The new “Discover Northeastern” app is available for free download. Photo by Craig Bailey
Want to use your iPhone to get around the Northeastern University campus? Now, there’s an app for that. The University has launched “Discover Northeastern,” a new iPhone and iPod Touch application that will enable users to navigate the campus and get the latest information on events around the school. Developed by a Northeastern undergraduate, the innovative app uses a GPS-enabled campus map, powered by Google Maps.
“This application is ideal for prospective students interested in Northeastern because it puts information right at their fingertips, literally,” said Ronne Turner, associated vice president of enrollment and dean of admissions and marketing. “Northeastern prides itself on using cutting-edge technology to enhance the experience of our student and guests.”
“Discover Northeastern” also provides users with unique views into campus life through a photo gallery, and includes direct links to various admissions social networking resources, including Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, YouTube and several blogs.
The application was developed by College of Computer and Information Science student Ken McGrady in conjunction with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, and is available for free download from Apple’s App Store.
“Northeastern already has a strong campaign in social media, so the iPhone application is just an added bonus for potential students,” said McGrady. “I think it says a lot when the University hires their own students to do work like this. It shows that Northeastern believes in the education it provides.”
McGrady is currently on co-op in California working for Intuit on its product development team. The company creates technology solutions for personal finance and small businesses.
Together with a small team of developers, designers and project managers, McGrady works on developing new and exciting products specifically for the iPhone market, although he developed “Discover Northeastern” on his own, and not on co-op.
“I pretty much get to work with the cool technology and help Intuit modernize,” said McGrady. “I am an equal on the team, often posing ideas, questions, problems, and solutions in the overall product development.”
