Add as a preferred source on Google

AT&T and Franklin University Announce the CBusStudentHack Coding for Community: Health and Wellness Contest

  • 10/02/15

Columbus, Ohio, —AT&T* and Franklin University today announced the CBusStudentHack Coding for Community: Health and Wellness – a 12-week programming contest for central Ohio area high school students.

The CBusStudentHack seeks to provide Columbus area high school students 21st century skills via computer science education, prepare the students for college and career readiness, solve real world problems and open the doors of opportunity and creativity. To accomplish this, teacher mentors have spent time during the past month learning the ins and outs of Microsoft Touch Develop, the software that the students will use to code and eventually develop their own apps. Teams of 2 to 4 students will participate from the following central Ohio high schools: Gahanna Lincoln, Marburn Academy, Metro Early College, Metro Institute of Technology, New Albany, Reynoldsburg Encore Academy, Reynoldsburg eSTEM Academy, Upper Arlington and Whetstone.

Students met today at Franklin University to kick-off the CBusStudentHack and had the opportunity to brainstorm project ideas, hear from community leaders like Rev 1 Ventures, and learn from keynote speaker Chris Hamrick, founder of Columbus-based creative agency Basecraft.

Through the remainder of the 12-week period, the students will learn Touch Develop to create their apps. The apps must be focused on improving health and wellness and will be judged on software quality, the potential impact on the central Ohio region, execution and creativity. A team of central Ohio area leaders will judge the students’ work, and winners will be announced at a finale event on December 11.

“AT&T's commitment to technology innovation and high school students in central Ohio grows out of our company's $1.6 billion investment in our wireless and wireline networks between 2012 and 2014,” said Adam Grzybicki, President, AT&T Ohio. “By encouraging students in Columbus to learn to code and explore mobile app development we are spotlighting the enormous demand for developers and engineers needed to create the software that will drive our mobile economy.”

"One of the major workforce development questions today is how to fix the tech talent shortage,” said Christopher Washington, Provost and Senior Vice President, Franklin University. “I think Universities and companies need to partner to introduce non-traditional methods to stimulate interest and talent in tech fields. CBusStudentHack is one way that AT&T and Franklin are working together to promote computer science education, prepare high school students for college and careers, and enable them to express their creativity."

“I thank AT&T and Franklin University for bringing this innovative challenge to high school students throughout central Ohio,” said Zach Klein, Columbus City Councilmember. “This contest will provide real-world programming skills, and create new technology-based solutions that will help to improve the lives of people living in our community.”

To learn more please visit the CBusStudentHack website at cbusstudenthack.org and to join the conversation on social media please use the hashtag #CBusStudentHack.

Featured

  • South Texas K–12 District Debuts Region’s First Electric Bus Fleet

    The Valley View Independent School District in Pharr, Texas, recently announced a partnership with Highland Electric Fleets to launch the district’s—and the region’s—first fleet of all-electric school buses, according to a news release.

  • KI Launches K–12 Classroom Furniture Giveaway

    Contract furniture company KI recently announced the launch of its fourth-annual Classroom Furniture Giveaway, which awards $50,000 each to four K–12 educators across the U.S., according to a news release. The goal is to address decreasing student engagement and increasing teacher burnout numbers by updating learning spaces to accommodate modern needs.

  • University of Kentucky Receives $150M Gift Toward New Arts District

    The University of Kentucky’s Board of Trustees recently received a $150-million gift from The Bill Gatton Foundation, according to a university news release, to build a new arts district on the campus in Lexington, Ky. The new district will feature a new College of Fine Arts building and a multi-hundred-seat theater, among other amenities.

  • UCNJ Launches $30M Modernization of Physical Education Center

    The Union College of Union County (UCNJ) in Cranford, N.J., recently broke ground on a new $30-million modernization project for its Physical Education Center (PECK), according to a news release. The college partnered with DIGroup Architecture for the project’s design, transitioning the existing 42,000-square-foot structure into a campus hub for student athletics and campus life.

Digital Edition