Eleven Penn apps in running for $50K prize

The AppItUP Challenge, the app development contest run by the Penn Center for Innovation and its business incubator, UPstart, has a new slate of semi-finalists. Aiming to gather the best mobile application ideas from throughout the University, AppItUP is once again partnering with local and national software development firms that have committed to taking five submissions into the prototype stage, where they will then compete for a $50,000 grand prize.

In its second year, AppItUP gathered 427 ideas from 11 of Penn’s 12 schools, more than doubling the haul from its inaugural run. Out of these submissions, 11 semi-finalists were selected by a panel of venture capital partners. These 11 ideas will make their pitches to five sets of developers at a public event on Thursday, Nov. 20, at the University City Science Center’s Quorum

“AerO2Max”— Hansell H. Stedman, an associate professor at the Perelman School of Medicine — connects to a sensor to monitor oxygen levels in the blood while exercising.

“Energy Rebates” Ken Ogawa, executive director of operations and management at Facilities and Real Estate Services — searches for potential tax rebates available for installing energy efficient systems, as well contracts to install them. As the top app in the “Climate Change and Resliency” category, “Energy Rebates” will win a $5,000 prize sponsored by Penn’s Green Campus Partnership.

“Eye Click-You See”— Sonul Mehta, an assistant professor at the Perelman School of Medicine — a simple, camera-based way of measuring the refraction needed for corrective lenses.

“getPAAid”— Elisa Chen, a student at the Graduate School of Education — a tool for tracking and completing financial aid applications.

“HeartMonitor”— Jerrod Hill, graduate student at the Wharton School of Business — a pacemaker monitoring service that provides daily feedback to patients.  

“Live Directory”— Benjamin Ranard, graduate student at the Perelman School of Medicine — a dynamic phone directory for health care workers that automatically updates based on whether they are physically in the hospital.

“MemoryStream”— Joseph Barber, an associate director in Career Services — a way of combining video, photo, audio, text, and GPS data into a single stream to create instant video timelines.

“MobileOptx”— Jason Brant, faculty instructor at the Perelman School of Medicine — an app that allows direct recording of endoscopies onto smartphones and interfaces with electronic medical records. 

“PathwayRx” — Kathleen Lee, a resident at the Perelman School of Medicine — a decision-making tool designed to improve health outcomes over the course of medical treatment through shared workflows and patient-specific checklists.

“StrokeVision”  Claude Nguyen, a clinical assistant professor at the Perelman School of Medicinea Google Glass app to assist patients with neurological problems during rehabilitation.

“Vision testing with OKN” Monte Mills, a clinical associate professor at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia — a tool that assists with measuring vision in infants.

Once the five apps selected at the semi-final event are developed, Ben Franklin Technology Partners will offer an investment of $50,000 to a finalist of its choice.

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