CAI: Our first five years of technology impacting people

Our First FIVE Years of technology impacting people

Credits The Center for Applied Informatics (CAI) Editor Joshua Rodamer ‘08, ‘12 Graphic Design Tommy Cooper Gaby Rodriguez Copyeditor Tira Rogers ’01, ‘05 Photographs Timothy D. Sofranko Joshua Rodamer Freestore Foodbank NKU METS Center San Ramon Valley FPD Trivantis Tommy Cooper Gaby Rodriguez Contributors David Hirsch ‘93 Geoff Smith Megan Hatton Correspondence Northern Kentucky University Center for Applied Informatics Griffin Hall Suite 330, Nunn Drive Highland Heights, KY 41099 Phone: (859) 572-7610 Web: cai.nku.edu Email: cai@nku.edu CAI Website

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Table Of Contents 4 A Letter from the Executive Director 6 Mission, Vision and Values 10 Transitioning from the Infrastructure Management Institute 12 The College of Informatics 13 Letters from the Deans 14 Griffin Hall 18 College of Informatics Faculty Impact & Support 19 Center for Information Security 20 Innovation Has Never Been So Tasty 22 Moving Nonprofits Forward: Virtual CIO Assessment Collaboration 24 The Early Childhood Database Collaboration 25 Bridging the Gap: Empowering KY Librarians 26 Student Think Tank 27 Beating Local Hunger with the Freestore Foodbank 28 First Responder 2.0: There’s a Hero in All of Us 30 TANK – Innovations in Public Transit 32 Student Spotlight 33 Alumni Spotlight 34 CAI in the News 36 CAI by the Numbers 38 The NKU METS Center’s Regional Impact 40 Technology Thought Leadership Delivered 41 Information Technology Leadership Forum 42 Conferences & Community 44 Community Awards 45 CAI Impacted Organizations 46 Community Sponsors 47 CAI Students and Alumni (2006-2011) 48 CAI Advisory Board 49 Meet the CAI Faculty and Staff 50 Looking Forward 51 QR Code Index

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A letter from the executive director Friends and Supporters of CAI: The fifth year of operation was an exciting time in the Center for Applied Informatics as we completed our transition into the new, state-of-the-art, Griffin Hall and embarked on the next era of community engagement and student excellence through informatics. In five years, the CAI, founded as the Infrastructure Management Institute, evolved from a small organization under the associate provost for economic initiatives to a thriving thought leader in emerging technology and experiential learning.

The continued growth and success of the CAI is grounded in the talented students cultivated in the College of Informatics. The combination of classroom instruction from award-winning faculty and opportunities to apply knowledge in real-world situations make informatics students top candidates for employers. CAI students have gone on to work for top technology companies such as Workday, Cisco, Verizon Wireless, CBTS and Global Quality Corporation, just to name a few.

Although our primary goal is supporting student success, the center has developed strong community ties in our region and throughout the world. Regionally, the CAI participates in professional development events that grow year after year. The community continues to realize Northern Kentucky University’s value as a resource for lifelong learning and professional development in a variety of informatics

topics. Additionally, the quality of our faculty research is evident through the feedback we have received and a steady demand for future events.

Nationally, NKU has been recognized for CAI mobile research and development. For example, our partnership with San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District has generated national and regional attention, earning accolades in technology publications as well as mainstream media.

Within Kentucky, student developers created a collaborative web resource for a librarian project called Bridging the Gap. Their contribution to the project will aid the professional growth of librarians in the commonwealth’s high-poverty rural areas.

Locally, one cannot overlook the landmark transportation innovations taking place with the Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky. A collaboration that began with Wi-Fi enabled buses has flourished into new technology solutions including rider notification systems, mobile applications, web-based trip planning and regionally deployed transit kiosks.

Our students continue to exceed our expectations as well as the imaginations of organizational leaders across the world. Students work on projects in higher education, K-12, local government, state government, nonprofit, healthcare, small-to-medium business and large corporations. The following organization history touches on only a few of the numerous projects

informatics students are completing at the Center for Applied Informatics.

I am exceedingly grateful for the support of the NKU community, technology professionals and legislators who have realized the importance of our program and told our stories. Without the support of these individuals, we would be unable to provide this quality experience to informatics students and the community.

Sincerely,

Tim Ferguson Executive Director Center for Applied Informatics

Mission

Vision

To increase the quality, speed and scope of technology innovation and student learning by pairing the talent, facilities and funding resources of the College of Informatics to solve future-focused business challenges and business opportunities.

This will be accomplished through collaborative research, internships, collaborative student/faculty/staff projects, business development opportunities, and the dissemination of the practice and discipline of informatics to create long-term economic value.

To gain recognition as a world-class nexus for student innovation in information technology through collaboration and the application of the cross-disciplinary science of informatics to help our business partners solve business problems.

Values DRIVE THE ADVANCEMENT OF INFORMATICS Student and professional collaborative learning through handson research, experiential learning, internships, workshops and web-connected project teams is the best formula for driving knowledge transfer between business and academia. The role of the CAI is to solve problems by learning from them.

DRIVE REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT The CAI embraces the university’s strategic plan that will position the region to compete in a global, knowledgebased economy by increasing the pool of talented workers and providing the region with a resource for new innovative technology and training. The CAI works collaboratively with businesses and government agencies to develop solutions to business challenges through research, grants, internships, joint ventures and business development opportunities.

Drive Innovation New ideas attract talent; talent attracts investment; and investment nurtures more new ideas, which in turn attract more talent. The primary role of the university and the CAI is the critical process to attract, train and grow talent. Regional and national growth through innovation is only sustainable if we can supply a renewable base of workforce talent.

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Virtual Co-ops Traditionally, organizations accepting college students into co-op positions have been required to provide some initial training, technology to support their work, and resources to oversee their work. The CAI provides virtual co-op opportunities to organizations and students, eliminating barriers to quality work and efficiency in experiential learning.

Pictured left to right: Early childhood database students Joshua Newkirk, Adam Howard and Thomas Delaney.

Students working in the Eva G. and Oakley Farris Commons of Griffin Hall.

Pictured left to right: CAI graphic design student Gaby Rodriguez and CAI graduate Katie Ferguson.

Student Success Research The CAI has spent years monitoring and researching student performance in the virtual co-op setting. The collective of organization and student interaction has contributed to an extensive amount of knowledge on how experiential programs can be created, managed, and supported in the university setting. The success of CAI students, and the organizations engaging CAI students through virtual co-ops, have drawn the attention of other universities across the US seeking to understand how value can be added to higher education through applied skills.

Franรงois Cortes presents his work with fellow CAI students before leaving for France. Cortes worked for CAI while participating in a study abroad program during summer 2011.

COMPUTER SCIENCE

BUSINESS INFORMATICS

COMMUNICATION

informatics The CAI’s programs enable organizations to use technology to enhance efficiencies and to foster business growth in a digital world. We provide a unique suite of offerings delivered by a creative mix of professional staff, expert informatics faculty, strategic partnerships and talented students.

Technology is constantly in flux, with innovation and change at the core of its very meaning. Informatics allows businesses and consumers to understand and participate in the digital world around us.

The programs at the CAI focus on three facets of technology: social, mobile and cloud. We understand that technology is dynamic and that if the College of Informatics is to produce the best graduates in their respective fields, we must be dynamic also. Nearly all of the research and development that make up the experiential learning performed at the CAI can fall under two main programs: The Mobile and Web Academy and the Virtual CIO Program.

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CAI Expertise Programs The Mobile and Web Academy houses research and development projects, which provide students with experience in building mobile applications, websites, web applications, web tools and mobile infrastructure solutions. These projects typically consist of solutions that meet a specific and defined need.

This report contains more detailed information about several projects that stem from the Mobile and Web Academy, such as the Raniero’s Pizzeria website, the fire department mobile application and a collaboration with the Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky.

