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AppAThon: Android Student App Challenge

November 1st, 2012 | Posted by Emily in Promote IT - (0 Comments)

Attention middle school, high school, and college students interested in application development!

IT-oLogy has partnered with the Open IT Lab and the University of South Carolina College of Engineering and Computing to host an Android App Development Contest for all high school, college, post graduate and PhD students. The winning team (consisting of two developers and one artist) will win $1,200, or if it is a group of two (two developers) the prize will be $800!

The contest starts November 3rd, 2012 and closes November 15th. Only students in South Carolina middle schools, high schools, and colleges will be permitted to enter. The development will be on Android platform and in a number of predetermined app categories.

After the contest has closed on Saturday, November 17th, judging, demos, and awards will be presented at an event at IT-oLogy! There will be pizza, snacks, and presentations of demos. Trophies, t-shirts, and prizes will be given away as well, and it is open to the public!

For more information and further contest details head over to the AppAThon website.

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Proving Ground Live Pitch Competition and Awards Ceremony

October 23rd, 2012 | Posted by Emily in Teach IT - (0 Comments)

Tuesday, November 13, 6:00pm-8:30pm

Location: Lumpkin Auditorium, 8th floor, at the Moore School of Business, 1705 College Street, Columbia SC 29201

Event: The Proving Ground is USC’s business concept competition where students stand to win BIG money–$40,000 in cash and startup support! The competition is open to all USC undergraduate and graduate students in all disciplines, at all eight campuses. Designed to identify and accelerate innovative business ideas – and reward the students who come up with them – the competition is a proving ground for everything from new technologies discovered in the lab to business ideas brainstormed on the back of a napkin. Submissions will be narrowed down to the top 9 finalists where teams will present their concept in a Shark tank-style competition on November 13 in front of a live audience. Judges will tally their votes and we will announce the winners of the competition! Come and support great ideas from student entrepreneurs!

Registration/Contact Info: Free and open to the public. For more information contact Lauren Edwards: 803-777-9796; Laurene@mailbox.sc.edu

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iIT faculty present at top information systems national conference

September 25th, 2012 | Posted by Emily in Teach IT - (0 Comments)

 

Six faculty from the University of South Carolina’s Integrated Information Technology Program (iIT) were selected to present at the 2012 Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS) held in Seattle, Washington on August 9-11, 2012. This year marked the 18th annual conference.

The selected iIT faculty and presentation topics included:

  • Dr. Elizabeth Regan (associate professor and program director)
  • Dr. Bob Brookshire (professor)
  • Dr. John Gerdes (associate professor)
  • Dr. Mark Harris (assistant professor)
  • Dr. Karen Patten (assistant professor)
  • Dr. Lynn Keane (instructor)

Dr. Regan and Dr. Brookshire chaired a track on End-User Information Systems, Innovation, and Change. This involved reviewing over 50 papers submitted by researchers from around the world and organizing 9 sessions in which 34 papers were presented. This was the second largest of the 24 tracks at the conference, at which almost 500 papers were presented.  

Dr. Patten, along with colleagues Dr. Jerry Fjermestad from New Jersey Institute of Technology and Dr. Eileen Trauth from Penn State University, chaired a track on Social Issues and Social Inclusion, which included 22 papers chosen from among 37 submissions. Dr. Brookshire also chaired a panel on Integrating Technology into the Workplace.  

Dr. Harris, Dr. Patten and Dr. Regan, along with Dr. Fjermestad, presented a paper titled “Mobile and Connected Device Security Considerations: A Dilemma for Small and Medium Enterprise Business Mobility.”  

Dr. Patten and Dr. Keane presented a paper titled “Integrating Wikipedia Projects into IT Courses: Does Wikipedia Improved Learning Outcomes?” Dr. Keane also chaired two panel sessions on Applications of Web 2.0 and Social Media in the Workplace.

Dr. Brookshire and Dr. Keane presented a poster on Student Evaluations of Social Media in a University Course.

Dr. Gerdes presented a poster titled “Follow the Money: Investigating the Relationship between IS Publication Outlet and Research Funding.”

