Mobile Apps Created for CSUN Students, by CSUN Students

  • Students showcase innovative mobile applications they created to the CSUN community at the inaugural AppJam in the Oviatt Library's Ferman Presentation Room. CSUN students teamed up to create productive apps in one of two categories, student life or student finances, for a chance to win a cash prize. Photo by David Hawkins.

  • All 89 student participants pose for a group picture at the AppJam showcase after the award ceremony. A total of 24 teams developed mobile applications to compete for six awards in two categories — student finance and student life. The prizes for each category were $5,000 for first prize, $3,500 for second prize and $1,500 for third prize. Photo by David Hawkins.

  • Araik Yegiazaryan, Kyra Key and Rebecca Koller pose with Vice President/CIO Hilary Baker after winning first place in the student life category for their Matador Patrol app – a mobile app that enables students to find fellow students to escort them safely across campus. Photo by David Hawkins.

  • From left, George Leis ’81 (Geography), Private Banking National Sales Manager for Union Bank of California, poses with David Barsda, Collin Cierlak, Sarah Cierlak, Jeffrey Hand and Vice President/CIO Hilary Baker, after winning first place in the student finance category for uCarpool — a student-oriented carpooling app that connects drivers and passengers while saving money and time. The student finance apps allow students to make cash while on campus and budget their money. Photo by David Hawkins.

  • CSUN student Kyle Suffolk explains the app ConnectED that he and his team developed for the AppJam competition, to Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students William Watkins. AppJam exemplifies CSUN's commitment to student success, providing them with the opportunities to create a mobile app that will benefit other students. Photo by David Hawkins.

  • Karandeep Bhamra and Ibram Uppal demo their social app, OLÉ — which helps students find events on campus to attend with fellow students — took second place in the student life category. The student life category focuses on improving the CSUN student university experience. Photo by Luis Garcia.

  • Attendees listen to student Kyle Shaver explain how Coral Finance helps students learn how to invest in stocks. CSUN students Raymond Barrios, Danilo DeLeon, Vladimir Jimenez and Kyle Shaver won second place in the student finance category. Photo by Luis Garcia.

California State University, Northridge students presented their innovative mobile applications in an entrepreneurial environment at the AppJam Showcase on April 30 in the Oviatt Library’s Ferman Presentation Room. Twenty-four student teams developed mobile apps in one of two categories – student life or student finances – for a chance to win cash prizes of up to $5,000 per team.

Each team used coding, graphic design, gaming, storyboarding and business development skills to create an app that relates to student life or financial goals. The mobile app creators left their footprint at CSUN by creating apps that will make campus life for future Matadors easier and eliminate some of the problems students face on campus today.

“Students received the opportunity to work collaboratively with students from other disciplines, learn valuable skills and compete for prize monies — all while making valuable apps for students who live in an increasingly mobile world,” said Deone Zell, CSUN’s associate vice president for academic technology.

“It was so exciting to experience the energy and anticipation in the room at the AppJam Showcase,” said Hilary Baker, CSUN’s vice president for information technology and chief information officer. “This was a terrific first CSUN AppJam and we certainly look forward to making it an annual event.”

The apps covered a broad range of functions including enabling students to connect with one another, quickly navigate their way on campus, find campus escorts for safety, manage money, find parking spaces, carpool or digitize CSUN’s Loyalty Cards. Students have the option to pursue a wide range of entrepreneurial outcomes with their apps.

During the showcase, the apps were judged on three criteria: relevance, innovation and user-experience. CSUN’s Office of Research & Graduate Studies, Department of Information Technology and Union Bank sponsored the 2015 AppJam competition and showcase.

 

,