The Virtual CIO program contains research and development projects as well as support projects and professional development. The Virtual CIO program was originally created as part of a pilot to provide small to medium businesses with information technology expertise that would typically come from a chief information officer. The College of Informatics’ positioning as an academic entity allows the program to make vendor-neutral recommendations and aid nonprofits, small organizations and public-sector organizations in ways previously unobtainable. This report contains several examples of projects that stem from the Virtual CIO program as well, including the Early Childhood Development database project, a collaboration with the United Way of Greater Cincinnati to provide nonprofits with IT assessments, conferences, trainings and the IT Leadership Forum.

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ENTERPRISE healthcare

STUDENT CO-OPS

small & medium size business

WORKFORCE NEEDS

non-profit

government

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EMPLOYER LANDSCAPE Technologies In the Mobile and Web Academy, as well as the Virtual CIO Program, social, mobile and cloud technologies encapsulate all of our work. It is nearly impossible to separate the strong, interlinking ties between these technologies within our society. People and organizations are constantly connected through mobile devices, interacting with one another, through the Internet. Just as the College of Informatics molds business informatics, computer science and communication into one fundamental concept of the information age, the CAI molds these technologies into our work.

Most groundbreaking technology we work with today all stemmed from a basic version of the “cloud.” The cloud is the

Internet in a form where web applications can run, people can communicate, information is stored, and work happens. Social interactions through the

Internet have transformed how people collaborate and share information with one another. Those social interactions are considered and built into the work

Mobile Academy • Strategy definition and refinement • Mobile project management • Mobile development • Mobile marketing, branding and design Web Academy • Website strategy, design, and implementation • Database strategy, design, implementation and management • Search engine optimization research • Multimedia, web-to-mobile integration, and web services research Virtual CIO Program • IT assessments • IT thought leadership for SMBs • IT collaboration research opportunities • Business continuity and disaster recovery plans Center for Information Security • Cutting-edge research • Best practices definition • Training, conferences and events • Case studies

performed by students at the CAI. Finally, mobile, once a frontier and now a reality, is the anytime, anywhere, anyhow linkage to the cloud and social technology. It enables immediate sharing and retrieving of information.

These technologies and social innovations are what drive the programs providing students with world-class experience and organizations with the best tech-savvy thinkers of our time.

Oct 2007

NKU hosts first IT Security Symposium

Feb 2007

IMI collaborates to help orgs find value in IT investments

Dec 2005

IMI first appears in media

Fall 2006

IMI begins project work

July 2009

Jan 2008

Oct 2007

TANK & IMI put free Wi-Fi on 20 buses

NKU COI receives $816K for 2 projects

IMI launch in the news

Jun 2007

IMI receives $500k from Senate

Transitioning from the infrastructure management institute

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May 2009

IMI creates 1st iPhone App, iNKU

Jun 2008

Feb 2006

IMI hosts INTERAlliance IT Camp

IMI finalist for ‘Best Practices in Mobile & Wireless’

Jun 2009

NKU breaks ground on Griffin Hall

Jan 2011

IMI becomes CAI

July 2010

Fire District launches iPhone app

Oct 2009

myTANK offers cell alerts of bus routes to N. KY

May 2010

Dec 2010

Headline: NKY Finds a Place in Silicon Valley

Oct 2010

IMI launch of TANK iPhone app

Oct 2009

Security Survey results shared at Symposium

IMI launch of 1st Android app

Jun 2010

Jan 2011

IMI launches mobile app for Freestore Foodbank

Mar 2011

CAI & Max Technical Training hosts largest CAI event to date, 350 + attendees

Jan 2011

IMI presents VCIO Assessment results to regional nonprofits

Jan 2011

Jun 2011

CPR Fire Department app launch

Feb 2011

CAI begins move into Griffin Hall

Tim Ferguson honored in Top 100 IT Leaders

IMI performs IT assessment at 10 nonprofits

Today

Center for Applied Informatics Rebranding The Infrastructure Management Institute joined the College of Informatics in 2007, creating a resource where students, faculty and staff could collaborate with regional organizations on technology projects. In anticipation of Griffin Hall’s opening, the IMI began a rebranding process to become the Center for Applied Informatics. The new brand better reflects the true scope and purpose of the organization, which has become a true center of experiential learning, civic engagement, community service, business development and professional training within the College of Informatics.

Today, the work and applied research performed at the CAI is being taken to the next level in Griffin Hall, the university’s home of the College of Informatics. As all departments and individuals associated with the college have made the transition to the new high-tech facility, the new name underscores the collaborative successes that have been realized through the college.

The center depicts the wonderful collaborations that continue to mount between students and businesses, facilitated by faculty and staff. This work, as enacted through experiential learning, enables the college to graduate students that are better prepared for the challenges and opportunities of their careers.

informatics.nku.edu

what is informatics?

The common thread of informatics is information – its acquisition, collection, analysis, manipulation, application, packaging, presentation and marketing. All of these activities involve informatics. It is where the science and technology that handle information meet the human arts and psychology of delivering it and brings them together under a single theory of applied technology. Today there is virtually no area of business, science, industry or entertainment that does not use some aspect of informatics. They all need a means of managing information and presenting it in the most useful and effective way. To function well in today’s world, you need practical knowledge of both the technical management and the artistic presentation. When students graduate with a degree from the NKU College of Informatics, they have both the technical knowledge and the communication skills to be a highly valued operator in this age of information.

college academics

The College of Informatics houses three academic departments consisting of business informatics, communication and computer science. These departments feed the academic powerhouse producing graduates under nine bachelor’s degree programs, five master’s degree programs, multiple graduate certificates and several minors. More information on the world-class programs and certificates offered by the College of Informatics can be found at informatics.nku.edu.

college history

The College of Informatics was formed in 2006 as the university acted on a new idea in organizing fields of study. The concept of the college cut diagonally across traditional groupings of academics, such as business, engineering, arts, humanities and science. The formation of the college called for the molding together of business informatics, computer science and communication departments, later followed by the Infrastructure Management Institute as an outreach and community engagement arm.

In spring 2008, 1,134 undergraduates took control of their futures by enrolling in the college. Just three years later, undergraduate majors have grown to nearly 1,500, with more than 255 graduate students pursuing master’s degrees and certificates. This fall, students converged upon Griffin Hall, the new home of the College of Informatics. For the first time since the inception of the College of Informatics, students, faculty and staff of the college now have a place on campus to call home.

CAI & informatics

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College of Informatics faculty provides the academic foundation within the CAI. Their expertise and talent allow the CAI to host numerous professional development events each year, produce extraordinary research, and develop key relationships with professional organizations and other academic institutions.

Additionally, the collaboration of faculty with the CAI allows real-time developments to take place that improve student experience and learning. Together with the faculty and staff of the college, the CAI is bridging the gap between academia and business.

letters from the deans The College of Informatics was founded on the idea that the digital age is all about connections, and the College’s Center for Applied Informatics is our great engine of connectivity. The CAI links students, faculty, companies, nonprofits, government and schools in a network that is creative and benefits all.

These connections happen on many fronts. The CAI advances the expertise and marketability of our graduates by managing students as they develop mobile applications and websites for companies, nonprofit organizations and government agencies. This, in turn, drives learning, keeping the college’s curriculum cutting-edge.

The CAI brings together the expertise of IT leaders, practitioners and faculty through a variety of programs and events, including its well-known annual Security Symposium. Alongside a variety of other programs, such as the Mobile and Web Academy and Virtual CIO, these are great examples of NKU’s core values: excellence, public engagement and innovation/creativity.

Now in its new home in the spectacular Griffin Hall, under the same roof with all three of the college’s academic departments, the CAI will be able to further energize all of its many connections. In the end, it is a driver of growth – economic, educational, technological. I invite you to take some time exploring the CAI website to see the breadth of its mission and the depth of its impact.

Kevin Kirby Dean, College of Informatics The College of Informatics is now more than five years old. As the founding dean of the college, I witnessed its history from the near-beginning to its current state of maturity as we move into Griffin Hall, an architectural gem designed from the ground up for all things digital. We in the college have had many accomplishments over these years. The college has changed the face of NKU, literally and figuratively. Most obvious at the present, we envisioned a completely new building that challenged conventional assumptions about academic space, which led to the creation of a building unique to the region. But we’ve also started new, future-oriented academic programs, developed a new curriculum that prepares students for success in the Digital Age, hired new faculty members with fresh ideas and new perspectives, and obtained legislative, corporate and individual support. We can certainly be proud of all these accomplishments.

