Ohio Students Hack Health and Wellness in 12-Week Coding Contest

AT&T and Franklin University are working 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."

For more information, visit the CBusStudentHack site.

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • students using digital devices, surrounded by abstract AI motifs and soft geometric design

    Ed Tech Startup Kira Launches AI-Native Learning Platform

    A new K-12 learning platform aims to bring personalized education to every student. Kira, one of the latest ed tech ventures from Andrew Ng, former director of Stanford's AI Lab and co-founder of Coursera and DeepLearning.AI, "integrates artificial intelligence directly into every educational workflow — from lesson planning and instruction to grading, intervention, and reporting," according to a news announcement.

  • glowing AI text box emerges from a keyboard on a desk, surrounded by floating padlocks, warning icons, and fragmented shields

    1 in 10 AI Prompts Could Expose Sensitive Data

    A recent study from data protection startup Harmonic Security found that nearly one in 10 prompts used by business users when interacting with generative AI tools may inadvertently disclose sensitive data.

  • modern school building surrounded by a glowing digital shield and floating lock icons

    CoSN Launches Campaign Advocating for Congressional Support for K-12 Cybersecurity

    CoSN, the professional association for K-12 ed tech leaders, has launched a national advocacy campaign urging Congress to maintain federal support for cybersecurity assistance in K-12 education.

  • chart with ascending bars and two silhouetted figures observing it, set against a light background with blue and purple tones

    Report: Enterprises Are Embracing Agentic AI

    According to a new report from SnapLogic, 50% of enterprises are already deploying AI agents, and another 32% plan to do so within the next 12 months..