“The AMCIS conference is one of the premier outlets for the presentation of information technology research,” said Dr. Regan. “Presenting at this conference helps to raise the profile of our program with national and international audiences and highlights the scholarly contributions of our faculty.”

The Integrated Information Technology Program is housed at USC’s College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management. The program offers an undergraduate degree focused in network support and administration, corporate training and development, end-user support, database systems and administration, and website design and management. This fall, the iIT program also launched a new master’s degree in health IT in collaboration with the university’s Arnold School of Public Health. For more information, visit www.hrsm.sc.edu/iIT or call 803-777-6622.

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The Proving Ground: USC launches bold startup competition for students

September 18th, 2012 | Posted by Emily in Teach IT - (0 Comments)

University of South Carolina students with big business ideas stand to win BIG money — $40,000 in cash and startup support — this fall in The Proving Ground, the university’s entrepreneurial challenge.

The business plan competition, in its third year, has gained momentum with increased student participation and sponsor support. This year’s $40,000 in prizes and startup support, up from $3,000 awarded in previous years, places USC among the top colleges that have business plan competitions.

“In only the third year of existence, The Proving Ground has become one of the biggest collegiate business plan competitions in the nation,” said Dean Kress, associate director of the Faber Entrepreneur Center in USC’s Darla Moore School of Business. “We’re anticipating 75 to 100 entries this year.”

It’s not just for business students either. The competition is open to all USC undergraduate and graduate students in all disciplines, at all eight campuses. Designed to identify and accelerate innovative business ideas – and reward the students who come up with them – the competition is a proving ground for everything from new technologies discovered in the lab to business ideas brainstormed on the back of a napkin, Kress said.

Students have until Oct. 21 to submit their business concept. There’s no entry fee, and online information can be found at www.USCProvingGround.com. There students can ask questions, find additional information and have conversations about the competition.

Submissions will be evaluated and narrowed to nine finalists by a group of 15 experienced entrepreneurs in three categories: technology, innovation and social impact. Final teams will pitch their business concepts to a panel of judges in a “Shark Tank”-style competition in front of a live audience on Tuesday, Nov. 13. Registered participants will receive a copy of Live Plan, a cloud-based business planning solution from Palo Alto Software.

Prizes will include:

  • $15,000 SCRA Technology Ventures Prize for the best innovative technology idea for the marketplace;
  • $10,000 Innovista Innovation Prize for the most innovative approach to a business concept; and
  • $5,000 Maxient Social Impact Prize for the business plan best able to contribute or solve a social or environmental challenge.

Winning teams also will be invited into the USC Columbia Technology Incubator’s student program at no cost for six months. Located with other startups in the technology incubator, the winning teams will have office space and the resources to develop their ideas and launch their businesses. Additionally, they will receive professional guidance on intellectual property and licensing from the USC Office of Technology Commercialization and ongoing assessment, consultation and mentoring from the Center for Technology Innovation (CETi) and the USC Faber Entrepreneurship Center. All of the in-kind services are worth more than $10,000.  

With the backing and collaboration of key sponsors, the competition aims to stimulate the entrepreneurial juices of the USC community.

“SCRA Technology Ventures, through its SC Launch Program, has been investing in innovation and advanced technology in South Carolina for many years,” said Bill Mahoney, CEO of SCRA. “We’re excited to work with the state’s next generation of knowledge economy entrepreneurs in partnership with the University of South Carolina.” 

Students also will have the support to ensure their success.

“For students who may be working on a novel technology in the lab or have an innovative approach to addressing tough business, environment, social or other challenges, we want them to know the resources and support are here to help them get their concept to market,” said Don Herriott, director of Innovista Partnerships at USC.

The Proving Ground, presented by the Darla Moore School of Business, USC Innovista and CETi, is sponsored in part by USC’s Office of Technology Commercialization and the USC Columbia Technology Incubator, Maxient, Palo Alto Software, Spanish Vines, EngenuitySC, SCRA Technology Ventures, Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina and INDEXX.

For more information about the Proving Ground 2012, visit www.USCProvingGround.com or email TheProvingGround@sc.edu.