I like to think of the CAI as the college’s “fourth department,” complementing its three academic departments. The CAI is where informatics concepts are translated into rubber-meets-the-road projects, where students can develop into professionals, where civic engagement directly benefits the community, where ideas are concretized into marketable products, where companies partner with the university, where professors and students channel their talents.

Demonstrating the importance of experiential learning, the College of Informatics’ Griffin Hall was designed with the CAI in mind. Everything from its front office, to its conference room, to its work areas, to its R&D space was conceived to bring out the full potential of the CAI. This publication speaks well of what the CAI has accomplished, but the future promises even more.

Douglas Perry Founding Dean, College of Informatics

griffin hall

Meet Griffin Hall, the new home of informatics – a unique and inviting state-of-the-art facility where a new generation of professionals will build our region’s information economy.

Purpose-designed to attract and retain to our region artists, musicians, doctors, entrepreneurs and scientists, Griffin Hall will supply new workforce talent, technically skilled and broadly prepared.

The George and Ellen Rieveschl Digitorium 14 | CAI

Griffin Hall’s green roof

Students traverse the new quad to the east of Griffin Hall

Views from the Eva G. and Oakley Farris Commons of Griffin Hall

CAI students work on mobile projects in the new Griffin Hall Mobile Academy Lab.

CAI students research websites and database systems in the new Griffin Hall Web Academy Lab.

NKU students converse in the Eva G. and Oakley Farris Commons of Griffin Hall.

Griffin Hall is providing the CAI with exponentially better learning and working spaces. Prior to the construction of the new building, CAI students, faculty and staff were spread across three campus buildings. The new, collaborative spaces in Griffin Hall are further facilitating the growth and experiential learning of informatics students. Additionally, building technology coupled with upgraded lab equipment jettisons student work to the cutting edge of technology innovation.

• Total cost: $52.8 million • Total square footage: 110,00 square feet • More than 225 wireless access points • More than 300,000 feet of Cat6A network cable • More than 9,000 feet of fiber-optic cable • 32 enhanced learning spaces

College of Informatics Faculty impact & support The College of Informatics at Northern Kentucky University is constructed of many invaluable parts. It is comparable to a large puzzle, each piece serving a vital role to complete the big picture. The CAI would not hold the value it does without the amazing faculty who surround it. College of Informatics faculty provide the core knowledge that facilitates the pragmatic application of informatics that is the CAI. Faculty are the source of world-class instruction that CAI students put into action each and every day. The CAI collaborates with faculty on research projects, professional development events, and initiatives that bring academics and business to the same table. The center would like to recognize two of the collaborations with informatics’ faculty that have greatly impacted our organization and many others in the community.

SAP Center of Excellence is an enterprise resource planning and business intelligence collaboration led by Ben Martz, Ph.D. and business informatics faculty. Participating faculty include Xiaoni Zhang, Ph.D., and Vijay Raghavan, Ph.D. The SAP COE is a technology initiative that strives to bring value to organizations that are deploying enterprise SAP solutions.

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CENTER FOR INFORMATION SECURITY The Center for Information Security is a collaboration that spans all departments in the College of Informatics. It is a multidisciplinary center for information security research and education. The mission of the center is to advance the state of information security research and education as well as to serve as a source of security expertise to the local and global communities.

Participating faculty included Frank Braun, E.D.M.; Alina Campan, Ph.D.; Chris Christensen; Greg DeBlasio, Ph.D.; Charles Frank, Ph.D.; Kevin Gallagher, Ph.D.; Wei Hao, Ph.D.; Yi Hu, Ph.D.; Hetal Jasani, Ph.D.; Vijay Raghavan, Ph.D.; Marius Truta, Ph.D.; James Walden, Ph.D.; and Xiaoni Zhang, Ph.D. Several of the faculty participate in the annual Security Symposium at the NKU METS Center, which serves as a community outlet for the wealth of security information contained in the College of Informatics.

Additionally, Kevin Gallagher led an important security study in 2009 called The State of IT Security. The information from this study was presented during the 2009 Security Symposium.

Read more about the Center for Information Security by scanning this QR code.

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CAI students and staff pose for a picture with Raniero’s Pizzeria owner, Michael Howard.

RANIERO’S PIZZERIA

From top left: Tom Delaney, Michael Howard, Vince Scheben, Emily Taylor and Katie Ferguson

Innovation has never been so tasty!

technology and help the business contribute to the local economy. Driving regional development is a core value of the CAI, and when NKU works with local small business, it is a win-win for students and the community.

The pizzeria’s website closely mirrors its physical community atmosphere, featuring pictures of Raniero’s customers, family and the 24” Pizza Challenge.

Raniero’s Pizzeria received a digital makeover by Visitors to www.ranierospizzeria.com will see scrolling the CAI. The pizzeria, which opened in December 2009 comments from a growing group of Raniero’s patrons by father and son duo Michael O. Howard and Michael and can submit their own comments to Raniero’s.

W. Howard, had its website completely refurbished by informatics students. The collaboration developed from conversations between CAI students and the Howard family at Raniero’s popular lunchtime destination on Martha Layne Collins Blvd. After learning about the CAI, M.O. Howard’s daughter, Natalie Ramirez, led the effort to make over the website.

Ramirez is a 2007 graduate of NKU’s College of Informatics. This project was special to the CAI because it reconnected a college alumna to students currently pursing similar degrees. The CAI accepted

the opportunity to help a new entrepreneur with

“We have already seen an ease in orders over the phone since our menu has been online.

Customers now have the up-todate menu in front of them when they call.” explained Ramirez.

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The website contains digital and printable menus, an event calendar, news, and restaurant locations.

Raniero’s opened its second pizzeria April 20, 2011, in Taylor Mill.

“The conversations we have with our customers on a daily basis are what make Raniero’s special,” said Ramirez. “It is amazing what you can learn and the relationships you can build just by talking with customers. Raniero’s loved that we could partner with the CAI to create a place to connect with our customers online.”

“It is always exciting to learn an informatics graduate is involved in a new, local business,” said Joshua Rodamer, marketing specialist for the CAI. “It really demonstrates the drive and economic impact of students graduating from the college. Current informatics students developing their skills by working with a previous graduate bring the education lifecycle full-circle.” Three College of Informatics students, representing computer science and communication departments, contributed to this project.

The website was developed using an open source content management system. The software used will allow Raniero’s to update its website and manage all of its information from any computer with an Internet connection.

Raniero’s Website

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Emily Taylor received the Post Secondary Student Technology award during Connect Kentucky’s 2011 Tech Day at Great American Ballpark.

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Moving NonProfits Forward: Virtual CIO Assessment Collaboration In spring 2010, the CAI partnered with the NKU Institute for Nonprofit Capacity, the United Way of Greater Cincinnati, and the Leadership Council of Human Service Executives to assess IT systems and capabilities of 10 local nonprofit organizations.

This project was part of the CAI Virtual CIO program and sought to pilot a new assessment function for nonprofits. In order to select nonprofits that would receive a detailed IT assessment, a voluntary questionnaire was distributed and completed by more than 100 nonprofits.

Over the next several months CAI students visited each of the 10 organizations selected, assessing IT infrastructure, data security, email capacity, web status, database management, general IT support and staff skills. Each nonprofit selected for an in-depth assessment received a detailed report, roughly 40 pages long, describing findings and recommendations. The reports and assessments produced by the CAI were unique in that they were unbiased toward specific vendors and simply provided an informational foundation for the nonprofits to improve technology.

In January 2011, the CAI partnered with INC to host a session that summarized findings from the initial survey as well as the 10 detailed assessments. This session brought together more than 65 individuals from nonprofits across the tri-state who were seeking more information on improving technology.

After summarizing the findings, a panel of participating nonprofits discussed how they had used the assessments in their organizations and took questions from attendees.

