Computer Science

Ohio Students Hack Health and Wellness in AT&T and Franklin U Coding Contest

• By Rhea Kelly
• 12/10/15

AT&T and Franklin University have partnered to promote computer science education with CBusStudentHack Coding for Community: Health and Wellness, a 12-week computer programming contest for central Ohio-area high school students.

Teams of two to four students from eight high schools across the region have spent the last few months learning to navigate and create apps using Microsoft Touch Develop. 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, according to a press release. Examples of student apps projects include tools for improving blood drives; helping people deal with anxiety and stress; identifying allergens in food products; and encouraging families to eat more vegetables.

A panel of judges from central Ohio organizations — including AT&T, Choose Ohio First/Ohio Board of Regents, Code.org, Connect Ohio, Franklin University, Microsoft and others — will evaluate the students' work, with winners to be announced this Friday.

For the contest finale, students will meet at Franklin University to present their project ideas, hear from the judges and learn about "Coding for Life" from Jenna Garcia, district manager for Code.org.

"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," said Adam Grzybicki, president of AT&T Ohio, in a statement.

"Universities and companies need to partner to introduce non-traditional methods to stimulate interest and talent in tech fields," said Christopher Washington, provost and senior vice president at Franklin University, in a press release. "The 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."