High school students in Eastern Kentucky will have the opportunity to work alongside researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, thanks to Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) and the Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative (KVEC).  Students from Pikeville, Paintsville and Whitesburg will participate virtually in the first-ever Appalachian Health Hackathon, focusing on using broadband and innovation to improve the health of Eastern Kentuckians,

Students will work with their teachers, KVEC staff and local subject matter experts alongside the 150 medical professionals, engineers, social workers and entrepreneurs gathered in Somerset to solve health-care challenges in Appalachia. Not only is this an opportunity for students to showcase and contribute their ideas, but they will also compete for prizes and have unprecedented access to MIT researchers. The SOAR sponsored event facilitated by MIT is free. Those wanting to participate should register as soon as possible at soar-ky.org/hackathon as space is limited. The event is scheduled in Somerset at The Center for Rural Development from October 6-8.