“Every nonprofit, regardless of size, needs a firm IT foundation upon which to build effective services, programs, donor relations, communications, financial management and outcome reports,” stated Dayle Deardurff, then director of INC. “CAI can help build this critical foundation.”

The CAI interviewed several nonprofits that participated in the VCIO assessment project, asking, “How did the CAI impact your organization through this project?” Scan the QR code on this page with a smartphone and watch a short video of those individuals explaining how the project fulfilled their needs.

In addition to the positive feedback from the organizations involved in the VCIO IT assessment project, ConnectKentucky recognized one of the students performing the IT assessments for her contributions. Emily Taylor was awarded the ConnectKentucky’s Postsecondary Student Technology Award for being an extremely talented technologist. More information on Emily Taylor and her accomplishments can be found in the Student Spotlight section of this report.

Participating Organizations Catholic Charities, Diocese of Covington Center for Chemical Addictions Treatment Children Inc. G.L.A.D. House Jewish Vocational Service New Perceptions Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission Power Inspires Progress Santa Maria Community Services Urban Appalachian Council

VCIO Video

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the early childhood Database collaboration

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2008

2009

The United Way of Greater Cincinnati set a bold goal with community partners toward improved child preparedness for entrance into kindergarten.

In northern Kentucky, the group Success By 6 was tasked with charting the path to this new goal and began its diligent work by partnering with numerous early childcare centers, public preschools and public kindergartens to monitor and track kindergarten readiness. The collaborative faced challenges because of several factors, including the lack of previous records, records management, and inconsistency in data collection. As the project developed, it became evident that the current method for tracking data in its system was antiquated, causing data reliability and validity issues.

The development and funding of the Northern Kentucky Early Childhood Database stemmed from a need to better track, store and distribute data. Over time, students in the CAI have worked diligently to design, build, maintain and improve the ECD. The database itself is a powerful web-based application that was designed to hold data about child development from birth through kindergarten years.

The application provides an easy-to-use interface for individuals entering or retrieving data. Also, data security has been substantially increased, disaster recovery options have been implemented, and data validity and reliability have been improved.

Some of the most useful and exciting features of the ECD have recently come online, with improvements and additions taking place constantly.

Administrators and teachers using the database can

2010 32%

2011 15%

25% 75%

Prepared *

85%

Not Prepared

now run reports tailored to specific information they need. Additionally, business intelligence tools are now integrated into the system to provide analytical reports in graphical form. Soon users will be able to monitor data real-time via informational dashboards.

The ECD tool has gained significant momentum, and other regions have begun to invest in the system.

Scan the QR code on the right to watch a short video clip of Amy Neal from the United Way of Greater Cincinnati talking about the impact of the ECD project.

* Children Prepared: Children who were assessed at kindergarten with a screener NCE score of 50 or higher

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Bridging the gap: empowering KY librarians

“Bridging the Gap: Supplying the Next Generation of Librarians to the Underserved Counties of Rural Kentucky� is a collaborative project among Northern Kentucky University, Bluegrass Community and Technical College and the Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives. CAI students worked with Steely Library and other project stakeholders to develop a web-based learning community and supporting website, www.kylibrarians.org. The website was built using Drupal, an open-source content management system. This was the first time CAI students built a website with Drupal. The students researched the content system, constructed the site and worked through the challenges of understanding and tailoring a new technology to specific requirements. Student-written code was combined with code from the CMS to produce the final product for the Bridging the Gap project.

The Bridging the Gap project performed three main objectives: identifying public library directors and staff in Western and Appalachian Kentucky to receive scholarships and enabling them to achieve an undergraduate degree; providing intensive support through the development of a comprehensive statewide mentoring program and a web-based learning community; and enhancing opportunities for professional development through travel grants to national or state conferences. The web project completed by CAI students focused on the second objective.

John Murray (left) and Andrei Ursan (right) were the primary developers for the Bridging the Gap project

The two most important features developed by the CAI students include the online mentoring interface and the chat feature. The mentoring interface provides an outlet for librarians to become a mentor, find a mentor, discover learning programs and locate other librarians.

Library students are able to find mentor information and locate individuals with the experiences they are seeking, further enabling growth in the education of rural librarians across Kentucky. The chat feature is a private interface for librarians to stay connected with one another. The ability for librarians to communicate and collaborate is foundational to any learning community.

The Kentucky project was so successful that another grant has been received to roll out a similar system in West Virginia. This project will be a partnership between NKU’s Steely Library, the West Virginia Library Commission and Mountwest Community College in Huntington, W.Va.

Scan this QR code to watch a short video on the Bridging the Gap Project.

Mike Sames (left) works through a database solution with student programmer Adam Howard (right)

STUDENT THINK TANK

CAI students in the Mobile and Web Academy spend time learning how to solve problems and develop solutions for real-world organizations.

Oftentimes, several students and a faculty or staff member will work together to map out each piece of the project they are building. It is through this collaborative effort that students further develop their problem-solving and workplace social skills. In the classroom students are introduced to methodologies of problem solving and interact with one another through group work. The CAI provides the opportunity for students to experience an environment similar to a corporate think tank.

In several cases, representatives from organizations partnering with the CAI will be present to detail the final result of a project. In these instances, students have learned to map out the processes, systems and components involved in a project from the “end result� description being described to them in real-time.

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Ryan Durbin (left) and staff member Jeremy Henage (right) white-boarding mobile application design

BEATING LOCAL HUNGER

with the Freestore Foodbank

Photo credit: The Freestore Foodbank

In January 2011, Cincinnati’s Freestore Foodbank and the Center for Applied Informatics announced the launch of a multiplatform mobile app aimed at fighting hunger in the tri-state area. The application provides a brief introduction to the Freestore Foodbank, a news feed of recent and relevant information, involvement opportunities for community members, a member agency locator and important contact information to connect with the Freestore Foodbank. The application is available for free download in both the Android Market and iTunes App Store.

John Young, president and CEO of the Freestore Foodbank, explained why this application was developed.

“Ultimately, we’re about connecting people to what they need, and the app allows us to do this in a variety of ways. We’re connecting volunteers and donors to our current opportunities and advocacy issues and connecting those in need to food and services to help stabilize their lives and bring them hope.”

In focusing on the two platforms, Freestore Foodbank can now reach more than half of Greater Cincinnati’s smartphone owners. As the Android OS and iOS continue to gain popularity

in the smartphone market, applications for these two systems will gain importance to organizations of all types and sizes. The CAI has found that nonprofits, NGOs and government are beginning to pursue mobile technology and adapt to the demand from the public. The Freestore Foodbank now has a key connection in the mobile space and can empower Greater Cincinnati communities with the information needed to beat local hunger.

“The work of NKU on our Freestore Foodbank app gives us one more way to reach out into the community,” said Young.

The research and development for both applications was completed by nearly 10 NKU informatics students in approximately six weeks.

Tim Ferguson, executive director of the CAI, explained that he is consistently impressed with the technology work completed by informatics students.

“Engaging our community is important to the NKU mission, and this shines through our students with the dedication they demonstrate to develop these service-oriented applications.”

Sean Butts, a computer science major working on the

project, explained his contribution to the Freestore Foodbank application. “My job was to research the functionality of the app and work on how to display the contact information correctly.

When I was able to apply my research to the final product, an application that people need and people will use; it was a great feeling of success.”

You can download the Freestore Foodbank application for your iOS or Android device by scanning the appropriate QR code below.

Android App

iPhone App

FiRST RESPONDER There’s a hero in all of us...

Northern Kentucky University and the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District released a new, innovative, location-aware iPhone application in January 2011 that empowers everyday citizens to provide lifesaving assistance to victims of sudden cardiac arrest. Application users that have indicated training and certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation are notified if someone near their location is possibly experiencing SCA. The application uses sophisticated GPS technology to alert citizens in the vicinity of the SCA victim at the same time fire department paramedics are dispatched. Citizen rescuers are also directed to the exact location of the closest publicly accessible automated external defibrillator.

