4.5 hours to design an app for social good
Can a mobile app educate people about the global food crisis? In the course of only a few hours, I worked with a team of two others to conceptualize an answer to that question.
The theme for this year’s Media for Social Responsibility Mini Course was the global food crisis. The course began with a keynote presentation from Joy Bauer, the nutrition consultant for NBC’s The Today Show. The course continued with live Skype case studies from industry experts, including the President of the Food Network, a public policy professor at Cornell University, the Director of Consumer Safety for Consumer Union, the North America Chief Spokesperson for the World Food Programme, and the author of The Coming Famine.
The course ended with the challenge: to come up with a comprehensive app idea with a team of people I didn’t know in 4.5 hours. At the end of the challenge, we had 5 minutes to pitch our idea to a group of app developers and food experts.
Our app idea, named APPetite, has two functions: to gamify eating healthy through a social network, and to educate users about the global impact of their diet. The app encourages users to eat less meat, eat more at home, and buy locally.
We identified a target demographic that includes people 20-30, mostly college students and recent graduates. Our research showed that these people want to eat inexpensive, healthy, and convenient food, but sometimes have trouble doing so. Perhaps they do not have much cooking experience or have developed poor eating habits in college.
I (quickly) designed wireframes using Balsamiq, which you can see in the slides.
After all of the groups presented, we learned that our app won the idea competition. One judge said, “I love the ‘did you know’ comparisons–it gives the user something to talk about with his/her peers. I like the badges concept very very much.”
Giving away free books
In partnership with World Book Night US, I gave away 20 copies of Tina Fey’s biography Bossypants to students at Ithaca College on April 23. For World Book Night, thousands of volunteers distribute half a million free books. Volunteers choose a title from a list of 32 books, pick up the special edition books from a local bookstore, and distribute the books to light and non-readers. I chose Bossypants because I thought students in the Park School of Communication would find Fey’s story inspiring.
The giveaway went very well–and I’m looking forward to volunteering again next year. Thanks to Dave Cameron for telling me about this organization.
Family Reading Partnership PR Plan
For my Public Relations 232 class, I developed and designed a public relations proposal with a team of five other students. Our client was the Family Reading Partnership, a local non-profit community organization that promotes reading to children. We presented the written proposal to the client during a 50 minute presentation and Q&A session.
Book:
2013 Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival
Ithaca College and Cinemapolis hosts the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival each spring. Since this was my first film festival, I registered for the Politics and Practices in Creative Industries mini course.
The festival had two parts. The first was a series of on campus events. The second was the film screenings at Cinemapolis. After each film, there was a 30 minute discussion with the filmmaker or producer. Attending a film festival was much different than I expected. My favorite part (and the most fascinating part) was chatting with filmmakers about their work.
On Campus:
- The Mobilities Concert: a performance of Carmina Burana
- Transmedia Workshop with Elizabeth Miller (she spends 5% of her time making documentaries and 95% of her time engaging people in the issue and finding different ways to show and share the documentary) and Evan Meany (he is fascinated with the intersection of art and science)
- Finding DQ-U: a documentary about the only tribal college in California
Off Campus:
- AKA Doc Pomus with filmmaker Peter Miller: tells the story of songwriter Doc Pomus
- Old Dog with Kevin Lee from dGenerate Films: a Tibetan film that appears simple at first (to bypass the Chinese censors), but actually has deep symbolic meaning
- Neighboring Sounds with Carlos Guiterrez from Cinema Tropical: creatively uses sound to look at the lives of neighbors in an affluent Argentinian apartment community
- Couples with filmmaker Yong Ki Jeong: a Korean romantic comedy with global comedic appeal
- Dear Governor Cuomo with filmmaker John Bowermaster: uses music to tell the story of New York activists against hydraulic fracturing
Presentation: Saying Thank You Isn’t Enough
On Tuesday, I presented an Ithaca College Student Leadership Institute workshop about expressing appreciation in student organizations and the workplace.
Session Description: What is the best way to say thank you? Gary Chapman and Paul White, authors of The 5 Languages of Appreciation, suggest that people speak different “languages” and if you do not communicate in a way meaningful to them, they will not feel valued. Learn the principles behind the 5 languages and learn how to apply them in your student organization, group project, and internship.
The Book: The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace: Empowering Organizations by Encouraging People by Dr. Gary Chapman and Dr. Paul White. Chicago: Northfield Publishing, 2012.
Slides: Click here to download.
Handout: Click here to download.
Questions? I can consult 1 on 1. Email [email protected].
World Water Week 2013 media coverage
IC Take Back the Tap sponsored the second annual World Water Week at Ithaca College during the week of March 18, 2013. This is a collection of media coverage following the week.
1) World Water Week 2013 video recap via Ithaca College YouTube channel:
2) “Ithaca College celebrates World Water Day” article via The Ithacan:
Sophomore Leonard Slutsky, vice president and co-founder of Take Back the Tap, said through this initiative, they hope to unite different student organizations on campus that are related to sustainability and environmental efforts, while spreading awareness of world water issues.
3) World Water Week Events Slated at Ithaca College press release via Ithaca College Office of Marketing Communications:
The annual celebration of World Water Week at Ithaca College will feature informational tabling by campus organizations and the screening of a documentary examining the environmental and political implications of the planet’s dwindling supply of fresh water. All of the events are free and open to the public.
Rice Krispies Treats ad plan
For my Advertising 241 class, I developed a comprehensive advertising campaign with a team of four other students. We acted as a fictitious advertising agency and produced a 32-page new business advertising plans book and 15 minute pitch presentation.
Book:
Pitch Deck:
2012 AWNY Career Conference
Over Thanksgiving break, I traveled with the Ithaca College chapter of the American Advertising Federation to the Advertising Women of New York Annual Career Conference in New York City.
We left early Friday morning to visit agencies and meet Ithaca College alumni. The first visit was to G2 and the second visit was to McCann Worldgroup.
Conference highlights included the keynote address from Mary Baglivo, Chairman and CEO of Latin America and Multicultural for Saatchi and Saatchi, the Cannes commercial winners screening, and the resume clinic. This conference confirmed my interest in advertising and empowered me to want to learn more about account planning.
I also attended three workshops:
- “Account Planning: Science, Art and Culture and Everything In Between” (Suzanne Powers, Global Strategy Officer at CP+B)
- “Search Marketing 101″ (Yahoo!)
- “Brand Synchronicity” (Megan Kent, Global Business Director, JWT)
Presentation: Your Free, 3-Hour Student Organization Website
On Thursday, I presented an Ithaca College Student Leadership Institute workshop about developing websites for student organizations.
Session Description: Websites can be powerful recruitment and communication tools for student organizations. However, some student leaders fear they do not have the time or technical expertise to make a website. Fortunately, IC provides a free and simple tool for students to create an online presence featuring photo galleries, calendars, blogs, and more. This session will give participants the tools and confidence to plan, develop, and publish a student organization website in three hours or less.
Slides: Click here to download.
Links:
Questions? I can consult 1 on 1. Email [email protected].
Plunging into community service
As a Community Plunge leader, I was the liaison between community service agencies in Ithaca and led a team of first-year students through two days of community service work. Over 100 first-year students “plunge” into community service a few days before classes begin.
Volunteering at the Ithaca Children’s Garden:
