App development contest seeks to inspire students

Alexandra+Wilkinson+%28left%29%2C+junior+information+technology+major%2C+works+with+Keesha+Landon%2C+senior+computer+programming+major%2C+in+the+computer+lab+of+Plaster+Free+Enterprise+Center+on+Feb.+4.+Photo+illustration

Molly Schons/The Chart

Alexandra Wilkinson (left), junior information technology major, works with Keesha Landon, senior computer programming major, in the computer lab of Plaster Free Enterprise Center on Feb. 4. Photo illustration

Students at Missouri Southern State University have an opportunity to win cash prizes in February by entering a new contest.

The Plaster School of Business will be holding the Dev-Con 1 software and mobile application development contest. This is the inaugural year for the contest; however, the plan is for the competition to become an annual event.

“The goal of the contest is for individuals/teams to create a commercially viable mobile application or computer software,” said Sherry Noller, communications and outreach coordinator for the event. Noller is a research associate with the Small Business Development Center at Southern.

Competitors can be individuals or teams.

“The team can reach out to members of the community or others to assist them as long as MSSU students make up half of the team,” Noller said.

Dr. John Groesbeck, dean of the Plaster School of Business, said it is essential to connect programs to opportunities in the marketplace.

“One of the most important economic engines for the world in recent decades has been growth and change in computing,” Grosbeak said. “Our students need an opportunity to be a part of that foundation.”

The goal of the Dev-Con is to help create a culture of software innovation and development at Southern, he said. These developments could help new ventures that become an important part of the regional economy.

Interested students may search for 2015 Dev-Con 1Challenge on Facebook. This event page has information on the contest, as well as a link to register.