Photo credit: San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District

Download the app

“Consider that someone has taken a CPR class and is willing to help a fellow citizen in dire need. Before this application, that person had to be in precisely the right place at the time of need to make a difference. The fire department app casts a much wider net over potential rescuers, greatly increasing the odds that CPR will be started, and an AED will be used, prior to the arrival of paramedics,” said Dr. Joseph Barger, medical director for Contra Costa Emergency Medical Services. “It’s very exciting to think about the lives that will be saved by this new technology.” Consider that in each passing minute of cardiac arrest, the chance of survival is reduced by 7-10 percent. If trained and qualified individuals are nearby and can administer CPR or an AED while waiting on paramedics, the patient’s survival rate can be drastically increased.

CAI

Nearly 300,000 people die each year in the United States from sudden cardiac arrest, resulting in a less than 8 percent survival rate. Brain death begins in four to six minutes, and few resuscitation attempts succeed if initiated after 10 minutes have elapsed. Even the best emergency medical services in the country can have response times that exceed seven minutes. Bystander CPR and the early use of an AED are two extremely critical links in the cardiac chain of survival.

“Public access AEDs are now commonplace in public areas such as schools, health clubs, churches, office complexes and shopping centers,” said Captain Andy Swartzell, EMS coordinator for the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District.

“But they are often left unused because citizens are unaware of their existence. This application has great potential to eliminate that information void and put these lifesaving devices to work more often.” When CPR and defibrillation occur in the first few minutes, survival rates can approach 80 percent. “The new SRVFPD application aims to increase the frequency and quality of bystander CPR and increase the use and deployment speed of public access defibrillators,” said Skip Kirkwood, president of the National EMS Management Association. “The residents of the district are currently afforded a very high level of emergency medical services, and the new application will further improve cardiac outcomes.

Expanding the reach of the application is now paramount.”

Since the fire department application launched, it has been covered by numerous national tech, emergency services and national media outlets. Additionally, the application has received several honors including: • 2011 Laureate Award for Innovation, Computerworld • 2010 W3 Gold Award Winner • Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association 2011 VITA Wireless Samaritan Award • Fire Department PSA, 2011 Telly Award • Most Innovative Use of Technology, 2011 Best of Kentucky Technology Award • Top 10 Transformative Application, Transformative- Applications.net In July 2011 the PulsePoint Foundation was announced to enable the growth and deployment of the application to other districts across the United States. CAI executive director Tim Ferguson will sit on the foundation’s board. “Collaboration with the PulsePoint Foundation perfectly aligns with Northern Kentucky University’s community outreach mission. This innovative technology has true potential to change and save lives, and we are proud to be part of such an initiative,” said James Votruba, president of NKU.

Photo credit: San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District

Watch the video

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transit authority of northern kentucky innovations in public transit

Transportation agencies across the country must find new ways to improve their technology, increase ridership and improve operational efficiencies. In summer 2007, Northern Kentucky University’s College of Informatics, the Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky, and the CAI began meeting that need with an innovative technology solution after months of research, testing and promotion by 10 college faculty/ staff and more than 40 students. This pilot project, supported and funded by the Federal Transportation Administration, will be used as a model to improve transportation resources in other regions throughout the country.

The first phase of the pilot program was to develop wireless capabilities on TANK buses that would allow Internet connectivity. The solution set consisted of hardware and also frontend and backend software – all developed by NKU students. For end users of TANK’s mobile Wi-Fi, it’s as simple as connecting to their wireless network at home with the added benefit of being en route to their destination. Today, 20 buses in TANK’s fleet are Wi-Fi enabled, providing riders with this extremely beneficial service in Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties.

Since the initial launch, TANK has continued to collaborate with the CAI in the College of Informatics through the support of the FTA. Onboard video solutions were designed and implemented using the mobile Wi-Fi technology previously developed. In collaboration with WCPO Channel 9 in Cincinnati, TANK was able to deliver news and information to its riders through the integration of a dynamic content system.

After increasing the benefits of riding public transit with technology solutions, the project turned to researching and developing tools to make the planning and logistics of public transit easier. To build several new tools for TANK customers, the project combined two foundational solutions, technology-assisted route planning and global-positioning satellite systems.

Collaborating with Google, CAI students built the TANK Trip Planner, which allows consumers to plan and understand their transit schedule with little or no previous knowledge of the TANK service. The Trip Planner provides a detailed transit map with instructions for which buses to take when and where.

This tool was made available initially on TANK’s main website as well as on a new student-developed website optimized for mobile devices. In 2010, this tool was built into native iOS and Android applications for TANK called myTANK. The myTANK suite of tools consists of these two native mobile applications and myTANK Alerts.

The fourth core technology contributing to the entire TANK project is an alerting technology.

The alerting technology enabled riders to receive notifications of bus delays, emergency route changes, and other time-sensitive information. Riders can receive these alert messages by email, by SMS/text message, or in the native mobile applications. myTANK alerts are a revolutionary improvement in TANK’s transit system, as riders enrolled in myTANK Alerts are now immediately aware of service interruptions or changes tailored to each of their individual riding patterns.

CAI

Mobile Website

2007 TANK lily pad service launch

In addition to mobile Wi-Fi, onboard video, route planning and mobile alerts, desktop gadgets for Windows Vista and Windows 7 were developed to provide riders with alert information and route-planning tools. The TANK project is nearing implementation for yet another innovation, TANK Kiosks, scheduled to be deployed at transit hubs such as the airport and the Covington Transit Center. In all areas, these improvements continue to make public transit in northern Kentucky more efficient, attractive to new generations of riders, and easier to navigate.

Although the main goal of the collaboration between TANK and the CAI is to improve transit and pilot new innovations, other community improvements have stemmed from the project’s success. In Pendleton County, Ky., the same technology used to enable Wi-Fi in buses was placed in emergency management vehicles and a bookmobile. Additionally, a small pilot Android App project is underway to place mobile WiFi on school buses in Carroll County, Ky. In each instance, the mobile technology increased value to the publics served by providing ways to send and receive information or communicate that were previously unavailable.

Take the TANK innovations for a test ride today! If you have an iOS or Android device, scan the appropriate QR code to the right, or visit m.tankbus. org from your mobile device and hop on iPhone App board with TANK.

31

SEAN

BU

TAY

R LO

TTS

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

EMILY

Current Academics: Master of Science in Computer Information Technology

Current Academics: Computer Science Major, Double Minor in Mathematics & Computer Information Technology Sean joined the CAI team in October 2010 to develop mobile applications and perform quality assurance. His most notable project contribution was to the Freestore Foodbank mobile application. Sean researched application tools and helped build the functionality that displays contact information in the app.

In addition to his exceptional academic performance in the College of Informatics and project work in the CAI, Sean also participates in several extracurricular and community-service activities. Sean is a member of Informatica, an informatics student organization; plays intramural basketball and football; volunteers at Parish Soup Kitchen; and was a summer JAVA Camp tutor. Additionally, Sean is the recipient of the College of Informatics Scholarship.

“Sean is a great combination of curious, studious, knowledgeable, courteous and helpful. He is a computer science major taking a computer information technology minor, a very challenging combination. Sean worked with me over the past summer in my high school programming camp. Sean was extremely helpful – he personally tutored many of the struggling students, showing both patience and care. Without his help, some of these students would not have made it through.”

– Richard Fox, Ph.D.

Emily joined the CAI team in February 2009 as a software engineer specialist. In spring 2011 she graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in computer information technology, minoring in computer science and the NKU honors program. She is now continuing her education through the Master of Science in computer information technology program. Emily was the recipient of the William H. Greaves Scholarship, ConnectKentucky’s 2011 Postsecondary Student Technology Award, an Outstanding Computer Information Technology Senior Award winner, and Outstanding Capstone Presentation Award winner for her capstone project in the honors program.

In addition to her many recognitions, Emily was a student tutor in the programming labs for the computer science department, a peer mentor for an Honors 101 class, a peer advisor to freshmen and sophomores in the honors program, and an academic tutor for Learning Assistance Programs at NKU. Still, Emily found time to be a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Ambassador for the computer science department during her senior year, present as a student panelist during a session at the 2011 Converging Trends in Teaching and Learning Conference, and participate as a member of Alpha Chi.

