I work for a company interested in hosting a bootcamp. Where can I sign up to host?

• MCF partners with businesses and corporations to allow students to meet folks in the corporate world and when applicable connect them to adults with real-world jobs in STEM, AI, and ML.
• All host companies must be at least 50 employees in size and have at least One US Office location.
• You can complete the Host Company Interest Form here.

I am a K-12 Teacher, Administrator, Non-Profit or Government Agency contact interested in bringing a bootcamp to my city. Where can I sign up?

• K-12 contacts take an active role in partnering to drive awareness and student applications for our local camps.
  Fill out our K-12 Interest Form to sign up for our newsletter and hear when an MCF bootcamp comes to a city near you.
• If you know a local business in your community that would be interested in hosting a camp you can have them fill out the Host Company Interest form linked above.

Can I receive a grant or funding from the Mark Cuban Foundation?

• The AI Bootcamps program at the Mark Cuban Foundation is not a grant funding organization.