Drum roll please… Bakersfield College finally has a computer science club. Headed by computer enthusiast, Chad Hidalgo, Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is a new club that started in November 2014 and was officially recognized by SGA in January 2015. Being that there has been no computer science club prior, AI is a huge step forward for the department.

“We are hoping for the club to be a place for faculty and students to merge and create wonderment,” said Hidalgo. “The goal is to inspire students to be on a quest for intelligence.”

With only 11 active members, the club has already been involved in technology events on campus such as the Technology Conference that was hosted at the BC indoor theater on Feb. 5.

If you plan on attending this year’s Garden Fest on April 18, AI will have a booth set up with the old school video game, Duck Hunt, to promote the club.

Also, if you’re interested in joining, one of the fun things that goes on during their bi-weekly meetings is a coding challenge. The challenge is open to both current members and first time attendees and promotes the exercise of dissecting code and learning what could be done to make it better and more efficient.

“These challenges are a learning opportunity for all of us,” said Hidalgo.

At this time, the club is in the process of raising $5,000 through a local scholarship that will be available for students to apply for by either writing an essay regarding the emergence of technology in education or helping to write a code for a program that the club adviser will help choose. This could be a great opportunity for any student who is a computer science major with an interest in technology.

As to why the club was named Artificial Intelligence, Hidalgo had this to say. “The name was created to poke fun at ourselves. Everything we learn at some point is artificial after all.”

The AI club meets on the first and third Friday of every month from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Business building in room B11.