“Emily Taylor continues to impress me the more I work with her. Emily worked as a STEM Ambassador and managed peer-learning sessions for our beginning programming courses. Her work is impeccable; she is diligent, responsible and hard working. What perhaps I admire most in her is an ability to be so successful juggling work, school and home with such humility and grace.”

– Maureen Doyle, Ph.D.

CAI

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Students who have participated in the Center for Applied Informatics program at Northern Kentucky University find themselves in high demand and often have multiple job options available to them upon graduation. The CAI would like to highlight just a few of the students who have completed their degrees and begun successful careers in their respective fields.

Shelley (Boehl) Ruffing worked for the CAI as a media specialist II while she completed her degree. Shelley now works for the Formica Corporation.

Nick Cooper worked for the CAI as a mobile application developer. When he graduated NKU, he immediately started in a position at Workday, Inc., in Pleasanton, Calif.

Jason Froehlich worked for Cincinnati Bell Technical Solutions after graduating NKU. As a student he worked at the CAI as a lab specialist. Now Jason works for the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Kimberly Hatcher worked for the CAI as a web specialist while completing an undergraduate degree in computer science. When Kimberly graduated she already had an IT position waiting at Verizon Wireless.

33

2010 Student Awards banquet

Jennifer Henson worked for the CAI as a mobile application developer as she completed her degree at NKU. Upon her graduation she already had a position at 722 Redemption. Jennifer now works for U.S. Bank.

Joshua Kahwema worked for the CAI as a web specialist before completing his degree in 2008.

Joshua now works for Post Glover Resistors.

Steven Kohus worked at the CAI as a lab specialist and software engineer specialist II while completing his undergraduate degree. Since graduating, Steven has held a number of positions at organizations such as Sogeti, Tata Consultancy Services and his current role at Netrada.

George Muntz worked for the CAI as a web specialist while completing his undergraduate degree.

Powerohm Resistors, a local company that George worked with as a student at the CAI, hired him after graduation.

CAI IN THE NEWS

34 | CAI

CAI

35

CAI AWARDS • Best of Kentucky 2008 Technology Award, Visionary Award, Tim Ferguson • Best of Kentucky 2011 Technology Award, Most Innovative Use of Technology, Northern Kentucky University, Fire Department Application • Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association 2011 VITA Wireless Samaritan Award, San Ramon Valley FPD, Fire Department Application • Computerworld Honors Laureate, San Ramon Valley FPD, Fire Department Application • Computerworld Premier 100 IT Leaders, Tim Ferguson • ConnectKentucky’s 2009 Postsecondary Student Technology Award, Bradley Stephens, Early Childhood Database • ConnectKentucky’s 2011 Postsecondary Student Technology Award, Emily Taylor, VCIO Assessments Project • IADAS Webby Official Honoree, San Ramon Valley FPD, Fire Department Application • International Academy of Visual Arts W3 Award, San Ramon Valley FPD, Fire Department Application • Top 10 Transformative Application, Fire Department Application • VITA Wireless Samaritan Award, San Ramon Valley FPD, Fire Department Application

100

over

36

over

over

organizations impacted

Sponsoring orGanizations

events held

CAI

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CAI BY THE NUMBERS experiential learning hours

Year

2006-07

CAI Event impressions Year

12,232

2008-09

41,207

2007-08

# of impressions

2008-09 2009-10

590 1,049 1,573

2010-11

2010-11

1,830 44,374 (Projected)

total hours

(projected)

97,913

Working 24/7

4,080 Days 585 Weeks 11 Years

The NKU METS Center Economic Impact Spanning the Region The METS Center is an important partner in professional development, training events and meetings associated with the CAI and other NKU departments. During the past fiscal year, 36 NKU events were held at the center. The College of Informatics and the CAI held events on agile technology, security, business intelligence, mobile technology, SharePoint and education technology.

Additionally, the Executive Leadership and Organizational Change program used the facility multiple times each month, and the Salmon P. Chase College of Law planned at least two events. The Haile/ U.S. Bank College of Business dean search committee used the facility to interview candidates via video conferencing technology – saving the university time and travel expenses. The METS Center also advanced the NKU core value of community engagement by hosting 27 outreach events. The importance of such events is brought to light through the following comment from a representative of the Kentucky NEED Project:

“The Kentucky NEED Project had the wonderful opportunity to hold its ‘Energize Your Classroom’ workshop at NKU’s METS Center.... Thanks to

NKU, we were able to host a workshop in a state-ofthe-art facility that reached 46 K-12 educators in the northern Kentucky region. Through attendance at this workshop, these teachers will in turn educate hundreds of northern Kentucky students in energy KDE core content standards.”

The facility itself, an entity within the College of Informatics, is quite impressive with 43,000 square feet of single-level space dedicated to conferences, corporate meetings and special events. The entire center contains sophisticated computer, presentation, networking, video and audio technologies.

Additionally, the center boasts large, convenient parking lots that are free for guests.

It is important to point out that the events and meetings held at the METS Center are not just NKU functions. The region surrounding the METS Center receives an economic impact of $2-2.5 million based on hotel room reservations generated as a direct result of METS Center events each year. The facility has been used by UPS, Wild Flavors, Toyota, P&G, Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Macy’s, The Kroger Company, Fifth Third Bank, Fidelity Investments, Citi, the Cincinnati Reds, Cincinnati Bell, and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, just to name a few.

The following chart breaks down the different types of meetings and their attendance at the NKU METS Center.

Photo credit: NKU METS Center

Corporate Events

56% 8,291

Non-profit Outreach

310

44%

18,270

9,979

unique events

meeting attendees

KU

it: N

red to c

TS ME

ter

Cen

Pho

“The METS Center produces a $2-2.5 million regional economic impact in hotel room reservations each year.”

“Thank you so much for your hospitality. Our participants LOVE your facility...from the convenient dual screens in the main presentation rooms, to the abundance of outlets for their laptops, to the convenient parking...not to mention the delicious meals! Everything is top-notch at the METS Center, and we thank you for your generosity in allowing us to utilize your facility.”

Kentucky Department of Education Office of Next Generation Learners

TECHNOLOGY THOUGHT LEADERSHIP DELIVERED

The CAI is constantly called upon for technology advice, research and further understanding due to its positioning in the College of Informatics. Throughout the last fiscal year, the CAI made numerous presentations to nonprofits and businesses, with the majority of the audiences consisting of leaders looking for information on the future of technology. The rapid advancement of social, mobile and cloud technologies can be overpowering to smaller organizations that lack the resources for advanced research or

40 | CAI

additional staff to manage such solutions.

Mobile technology has become a common thread in conversations with outside organizations. Since the beginning of May 2011, nearly a dozen such presentations have been held.

Some of these sessions with the largest impact potential include the Technology First Technology Landscape Conference, the 2011 Lectora User’s Conference, two United Way conferences, the Converging Trends Conference and a BlackBoard conference.

Mobile continues to grow as an important topic among IT leaders as organizations seek to diversify communication channels with their stakeholders.

In addition to several mobilefocused presentations, the CAI has discussed social and cloud technologies with local nonprofits.

The VCIO Assessment project findings were explained during a panel presentation in January 2011. This presentation quickly turned into a large conversation with the audience on tools and services available to nonprofits with limited budgets. Open source and social technologies are growing in both availability and applicability to such organizations.

Due to their customizable options and low cost structures, nonprofits are very interested in how these technology tools can be leveraged to increase their mission’s success.

CAI

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY LEADERSHIP FORUM The IT Leadership Forum was launched in 2007 as a cornerstone outreach program for NKU’s Center of Applied Informatics. The ITLF was modeled after the CIO Roundtable, a mature, successful CIO peer network for the 25 largest IT organizations in the region (e.g., P&G, Kroger, GE) but with a broader intended audience. The target ITLF member is a CIO/CTO of a company under $1 billion (annual sales) or a senior IT director of a Fortune 500 company. To lead the ITLF program, NKU reached out to former P&G CIO Frank Caccamo, who founded the CIO Roundtable more than 20 years ago and serves as an advisor for NKU’s College of Informatics, and to Geoff Smith, who has co-chaired the CIO Roundtable for several years.

