A great mobile application (apps for iPhones, iPads, Droid, etc.) contest for students at the University of Maryland. Its awesome to see various schools and departments working together to give students entrepreneurial experiences. By Priya Kumar:
Last semester, University of Maryland students received academic credit for creating iPhone apps. Now any tech-savvy team of students that wants to get in on the app market can get something better: cash.
In its latest effort to examine the intersection of mobile technology and education, the university is launching a contest for students to design an app that “supports campus life.” The first-place team wins $3,000, two runner-ups get $2,000 and $1,000, respectively, and all winners have a chance to market their apps.
The contest represents a way to “harness our campus community’s broad creativity,” says Ben Bederson, contest chair and assistant professor of computer science. He served as director for the Human Computer Interaction Lab on campus from 2000-2006.
The contest is part of a mobility initiative the university launched in Fall 2008 to explore the impact of handheld wireless devices on education. Through the program, the university has given pilot groups of freshmen an iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad and helped develop a new cell phone emergency alert system.
Campus Entrepreneurship 