 

The Proving Ground partners:

The Faber Entrepreneurship Center was established in 1997 following a gift to the Darla Moore School of Business from Tim and Karen Faber, two University of South Carolina graduates and successful entrepreneurs – people with the ideas, the vision and the perseverance to launch the new businesses that form South Carolina’s economic bedrock. Its primary mission is to promote and support student entrepreneurship. http://mooreschool.sc.edu

Innovista is a strategic economic development effort that is connecting the University of South Carolina and university-spawned innovations with entrepreneurs, businesses and stakeholders. Innovista’s purpose is to attract, create and grow technology-intensive, knowledge-based companies, resulting in higher paying jobs and substantial economic growth in the Midlands region. Innovista supports the continued renaissance of downtown Columbia as well as the continued growth of USC as a nationally recognized, comprehensive research university. http://www.innovista.sc.edu

CETi, the Center for Entrepreneurial and Technological Innovation, is the University of South Carolina’s launchpad for early stage startups. CETi finds, educates, connects and accelerates early stage technology and innovation-based startups centered around the University of South Carolina and Columbia’s entrepreneurial community. CETi is an Innovista Partners Initiative, powered by the USC/Columbia Technology Incubator. Start your venture today at www.uscstartup.org.

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New advanced degree now offered in health information technology at USC

September 17th, 2012 | Posted by Emily in Teach IT - (0 Comments)

The University of South Carolina has been granted approval by the state Commission on Higher Education to launch a new degree program in health information technology.

The master’s in health information technology degree program launched this fall as a joint program between the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management’s Integrated Information Technology Program (iIT) and the Arnold School of Public Health’s Health Services Policy and Management Department.

The program’s courses will be scheduled in the evenings, Saturdays, and online.

Enrollment in the health information technology classes is open to graduate students in other health programs as well as unclassified graduate students.

“This advanced program takes an integrative approach to preparing graduates with both health care and information technology expertise,” said Brian J. Mihalik, HRSM dean. “It fills a globally expanding need for producing highly qualified candidates entering the health information technology field, and by delivering this program jointly with the Arnold School of Public Health, it instantly puts USC on the national map for health information technology education.”

The program was established after the passage of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act in 2009. The legislation provides incentives to the medical community to fulfill the federal government’s goal to change patient’s paper records to electronic documents by 2014.

Betty Regan, director of USC’s Integrated Information Technology Program, said a large majority of the fastest growing jobs today involve information technology, especially in the health care field.

“South Carolina has been aggressive in promoting health information technology and health information exchanges with health sciences organizations throughout the state,” Regan said. “With this new master’s in health-information technology program we will be able to prepare top professionals to lead this growing industry in South Carolina and beyond.”

Twenty-two of South Carolina’s 50 largest employers are health care companies. National labor statistics indicate that jobs in information technology will grow 45 percent by 2018; health care jobs are projected to grow by 4 million.

M. Mahmud Khan, chair of the Health Services Policy and Management Department in the Arnold School of Public Health, said, “The collaboration between the integrated information technology program of the College of HSRM and the health services policy and management department will help train hundreds of health information technology experts who will be at the forefront of using the technology for health sector development.”

Details about the master’s of health information technology degree program are available online at http://www.hrsm.sc.edu/iIT/graduate/mhit.html.

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Building a New Degree Program in Health Information Technology

August 6th, 2012 | Posted by Bob Brookshire in Teach IT - (0 Comments)

In December 2009, responding to the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act passed earlier that year, faculty members at the University of South Carolina in the Integrated Information Technology  (IIT) Program in the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management and the Department of Health Services Policy and Management (HSPM) in the Arnold School of Public Health, began discussing the development of a master’s degree in health information technology. The HITECH Act provides incentives to the medical community to achieve the goal established by President Bush that all Americans will have electronic health records by 2014. To this end, approximately $36 billion is being made available over six years for the development and implementation of healthcare information technology. This stimulus had already begun creating a need for a new cadre of health IT professionals.

