From iPhoneU to iUSask

The Department of Computer Science is expanding its popular iPhone workshops into an in-depth, full credit course on smart phone programming, the first of its kind in Canada.

The course, Computer Science 298, will be available to students and the public with some prerequisites this fall. Taught by Chad Jones, it will focus on iPhone programming, but will also cover the Google Android and the Blackberry. Students will learn how to create their own applications.

Jones, who graduated from the U of S in 2000 with a B.Sc. in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, cut his programming teeth working for Apple at their headquarters in Cupertino, CA from 2000 to 2004.

The department will also launch their own series of apps for the iPhone in September in time for the first week of classes. The free applications, called iUSas will be available through the iTunes App Store. Called iUSask iPhone apps, they will allow students to login to PAWS, check on the status of their classes, check their grades and find out the latest news on the Huskies.

                
                Chad Jones and the iUSask app

A team headed by Collene Hansen, Instructional Support Coordinator for Computer Science, was commissioned by Department Head Eric Neufeld to create the apps for Research, Classes, Huskies, USSU, Grade Book and PAWS. One will even allow students to book a room at the Library. Modeled after applications developed at Stanford University in California, they will be the first to be available from a Canadian university. The iUSask Development Team includes: Cary Bernath, Dave Bocking, Shane Doucette, Chad Jones, Collene Hansen, Merlin Hansen, Eric Neufeld, Greg Oster, Ken Sailor, Seth Shacter, Sadie Swanson and Guus van de Velde.

This article is one of many that appear in the summer edition of the College's new magazine, arts&science. To read the entire issue, please click here.