Marie Gernes and Shaun Wilkinson, both University of Iowa College of Education doctoral students, submitted winning ideas to the college's first handheld app contest. Their ideas may be developed into functioning apps for the college’s faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends to enjoy.

Gernes, who is working toward a doctorate in the Language, Literacy, and Culture Program and will earn her principal licensure in December, submitted two top ideas: A College of Education news and trivia app and a floor plan of the Lindquist Center game app.

In her game app description, Gernes notes that “everyone says Lindquist is a maze.”

“Why not take advantage of it?” she says. “Put the floor plan of the Lindquist Center as the background so that each floor is a ‘level’ of the game.”

Wilkinson, who is starting his third year in the UI School Psychology Doctoral Program, imagined a virtual bulletin board that would be a landing place for College of Education announcements and an events calendar.

Both students said they are interested to see what happens with their ideas.

John Achrazoglou, the college’s technology director, says the next step is to explore design and programming options to bring one or more of the ideas to life.

“There are some interesting collaborative opportunities that can be shaped into powerful learning experiences for ours and other students from graphic designers and computer programmers to College of Education students as content experts and testers,” Achrazoglou says.

Gernes won $300 and Wilkinson won $100 for their ideas. The money was applied toward their U-bills.