During the spring of 2010, faculty members in the two programs prepared a draft outline of the new program, one which would combine information technology coursework with courses in health care administration to prepare leaders in this rapidly developing field. Through the spring and summer, the faculty worked to refine the proposal and to build support for the program from the deans and department heads of the various schools and colleges at the University. By the fall, a full formal proposal was ready to go before the appropriate university committees.

During the summer of 2010, a search committee consisting of faculty from both programs as well as a student, who was also a manager at Palmetto Health, began the process of searching for a director for the program. That fall, ads were placed online and in various academic periodicals, and applications began to be received.  By January 2011, the finalists for the position were selected and interviews began.   The process culminated in April 2011, as Dr. Elizabeth Regan, the Elmer and Donna Smith Endowed Chair in Information Systems at Morehead State University, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Northeast Kentucky Regional Health Information Organization and member of the Tri-State Health IT Regional Extension Center,  accepted the position. She arrived at the university in July.

At the same time that the candidates for the director’s position were being interviewed, the faculty members were busy writing the syllabi for the new courses that would be included the in the program. Meetings were held with executives from organizations such as BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, the South Carolina Hospital Association and Palmetto Health to get their input about the program and its content. Likewise, a presentation about the proposed program at the Innoventure Conference that spring gathered additional input from the business and health care community. During the fall of 2011, under Dr. Regan’s leadership, the proposed courses and the degree program received approval from the Graduate Council of the university and the Board of Trustees.

While the course approval process was underway, searches were started in HSPM and in IIT for new faculty members with health information technology expertise.  Candidates were interviewed during March, April and May of 2012, and three faculty members were hired to arrive this fall, one in the HSPM and two in IIT.

The final hurdles for the program proposal were approvals from the external regulatory agencies. In April 2012, the Southern Association of College and Schools gave its blessing to the program, followed by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education in May. The program is scheduled for fall 2012 start-up and students have started to enroll. The program is being offered in executive format with courses scheduled evenings, Saturdays and online. Applications for the first class will be accepted through August 15, and enrollment in the first health IT classes is open to graduate students in other health science programs as well as unclassified graduate students.

Details about the Master of Health Information Technology (MHIT) degree program will be coming up in another blog post next month. For more information, please visit the program web site at http://www.hrsm.sc.edu/iIT/graduate/mhit.html.  Comments and suggestions about this new program are welcome.

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USC Announces Masters in Health Information Technology

June 28th, 2012 | Posted by Whitney Williams in Teach IT - (0 Comments)

GRADUATE STUDIES
in Health Information Technology

University of South Carolina

INTEGRATED INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY . COLLEGE OF HOSPITALITY, RETAIL AND SPORT MANAGEMENT
IN COLLABORATION WITH THE ARNOLD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

 

Integrated Information Technology at the University of South Carolina
announces new Master’s program

Professionals who understand the unique relationship between information technology, people, health, and the healthcare system are in short supply and high demand. The new Masters in Health Information Technology (MHIT) program at the University of South Carolina blends a technical IT foundation with coursework covering current clinical trends, government regulations and healthcare-specific management practices. Offered jointly by the university’s Integrated Information Technology (iIT) program and the Arnold School of Public Health Department of Health Services Policy and Management, the interdisciplinary MHIT program is designed specifically to produce highly qualified professionals and leaders with expertise in both information technology and health administration.
 

The Integrated Information Technology (iIT) Program at the University of South Carolina is a leader in the areas of heath information technology, system design and implementation, network support and administration, database systems, Website design and management, corporate training and development, project management, technology innovation and change management. The iIT program is a founding member and strategic partner with IT-oLogy, an IT incubator organization sponsored by leading SC companies dedicated to creating IT talent. Faculty in iIT are nationally recognized for their outstanding teaching and research.

Find Out More!
Visit www.HRSM.sc.edu/iIT.
Download the flyer.
Contact the Graduate Program Manager
College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management
803-777-2053
HRSMinfo@sc.edu
Office of Graduate Admissions
Visit the graduate school at www.gradschool.sc.edu.
803-777-4243

      

 Health IT Jobs in Demand:

  • Chief Information Officer
  • Chief Medical Information Officer
  • Medical Director of Information Systems
  • Medical Director of Clinical Information Systems
  • Chief Nursing Information Officer
  • Chief Technology Officer
  • Chief Transformation Officer
  • Director of Informatics
  • Manager, Enterprise Analytics
    Project Manager
  • Vice President of Clinical Informatics and Innovation
  • Vice President of Optimization and Transformation

 

College of HRSM featured in Carolinian

The Spring 2012 edition of Carolinian includes a special 8-page insert featuring the College of HRSM. Additional information for alumni and friends of HRSM is available at www.mycarolina.org.

