NSU’s Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences (GSCIS) will host ITPalooza, a technology conference informally known as South Florida’s Holiday Tech Party, on Dec. 4 in the Carl DeSantis Building.
This year, the all-day annual celebration of the technology community is expecting over 2,000 registrants from 50 non-profit technology user groups, as well as 60 speakers and 100 sponsors.
Eric Ackerman, dean of GSCIS said, “The goal of ITPalooza is to not only bring together the whole South Florida IT community to a central location so that people learn about each other, but to also allow for an opportunity for non-profits and professional organizations to come together around the holiday times and bring toys to support the community.”
Attendees will have the opportunity to explore different technological tracks – or different areas of computing – all while being updated with the latest information in the information technology (IT) world.
ITPalooza will host presentations from South Florida’s top technology professionals and provide educational workshops for developers, including “Intro to Go Programming” and “Data Visualization Optimization.” Attendees will have opportunities to participate in hackathons, network among professionals and find job opportunities at the Hiring Fair with companies such as e-Bilder, Citrix, and SherlockTech.
At 8:30 a.m., hackathons will begin, which are events in which participants either must attempt to hack into a network or create an application with existing requirements. The job fair will begin at 1 p.m., which will allow prospective candidates to meet and interact with employers. The day will conclude with a holiday party with a performance by the ITPalooza House Band, comprised of local technologists led by Host.net’s Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President of Business Development Lenny Chesal, from 7 to 9 p.m.
By attending, individuals will not only support the information technology community, but the South Florida community as well. As a non-profit event, ITPalooza offers free online registration in exchange for two unwrapped toys valued at $12 each for the US Marine Corp’s “Toys for Tots” charity. Over $75,000 was raised in cash donations and toys at the 2012 and 2013 events for organizations such as The Stockdale Foundation, Prymus Angels, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Man Dodo Humanitarian Foundation, and the NSU/GSCIS Computer Museum.
To register, visit itpalooza.com/tickets. For attendees who cannot bring two toys, registrants can also donate $35 for a ticket or $40 in cash at the door.
For more information, contact Alex Funkhouser at 305-651-6500 or visit itpalooza.com.
