Frequently Asked Questions

What is the MCF AI bootcamp?

• A 4 half-day bootcamp on Saturdays in Fall 2021 (Oct 23rd, Oct 30th, Nov 6th, Nov 13th)

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 in or around 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 (11am-4pm CST) on Oct 23rd, Oct 30th, Nov 6th, Nov 13th 2021.

Where are the bootcamps being held in 2021?

• Addison, TX (Elevate Credit and Headstorm) [DISD & CFBISD]
• Dallas, TX (Walmart - Virtual)
• Fort Worth, TX (Elevate Credit)
• Plano, TX (Perficient)
  
• Austin, TX (Dell - Virtual)
• Philadelphia, PA (CSL Behring - Virtual)
• Pittsburgh, PA (The Readiness Institute at Penn State)
• Atlantic City, NJ (ThoughtSpot)
• Providence, RI (Hasbro)
• Chicago, IL (McDonald's - Virtual)
• Birmingham, AL (Protective Life)
• Detroit, MI (Argo AI)
• Des Moines, IA (Granular)
• Pasadena, CA (Pasadena Educational Foundation)
  

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

• Yes. Based on the progression of vaccine rollout, we plan to possibly host camps in person in Fall 2021. It is imperative that students live in or near the city of which they are applying.
• 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?

• You can apply here.
• Please only apply once. Submitting duplicate applications will NOT increase your chances of being selected.

When is the application deadline?

• Applications are due on August 27th, 2021.

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

• 11-11:45am CST- Guest Speaker and Q&A
• 11:45-2pm CST- Interactive Lesson (Topics: Chatbots, Machine Learning, Computer Vision, and Natural Language Processing)
• 2-4pm 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 23rd-November 13th from 11am to 4pm 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 for in person camps), 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?

• Parent/Guardians can begin their portion of the application here.

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.