Mobility Contest @ UMD

Winners Announced - April, 2011

1st Place ($3,000):	Jam My Jam: Social Music    Megan Monroe    Jonathan Speiser
2nd Place ($2,000):	Atmo: Crowdsourced Juke Box    Randy Baden
3rd Place ($1,000):	Tell The Terps: Report campus problems    Frankie Abralind    Gary Brendle    Alan Buabuchachart    Yi-Chung Chen    Evan Ponchick
Honorable Mention ($250):	Mobile Blue Light: Report emergencies    Chris DeCaro    Michael DeWitt    Tyler Dunn    Austin Wood
People's Choice ($250):	Beagle: Find people to get things done    Philippe Azimzadeh    Julian Capps    Asif Jamil    Adeel Khan
Other Finalists:	Blood Alcohol Content: Measure your BAC for safety mApp: Get from here to there on campus UMD Live: What building is what with augmented reality TerpCal: Find out what is going on around campus

Introducing the 1st Mobility Contest @ UMD! 

 

If you like mobile, want to improve campus life, meet other people, and possibly get a little fame and fortune along the way ... this is for you.

 

Any team of UMD students can create a mobile app (any platform), and compete for a prize of $1,000, $2,000 or even $3,000. The app has to do something to support campus life, but the rest is up to you. We will work with you to provide data, and we'll even help you along the way.

 

How it works

First, you form a team - the best teams are interdisciplinary.  Get some technologists and artists, humanities geeks and policy wonks together.  Come up with an idea that "supports campus life".  We have some ideas to help get you going.  Then, your team builds a prototype and a functioning mobile app. OIT will help you get access to campus data.  Note that you should focus on building apps that make the most sense for a mobile environment.  And expect to have some server component as well - many mobile apps are front ends to a service which you'll also have to manage.  Your app can be entirely "native," a mobile-oriented website, or a hybrid – your choice.

Process and Dates
We'll support you along the way.  We'll hold several meetups where you get free food, feedback, and technical advice. Meetups are mandatory.

• Tue, Oct 19: Kickoff event with Pizza
  Come learn about the contest, get potential ideas, have some pizza, and meet other other potential team members.
  @ Dingman (2517 Van Munching Hall). Advance registration required.

• Wed, Nov 3: Meetup with Pizza & Proposal Due
  Proposal and pitch info.
  @ HCIL (2105 Hornbake, South Wing, 4:30-6). Advance registration required.

• Fri, Nov 5, 12 or 19: Pitch Dingman
  You must attend one of the Pitch Dingman events in November from 11am-1pm to get direct feedback on your idea.  You give a short (3-5 minute) pitch and get actionable feedback. Advance registration required.

• Wed, Dec 1: Meetup with Pizza & Mockups Due
  Each team must come to the meetup with some kind of mockup of the app.  The mockup could be as simple as sketches on paper, or it could be an initial implementation of the app.
  @ Dingman (2517 Van Munching Hall). Advance registration required.

• Wed, Feb 2: Meetup with Pizza & Prototype Due
  Each team must come to the meetup with an initial implementation of the app.  It does not need to be complete, but it needs to be running on a mobile device.
  @ Dingman (3-6:30pm, 1524 Van Munching Hall - Frank Auditorium [CHANGED ROOM]).

• Fri, Mar 18: Final App Due
  Each team must submit both the source code for the app as well as access to the running app by submitting the information the contest email.  Exactly what is submitted will depend on the technology you use.
  Submission Requirements

• Thu, Apr 21: Awards Ceremony
  All teams must show up to find out whether they won - and to participate in an "audience choice" 4th prize. Snacks, t-shirts, and certificates for all participants.
  @ Dingman (4:30-6:30, 1524 Van Munching Hall - Frank Auditorium)

One-on-one Advising Sessions

You can email us any time, but you also can schedule one hour each of business and technical consulting per team - once in the Fall and once in the Spring.

 

Judging Committee

All applications will be evaluated for innovation, support of campus life, appropriateness for mobile use, demonstrated demand for product, usefulness, ease of use, design, technical difficulty and overall quality by the following judges:

• Ben Bederson - Computer Science / HCIL (Contest Chair)

• Ashok Agrawala - Computer Science

• Asher Epstein - Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship

• Jen Golbeck - iSchool / HCIL

• Matt Kirschenbaum - English / MITH / DCC

• Adam Porter - Computer Science

• Ron Yaros - Journalism

Prizes

T-shirts will be given to all participants.

 

The top 3 teams will win awards of $1,000, $2,000 and $3,000 (to be shared by winning teams).

 

 

 

The fine print

• Attendance by at least one team member at each meetup is mandatory.
• Most mobile platforms are supported (including at least Apple iOS, Google Android, HP WebOS, Microsoft Windows Phone 7, Nokia Maemo, and Blackberry.).   Let us know if you would like to develop for a different platform and we will discuss if it is possible.
• Apps can be web-based, native or a combination.
• Teams can be any size and any combination of undergrad and graduate students, but all team members must be full-time or part-time UMD students during Fall 2010 and Spring 2011 semesters. Note that teams are welcome to get help however they see fit.  They are encouraged to find faculty mentors, to get help from friends who have graduated, or even high school students.  The groups can highlight these other participants however they like, but these other participants won't be recognized as "official" team members.
• Faculty mentors are encouraged, and the committee will be happy to try and find mentors or advisors to help teams with their projects.
• Committee reserves the right to not award prizes if submissions are not of sufficient quality.
• Students retain copyright and all ownership of intellectual property of the developed app.  But teams must give access to the app and source code to the judges. You must also give permission to UMD to promote the contest with descriptions and pictures of the app and you.
• Apps must not violate any laws or copyright of third parties.
• Apps must run on phones that have not been "jailbroken", or otherwise tampered with in a way that violates the manufacturers terms of service.

Contact

Want more info? Contact: mobilitycontest@umd.edu

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HCIL is a partnership of the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS) in the College of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences (CMNS) and the College of Information Studies - Maryland's iSchool