 

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IT-oLogy @ Innovista – a new look comes to the Tower at 1301 Gervais Street

March 8th, 2012 | Posted by Whitney Williams in IT-oLogy Defined | World of IT - (1 Comments)

IT-oLogy @ Innovista

 

 

 

 

 

It’s a sign of progress. Friday, the Tower at 1301 Gervais — a landmark in the Columbia skyline – gets a new look with IT-oLogy @ Innovista.

SignThe installation of the IT-oLogy @ Innovista signage exemplifies the already successful partnership between IT-oLogy and Innovista to foster the development, growth and relocation of information technology (IT) companies, small and large.

“This marks the fruition of one of our original visions: a district with the strategic clustering of IT companies in one locality,” said Don Herriott, Director of Innovista Partnerships. “More companies are seeing the advantages of co-location, and IT-oLogy @ Innovista now houses 9 IT companies and counting.”

IT-oLogy’s mission is to promote, teach and grow the IT talent pipeline and profession. With Innovista’s mission of creating, attracting and growing knowledge-based companies in the Midlands of South Carolina, the two constitute a perfect partnership for recruiting to the new IT-oLogy @ Innovista building.  Clustering IT companies in a single location, such as the Tower at 1301 Gervais Street, can open the door for new opportunities for partnership and business development, stimulate new ideas and industry innovation and help in the recruitment of new companies to the region.

“Our goal is to bring the IT community together in a collaborative environment to develop the IT pipeline through programs at all levels,” said Lonnie Emard, Executive Director of IT-oLogy. “The partnership with Innovista is a perfect example of this collaborative effort because we are bringing together people and companies that are dedicated to both of our missions.”

The establishment of an IT district is not about a sign at the top of the Tower at 1301 Gervais Street. While that is a visible representation of the partnership, the real story is about what happens both in and out of the building. The uniqueness of IT-oLogy is that it is not a single company or entity; instead, it is a non-profit collaboration of companies, academic institutions and organizations uniting to address the nationwide shortage of skilled IT professionals. To address this challenge, IT-oLogy offers K-12 programs where students explore numerous IT career options, the internships for undergraduate students and the continuing education opportunities that keep professionals constantly learning and up-to-date. When all this happens, the result is a vibrant economic picture, which is the goal of Innovista.

The confluence of opportunities in IT-oLogy @ Innovista will provide a home in the community for local talent as well. “At the University of South Carolina, our responsibility to students and alumni extends beyond education. It includes a commitment to helping them find jobs, good jobs, when they graduate,” said Dr. Harris Pastides, President of the University of South Carolina. “The pairing of IT-oLogy and Innovista is perfect because of their complementary missions, each focused on growing our innovation economy in this region and across South Carolina.”

“From the outset, the vision of IT-oLogy has been to have business and academic partners collaborate to advance IT talent,” Emard said. “The lack of IT talent is a national epidemic that is solved in a local manner. The establishment of IT-oLogy @ Innovista is a visible representation of bringing companies together to collaborate and partner, fostering new ideas and technologies.”

Recently, IT-oLogy announced the establishment of the branch IT-oLogy @ University Center of Greenville, located in Greenville, South Carolina. This is yet another way IT-oLogy is working locally to address a national issue. In the future, IT-oLogy will continue to open branches across the nation as a way to advance IT talent in a grassroots manner.

Innovista is a strategic economic development effort that is connecting the University of South Carolina and university-spawned innovations with entrepreneurs, businesses and stakeholders. Its purpose is to help attract and create technology-intensive, knowledge-based companies, which result in higher-paying jobs and raise the standard of living in South Carolina.

