The UW-Parkside App Factory continues to get noticed. Earlier this month, the WiSys Technology Foundation, Inc. committed to provide up to $50,000 to the App Factory for work on WiSys-approved projects conducted by UW-Parkside faculty, staff and students.
In a letter to UW-Parkside Assistant Professor of Computer Science Derek Riley, WiSys Executive Director Arjan Sanga confirmed $10,000 of initial support for a project with a Madison-based medical technology firm. All WiSys funds are to be used for intellectual property projects and funding is intended to help the App Factory retain student developers.
"The projects we develop in the App Factory reinforce the concepts we teach in our courses," Riley said. "Student interns in the App Factory work on projects year round in an environment that focuses on collaboration, much like a startup company."
Students in the App Factory gain real-world job experience in design, development, and maintenance of software that, according to Riley, goes well beyond what we can be taught in computer-science courses.