Students to develop hacks for language learning
University of Hawaiʻi at MānoaEducational Specialist, College of Languages, Linguistics & Literature
Leon Qu
Mia Porter
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Chinese Language Flagship Program scholars Mia Porter and Leon Qu have been selected to attend the national Hack The Language Flagship event hosted by the Flagship Technology Innovation Center in the College of Languages, Linguistics & Literature.
The Flagship Hackathon is a fast-paced event where participants seek advice from language technology experts throughout the country in order to propose technology-based solutions or “hacks” that could impact language learning.
Porter and Qu will travel to Washington, D.C. this month to meet with other flagship scholars, representatives of the Flagship Technology Innovation Center and leadership from the National Security Education Program.
Flagship Director Madeline Spring explains the unique opportunity the Hackathon offers its students and participants. “The Hackathon mimics situations that would be encountered in workplaces and real life,” she said. “The ability to assess problems and find solutions quickly is best developed in collaborative environments like the hackathon.”
The two scholars have been acknowledged for previous academic achievements. Porter, a triple major in Chinese/finance/international business and summer 2018 graduate, received the Colleges of Arts and Sciences’ Richard and Mildred Kosaki Award and the Colleges of Arts and Sciences Alumni Association Academic Opportunities Award in 2017. Qu, a double major in Chinese Flagship and computer science, received funding from the Hiram L. Fong Fund in Arts and Sciences for his upcoming spring 2019 flagship capstone year in China.