Student-led HIVE aims to be “a place swarming with activity”

With its first semester under its belt, HIVE is planning to do more than just sleep in over the upcoming winter break. The student-driven organization at the the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, which we spotlighted in August, is gearing up for a busy spring semester. Beginning in mid-January, HIVE will host about two dozen workshops on…

HIVE participants work a booth at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Big Red Welcome event in August.

With its first semester under its belt, HIVE is planning to do more than just sleep in over the upcoming winter break.

The student-driven organization at the the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, which we spotlighted in August, is gearing up for a busy spring semester.

Beginning in mid-January, HIVE will host about two dozen workshops on tech and startup-related skills such as iOS development, Final Cut Pro, Adobe Illustrator and team building (a full schedule will be posted this month).

As the culmination of its first year, HIVE plans to co-sponsor a Startup Weekend University of Nebraska-Lincoln April 5-7, and an app contest April 10, in which the best team will win a private dinner with local entrepreneurs.

What is HIVE?

At a high level, HIVE is “a platform for innovation, set up to help any student, at any skill level, transform their ideas into reality,” HIVE’s Brad Severa said during a presentation last week at Turbine Flats. Severa, a UNL Information Services staffer, recently began a full-time assignment to HIVE.

The group promises to help participants:

  • Learn how to create their ideas
  • Collaborate with people who have the skills they need to complete their ideas
  • Share their interest with people of similar interests
  • Connect them with professionals who need their ideas

In essence, HIVE aspires to be “a place swarming with activity” in both the physical and digital space, said Sourabh Chakraborty, a senior electrical engineering student and one of HIVE’s leaders.

The group also aims to bring together the various UNL departments and the Lincoln and tech communities, Severa said.

“We want to be the schmooze in Nebraska for anybody who wants to build stuff,” Chakraborty said. To that end, all of the workshops are open to the public.

How can the public participate in HIVE?

Specifically, the pair asked the assembled entrepreneurs and creative types at Turbine Flats to do four things:

  • Tell HIVE about you, your company, your startup story and what you do, etc.
  • Tell HIVE what you need. “You should be able to post a job requirement in the morning,” Chakraborty said, “and by the end of the day, HIVE should be able to connect you with a bunch of resumes for your jobs.”
  • Contribute by volunteering to teach a workshop or serve as a mentor, contest judge, advisory committee member or app contest prize dinner participant.
  • Donate. HIVE has raised $10,000 toward its $20,000 goal to pay for prizes, speakers and food for events. 

The time commitment is flexible, Chakraborty said, and Severa stressed that any involvement from the community is invaluable for the credibility and believability it lends HIVE’s message to students. “Students think they know what they need, but they don’t,” Severa said.

 

Credits: Photo from HIVE on Facebook.

This story is part of the AIM Archive

This story is part of the AIM Institute Archive on Silicon Prairie News. AIM gifted SPN to the Nebraska Journalism Trust in January 2023. Learn more about SPN’s origin »

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