Post from Josh Lam

The app proposal has been submitted to the ECOllective Student Project Committee for funding consideration, and has garnered serious interest from the Sustainability Director and the Computer Science Department’s Software Innovations Lab. With ECOllective approval and funding, the Computer Science Department chair Dr. Starr believes coding development can begin in early Spring ’12, with an initial product completed by the end of the semester. Dr. Starr has discussed the possibility of a long-term development relationship between the Innovations Lab and the Office of Sustainability, which would provide students with valuable inter-disciplinary experience, as well as realize a project with significant potential for promoting campus sustainability.

The app itself could attract grant funding, serve as a basis for creating an on-going inter-disciplinary community sustainability project, while also promoting awareness about CofC’s effort to transform itself into a sustainable campus. As an added benefit, the app couldeven draw consistent revenue and be licensed out to other organizations. Once developed, it could be licensed for use to other colleges and institutions for their own sustainability programs. Therefore, it would help CofC establish itself as a national leader in sustainability.