The IT Leadership Forum is a vibrant group of IT leaders who are united by their common willingness to share and learn from each other. One of the key and very unique strengths of the ITLF is the diversity of its member organizations. The organizations

are all sizes – ranging from small organizations to large multinationals.

They span public and private sectors and a broad continuum of industries (retail, consumer products, airline, healthcare, manufacturing, construction/architecture and higher education). This diversity provides a rich set of experiences for members to leverage and reapply.

Member meetings take place every other month to discuss topics that are of most importance to the members. The format of these meetings varies from bringing in outside experts to peer presentations where members share their organization’s best practices. The discussions are always interactive, and members value the learning. Many members have cited specific projects or implementations that have been improved based on learning and direction gained at

ITLF meetings. In addition to the regular member meetings, the ITLF provides members access to other key IT events supported by NKU (e.g., security symposium, mobility conference) and the CIO Roundtable events (e.g., annual CIO Summit).

Because membership retention has been high, many of the ITLF members have been together for four years. This produces strong peer relationships and trust, making ad hoc, “offline” sharing and dialog between members commonplace.

This peer-to-peer networking is the ultimate benefit of an ITLF membership.

Geoff Smith (left) and Frank Caccamo (right)

IT Leader Relationships Counsel Use CAI’s resources for unbiased information to: • evaluate opinions and get predictions / trends • access analysts and research firms • access futurists, “gurus” and academia

Self-Development Work on personal and career development through: • workshops, seminars and training • personal coaches and mentors

Knowledge Get deeper and specialized knowledge; improve your practical knowledge and execution through: • industry thought leaders • strategic supplier

IT LEADER

Collaboration Networking and knowledge exchange through: • member initiated inquiries • moderated surveys and discussions • group problem solving and case studies

Security Symposium

CONFERENCES & COMMUNITY

INTERalliance The CAI has participated in multiple INTERalliance events at Northern Kentucky University. At these events, high school students come to the NKU campus to learn about technology, participate in team projects and meet IT professionals.

This is an important outreach event for the College of Informatics as well as the CAI. These students are the next generation of talented, tech-savvy, college freshmen.

42 | CAI

The annual Security Symposium is the flagship event of the Center for Applied Informatics.

Each year hundreds of IT professionals converge upon the NKU METS Center to learn about the latest in IT security. This event brings together faculty, professionals and students to learn and network with one another.

CAI

SharePoint Cincy In spring 2011 the CAI partnered with Max Technical Training to host its largest event to date. SharePoint Cincy was a one-day conference focused on Microsoft SharePoint.

More than 350 individuals attended this event at the NKU METS Center. Attendees learned about processes, methodologies, software integration with SharePoint and much more.

Business Intelligence Business intelligence is a big topic; it provides the framework and concepts to better understand data for improved business decisions. In 2010, CAI collaborated with other organizations to hold three events focused on business intelligence.

The positioning of NKU in its current SAP implementation set the stage for these events and provided a collaborative space to share and learn about new methods of deducting information from data.

Photo credit: NKU METS Center

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Community awards Each year the Center for Applied Informatics honors organizations and individuals who have partnered with us in some capacity. These individuals and organizations have been advocates for the CAI, our students and the work produced in the College of Informatics.

2011 Awards Amy Neal, 2011 CAI IMPACT Award Dr. Douglas Perry, 2011 CAI Visionary Award Freestore Foodbank, 2011 CAI IMPACT Award San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District, 2011 CAI IMPACT Award 2010 Awards Steven Hunt, Recognition Award Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky, Recognition Award 2009 Awards Charles Frank, Recognition Award 2008 Awards Frank Caccamo, Recognition Award Geoff Smith, Recognition Award Frank Braun, Recognition Award James Walden, Recognition Award

Lesley Holgate, Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky, is presented with a recognition award

by David Hirsch for TANK’s ongoing technology partnership with CAI.

44 | CAI

CAI

45

Cai Impacted organizations 4C for Children A.D. Owens Elementary Agape Agent 511 Alerts4me Inc. Alpha Land Angels in Training Arnett Elementary Aunt Kathy’s Basic Trust Beck’s Day Care Beech Acres Beechwood Elementary School Beechwood High School Beechwood Independent Schools, Board of Education Behringer-Crawford Museum Bellevue Independent Schools Biederman Big Loving Big Whale Productions Boone County Fiscal Court Bright Future Brighton Center Building Crafts, Inc. Campbell County Board of Education Campbell County Fiscal Court Campbell County High School Campbell County Middle School Campbell County Public Library Campbell Ridge Elementary Care Bear Catholic Charities Center for Chemical Addictions Chapman Child Development Center Cherokee Learning Center Children Inc. Chris Sturm Cincinnati Family Services Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal Cincinnati Rotary Club CincyIP City of Ashland, KY City of Covington, KY City of Murray, KY Commonwealth of Kentucky ConnectKentucky Covington Independent Schools Covington Ladies Home Crossroads Elementary Dayton Youth Center Diocese of Covington Donald E. Cline Elementary Duke Energy East Carolina School of Dental Medicine East Pendelton Water District Eastern Kentucky University Eco-Revolution Every Child Succeeds Federal Transit Administration Fifth Third Bank Fourth Street Elementary Freestore Foodbank Friends of White Water Shaker Village

G.L.A.D. House Grant County Schools Grants Lick Elementary GVM/Green Vision Media Head Start Heavenly Hickory Grove Baptist Church Preschool Highlands High School Highlands Middle School Holly Hill Children’s Services Howell Elementary i2 Group Innovations (Cincinnati) Institute for Nonprofit Capacity, NKU interALLIANCE Jewish Vocational Service John W. Reiley Elementary Johnson Elementary Kenton County Schools Kentucky Campus Compact Kentucky Convergence Conference Kentucky Converging Trends Conference Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education Kentucky Department for Public Health Kentucky Department of Commercialization and Innovation

Kentucky Department of Education Kentucky Occupational License Association Kids and Cribs Kinder Academy Kings Kids CDC Kroger Leaders of Tomorrow Let’s Immunize Northern Kentucky (LINK) Lindeman Elementary Little Red School House Little Trains Lloyd Memorial High School LP Enterprises Max Technical Training Metro / SORTA (Southern Ohio Regional Transit Authority) Middle East Partnership Initiative Mildred Dean Elementary Miles Elementary Mom’s Christian Day Care Morehead State University Mother Hubbard Moyer Elementary Mustard Seeds Child Care Nassau County Community College Natural Bridge Technical Solutions New Perceptions Newport Adult Learning Center Newport High School Newport Independent Schools Newport Middle School NKU Alumni Association NKU METS Center NKU’s International Business Center NKY Rents Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission

Northern Kentucky Education Council Northern Kentucky University Northern Magazine, NKU Alumni Programs Northern Pendleton Elementary Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) Omnicare Outdoor Alternatives Pendleton High School Pike County, KY Power Inspires Progress Powerohm Resistors, Inc. Proctor & Gamble Raniero’s Pizzeria Redwood Research in Motion Restyling Lives Romper Room Ryle High School San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District Sanitation District Number 1 Santa Maria Community Services, Inc. Scripps Howard Center for Civic Engagement SeaShells Sharp Middle School Silverlake Academy SonLight Preschool Sons of Italy Southern Pendleton Elementary Southside SportsNation360 St Elizabeth-St Luke St. Thomas Preschool Strong Minds Success By 6 Technology Management Partners Technology Medical Partners The Children’s Garden The Hillman Group The Place for Kids The Wireless Store Tichenor Middle School Toddler Town Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky (TANK) Tri-County Economic Development Corporation (Tri-ED) Triple Crown Fundraising Trivantis TRIWIC U of Promo U.S. Department of Justice U.S. Department of Transportation United Way UPIC Urban Appalachian Council Vision 2015 W. Frank Steely Library W. Ron Adams WCPO Channel 9 Cincinnati Who Killed Our Kids (WKOK) Williamstown Schools WinWholesale Inc, Women in Informatics Woodfill Elementary

