HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky., Feb. 28, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tech Allies Consulting and its Mobility division, MindCrate, announced they have joined with the Northern Kentucky University (NKU) Business Informatics Department in hosting a mobile app symposium and competition. The event was geared toward all disciplines to give the participating students a real-world learning environment in business informatics and to challenge their creativity and entrepreneurial spirit. Students teamed up and were given 24 hours to design, develop, and present a mobile application to a panel of judges and other students. The top three teams were awarded funds, and the winning team received an opportunity to be awarded a technology internship offered by Tech Allies. This was an excellent opportunity to bring together the internationally recognized academics at NKU and business expertise of Tech Allies/MindCrate to form a long-term synergistic relationship using education and business to address the technology solutions of tomorrow. The event was held February 8 and 9 at the new state-of-the-art NKU Business Informatics Griffin Hall Digitorium. With over 75 students participating, the event encompassed undergraduate and graduate students as well as a select group of high school students, 5 freshmen and 3 Sophomores from Dixie Heights High School.
Anthony Kelly, CEO of Tech Allies Consulting indicated, "The event was a great success. The students came up with several solutions that can be developed into mobile applications that can be utilized in business and personal environments. The mobile technology market is an innovative and growing environment and is playing an integral role in all aspects of day-to-day life. This event was conceived in an effort to ensure that our region is providing forethought and education for new jobs as students are coming out into the job market. Thousands of technology jobs go unfilled in the U.S. due to lack of training. Our objective is to affect the education process starting at the high school level and guide students into degree programs that lead to the jobs available in today and future markets. We look forward to working with NKU and other schools within the region in developing these skills."
Dr. Teuta Cata, Associate Professor, Business Informatics Department at NKU, added that she was "very proud of the creativity, motivation and professionalism of the NKU students that participated in this event. They worked very hard to come up with original and innovative ideas for mobile apps, and delivered great presentations and prototypes. They exceeded my expectations."
Jake Jones, Freshman at Dixie Heights High School, added, "I was really excited that I was invited to this event and truly felt that this opportunity would benefit me in preparing for college."
Speakers/mentors of the event include:
Dr. Teuta Cata – Ph.D. – University of Nebraska-Lincoln – Management Information Systems
Dr. Cata has been published in journals such as Journal of Software Maintenance and Evolution: Research and Practice; International Journal of e-Business Research; and Journal of Internet Commerce. Her teaching interests are in the areas of management information systems (undergraduate and graduate level), electronic commerce, and global IT. Dr. Cata has been at NKU since 2003.
Dr. Ben Martz – Ph.D. – University of Arizona – Management Information Systems
As a professor in the Department of Business Informatics, Dr. Martz teaches Quantitative Analysis with Excel and Introduction to Problem Solving and Creativity. Dr. Martz has written articles that have appeared in more than 70 publications in academic peer-reviewed journals on a variety of topics, including distance education, group decision support systems, entrepreneurship, technology transfer, systems thinking, and student learning environments. Dr. Martz has been at NKU since 2006.
Anthony Kelly – CEO – Tech Allies Consulting Company/MindCrate
Tony is the definition of entrepreneurial spirit, having been involved in the founding and acquisition of companies four times prior to creating Tech Allies in 2007. The MindCrate Mobility division was acquired in 2011 to augment the expertise that Tech Allies enjoys in its practice focused on SAP® solutions. Tony is a published author and has been recognized with numerous awards in the business community over the past 15 years.
Kim Obermair - Head of Mobile Co-Innovation, Enterprise Mobility Services Sales, SAP
Mr. Obermair is a technology visionary with over 20 years' experience as an entrepreneur with a focus on business leadership and product development. He is currently leading SAP's mobile co-innovation initiatives within the Enterprise Mobility Services Sales group, driving unique solutions leveraging enabling technologies and a design-thinking process. Mr. Obermair is an active speaker within the mobility community.
About NKU Business Informatics
Northern Kentucky University Business Informatics is the study of information technology in the context of business. This academic program focuses on the broad information systems aspect of business theory and practice. Accredited by the AACSB, it is among the top 15 percent of business programs in the world, and offers extensive resources to its students.
About Tech Allies Consulting/MindCrate
Tech Allies Consulting was founded by Tony Kelly, CEO, in 2007 on the principles of utilizing key resources leveraging SAP solutions to augment staffing for multi-million dollar implementations, upgrades, optimizations and support initiatives, Tech Allies Consulting has grown rapidly over the past five years, acquiring its mobility division, MindCrate, in 2011. Its mobile apps are primarily focused on business efficiency and transparency. Its offerings, including MindCrate's AIRlite 3.0, which is certified by SAP, provide simple solutions for enhancing mobile and sensor technology productivity through innovative ideas and thinking "outside the box."
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