For more information about Innovista, visit www.innovista.sc.edu or contact Lauren Edwards at 803.777.8786 or Laurene@mailbox.sc.edu.

IT-oLogy is a non-profit collaboration of businesses, academic institutions and other organizations dedicated to growing the IT talent pipeline and advancing the IT profession. IT-oLogy does this through three major initiatives: Promote IT (K-12 schools), Teach IT (Higher Education) and Grow IT (Professionals and Businesses).

For more information about IT-oLogy, visit www.it-ology.org or contact Powers Strickland at 803.354.5735 or powers.strickland@it-ology.org.

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USC to offer Summer Institute in Computer Science

February 20th, 2012 | Posted by Whitney Williams in Education | IT-oLogy Defined | Promote IT - (0 Comments)

The Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of South Carolina will offer in summer 2012 an institute in Computer Science for prospective teachers of AP* Computer Science A.

The plan is for the on-campus part of the institute to be held from 18 June through 22 June 2012. Some preparatory work will be required in the two weeks prior to the week on campus, and some work will be submitted in the week following the week on campus.

This course will qualify for USC graduate credit from the College of Education as EDSE 773 provided that the appropriate (and independent) process, including payment of the application fee, is done with the Graduate School of the University of South Carolina. Potential institute participants must apply on their own to the Graduate School, pay application fees, submit credentials, etc., in order to obtain the graduate credit for this course.

Funding from the state Department of Education will cover the USC tuition contract for EDSE 773 from the College of Education as well as the instructional materials for the course (the AP “bundle”). Participants will be expected to pay a $150 fee for this institute. Participants must pay for their own housing and meals during the week on campus, although we expect to be able to arrange for on-campus housing for out-of-town participants. These, together with the USC graduate application fee (if necessary, for those not already enrolled as USC graduate students), should be the only out-of-pocket expenses for participants.

The programming language used in AP CS is Java. The USC Department of Computer Science and Engineering uses Eclipse as the development environment, although it is possible that a different development environment will be chosen for this institute. Java is available as a free download by itself, or can be obtained bundled in with the free download of Eclipse . If a different development environment will be used, it will also be a free download.

Institute participants are expected to have some familiarity with computer programming; it is not possible to compress all the needed Java instruction and the pedagogical instruction into the short time allowed. The preliminary work will involve download and testing of simple Java programs, and participants will need to have access to computers prior to and after the week on campus at USC. Instruction at USC will take place in a computer lab, but the use of personal laptops is also possible. Some support in getting downloads installed will be available prior to the week on campus.

Further information can be obtained from contacting Duncan Buell, Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, contact information found at Dr. Buell’s home page.

Those teachers who are not already USC graduate students should contact the USC College of Education and the USC Graduate School for information about applying for admission as a graduate student to USC; this status will be necessary to obtain credit for EDSE 773.

To register, please fill out RegistrationForm.

*College Board, AP, Advanced Placement Program, APVertical Teams, Pre-AP, and the acorn logo are registered trademarks of the College Board. Used with permission.

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IBM’s The Great Mind Challenge 2012

January 31st, 2012 | Posted by Whitney Williams in Teach IT - (0 Comments)

Attention all USC students! IBM has a new challenge for you…are you ready to take it?

IBM The Great Mind Challenge

What: Social business contest for students. Top scoring teams will receive prizes and recognition for the universities and faculty members they represent. Winning groups will secure special recognition for the universities and faculty members they represent.

Who: Student teams from any discipline.

When: Spring 2012 Semester

For more information, visit facebook.com/ibmskillstour or email tgmc@us.ibm.com.

Other schools eligible for participation:

Anthem College
Baylor University, Waco, TX
Bethune Cookman University, Daytona Beach, FL
DeVry University
Duke University, Durham, NC
Florida Technical College
Fordham University, New York, NY
Herzing University, FL
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
Notre Dame University, South Bend, IN
Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Pace University, New York, NY		 Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
San Jose State University, San Jose, CA
Strayer University, FL
University of Central Florida, Union Park, FL
University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Amherst, MA
University of North Texas, Denton, TX
University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
University of Tampa, Tampa, FL
University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX

 

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