Sponsors Founding Sponsors Accenture CBTS Commonwealth of Kentucky DBA Direct Duke Energy Fidelity Investments iET Solutions Northern Kentucky University Ohio National Financial Services Toyota Program Sponsors Accuvant Apple, Inc. Ascendum C-Forward Information Technologies Cincinnati Bell Cincinnati Chapter of the Licensing Executive Society CincyFree CincyIP CINFOSS Cisco ConnectKentucky Decision First Technologies Dell Gartner IBM Max Technical Training McAfee Microsoft Microstrategy Natural Bridge Technologies PCMS IT Advisor Group Plante & Moran Research in Motion SIS SportsNation360 Unbridled Information Technologies

46 | CAI

Cai students and alumni (2006-2011) Raj Akula

Jennifer (Moore) Henson

Abed Refai

Gaurav Aryal

Evan Herberth

Christian Rice

Shelley Boehl

Kristin Hils

Dejan Ristic

David Botos

Jesse Hockenbury

Kelly Rodamer

Ashley Bravo

Nick Hoffman

Gaby Rodriguez

Andrew Brown

Tyler Holhubner

Javier Rondon

Sean Butts

Adam Howard

Eric Rolf

Eric Hancock

Gabriel Howard

Elizabeth Russell

David Carmack

Jeremy Hughes

Michael Sames

Arthur Chitanda

Santiago Jamriska

Jamie Santini

Nicholas Cooper

Zach Janszen

Jonathan Schrage

Tommy Cooper

Ben Jaspers

Trevor Schmitz

Franรงois Cortes

Robert Jeffers

Michael Schuler

Troy Crosley

Kevin Jo

Makayla Schultz

Christopher Daniels

Amy Johnson

Steve Scotilla

Jason Daniels

Joshua Kahwema

Heyna Shah

Gary Darna

Alison Keller

Barkha Shrestha

Paul Davis

Bikash Khadka

Brad Sorrell

Rashmi Dayal

Daniel Koabel

Amber Stanton

Thomas Delaney

Steven Kohus

Amanda Stenger

Katherine Dillon

Luminda Kulasiri

Bradley Stephens

Ryan Durbin

Brian Leibreich

Mahesh Subramanian

Amy (Walters) Edwards

Arthur Littlefield

Nicholas Sullivan

Mike Espelage

Cody Mathews

Emily Taylor

Katie Ferguson

Grant McDonald

Justin Taylor

Matt Field

Jacquelin Moore

Andrei Ursan

Michael Firesheets

Kevin Morrison

Rajini Varadgan

Jason Froehlich

George Muntz

Sri Harsha Vasireddy

Matthew Gallagher

John Murray

Eric Versteeg

Risha Golden

Muzammil (Ali) Nadir

Grant Welch

Chris Goodridge

Logan Newell

Lindsay Whitehead

Ashley Gregory

Joshua Newkirk

Matthew (Matt) Wiley

Gina Grittner

John Newman

William (Kurt) Patrick

Dennis Hartsock

John James (JJ) Painter

Gregory Wilson

Kimberly Hatcher

Morgan Peterson

Rebecca Wilson

Pochara (Porsche) Prapatanant

Brady Wurtz

Michael Hebert Jeremy Henage

Photo credit: Tim Sofranko

CAI Advisory board Frank Braun, D.M., Lecturer, Dept. of Business Informatics, NKU

Mike Inman, Retired CIO, Commonwealth of Kentucky

Frank Caccamo, COI Advisory Board, NKU – Retired CIO at P&G

Nick Kaufman, VP of Information Systems & Services, The Kroger Co.

Jim Cordas, Chairman – COI Advisory Board, NKU

Kevin Kirby, Ph.D., Interim Dean, College of Informatics, NKU

Jim Dixon, CIO, CMH Regional Health System

Ben Martz, Ph.D., Department Chair & Professor, Dept. of Business Informatics, NKU

Bill Fleissner, Corporate Director, Business Intelligence, Catholic Healthcare Partners Kevin Gallagher, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Dept. of Business Informatics, NKU Brian Hammond, Senior VP, Sogeti Rich Hempel, CEO & Co-Founder, Natural Bridge Group Steve Hinkel, General Manager, Deliver-Technology Solutions

48 | CAI

Randy McCleese, VP-IS & CIO, St. Claire Regional Medical Center Geoff Smith, Owner/President, LP Enterprises, LLC Keith Stafford, Managing Partner, Strategic Data Systems James Walden, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Dept. of Computer Science, NKU

CAI

Meet the CAI Faculty and Staff College of Informatics Faculty The Center for Applied Informatics recognizes a few of the College of Informatics faculty that facilitate and allow us to perform the work we do on a daily basis.

Frank Braun, E.M.D. Greg DeBlasio, Ph.D. Chuck Frank, Ph.D. Kevin Gallagher, Ph.D. Wei Hao, Ph.D. Yi Hu, Ph.D. Hetal Jasani, Ph.D. Kevin Kirby, Ph.D. Ben Martz, Ph.D. Vijay Raghavan, Ph.D. Chris Strobel, M.A. Marius Truta, Ph.D. James Walden, Ph.D. Xiaoni Zhang, Ph.D. Center For Applied Informatics Staff Administrative Staff Tina Altenhofen, Executive Assistant Tim Ferguson, Executive Director David Hirsch, Program Director Joshua Rodamer, Marketing Specialist Mobile Academy Staff Jason Daniels, Mobile Application Developer Spencer Egart, Mobile Application Developer John Newman, Mobile Application Developer Chris Rider, Senior Technical Architect Eric Rolf, Mobile Application Developer Chris Walker, Mobile Application Developer Special Projects Staff Gary Ozanich, Ph.D., Senior Research Associate Mike Sames, Project Leader/ECD Administrator Vincent Scheben, Project Coordinator Emily Taylor, Project Specialist

CAI Staff

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LOOKING FORWARD: The Next Five Years of Innovation and Excellence The first five years were filled with extraordinary innovations, successes and relationship cultivation. As the CAI progresses forward, initiatives are being taken to grow our impact on a variety of organizations, from small nonprofits to international corporations. Further integration with the College of Informatics will lead to more sophisticated student opportunities and increased faculty involvement.

Over the next several years, the CAI will focus on new ways students can be engaged in applied informatics. This includes programs that provide real-world, field-of-study, virtual co-op opportunities for younger cohorts of talented NKU students. In addition to the current opportunities offered to NKU students through the CAI, we will work to further hone and perfect our applied informatics methodologies. The CAI has researched and studied how informatics students learn and apply their classroom knowledge to realworld problems. Using our research, the CAI will standardize the virtual co-op program, allowing for adaption and transformation to meet the demands of the ever-changing technology landscape.

The CAI also recognizes that technology is ever changing and that in order to provide our students with the best possible experience, we must monitor and adapt to new technology landscapes. While the CAI currently focuses on mobile, cloud and social technologies, we are prepared to adapt to emergent technologies to provide our students with realistic experiential learning opportunities. The applied informatics program will continue to grow and transform organically, changing to meet the technology and workforce development demands of potential employers. Our ability to adapt to these changes is paramount to remaining relevant to our students, the university and the community of organizations that engage CAI.

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CAI

QR Code index IFC http://cai.nku.edu page 12 http://informatics.nku.edu Page 19 http://cai.nku.edu/Center-for-Security/research.html#magictabs_research_2 Page 21 http://www.ranierospizzeria.com/ Page 23 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciiI8p20AqE Page 24 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQC7p4Y1-SY Page 25 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nj30nSyFy2I Page 27 https://market.android.com/details?id=nku.freestore&feature=search_result Page 27 http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/freestore-foodbank/id408476906?mt=8 Page 28 http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pulsepoint/id500772134?mt=8 Page 29 http://youtu.be/ZiuEKise5YU Page 31 http://m.tankbus.org/indexob.html Page 31 https://market.android.com/details?id=nku.myTank&feature=search_result Page 31 http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mytank/id367090978?mt=8 Page 49 http://cai.nku.edu/CAI/about-us.html#magictabs_about_4 Page 51 Digital version of report (cai.nku.edu)

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CAI Logo design: Gaby Rodriguez