By Samantha Williams on January 25, 2024
College Station, TX – A donation of more than three dozen computers from a Texas-based IT professional will go a long way in helping Teamup bring students together during their Computer Science Boot Camp.
“We’re preparing to host a boot camp here in Aggieland, in College Station, and we’re expecting about 30 students,” said David Houngninou, an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Texas A&M University and Founder of Teamup.
These computers will be available for local high school students to participate in the boot camp and learn Python programming, and they will be beneficial in more ways than one.
“Not all students have computers, so we’ll have already them set up, and they can come and use them for the boot camps,” He said, “That will be some of their first time learning how to write code.”
The mini-computers were donated by IT Professional Jeff Vogelpohl, from Houston, Texas. Vogelpohl says he was intrigued by Teamup’s mission and felt that donating the computers was the right thing to do.
“I was about to get 35 computers,” Vogelpohl said, “and instead of me refurbishing them trying to sell to family, why not give them to someone who either can’t afford one or that can utilize it more than me.”
He’s been working with computers since the 7th grade and says he can usually pick them up through auctions or from suppliers looking to buy something new despite having plenty of life left.
“This is equipment that can still be used by someone, and the hardware specifications on these computers allow for up to Windows 11, and they will still work,” He says, “The great thing about these computers is the Microsoft key is integrated right into the motherboard, so now you have a Windows 11 computer that’s activated with Microsoft that you’ll be able to use for the next few years”.
They will first have to be outfitted by Teamup with about $50 worth of software, but once completed, they will be ready for students to use during the summer boot camp.
If you would like to learn how to donate a computer or other electronic device that can be used in a
classroom (i.e., monitors, projectors, printers, keyboards, etc.), you can find more information, here.
Teamup is a 501 c(3) non-profit organization that promotes project-based learning and empowers students to build technology focused on driving positive social change.