By: J.D. Ross
(315) 443-3094
The Syracuse University School of Information Studies (iSchool) and Major League Baseball's MLB.com have again teamed up to challenge iSchool students to see if they have what it takes to make it in the big leagues. For the fifth consecutive year, they are co-sponsoring the MLB.com College Challenge, a contest that invites iSchool students to develop new ideas that could end up on MLB.com, Major League Baseball's official website.
The competition will put teams of students to the test by challenging them to attack real-world problems in the realm of technology and sports. Teams will submit competing solutions to demonstrate creativity, insight and talent in a fun, interactive environment.
“We are very excited to be partnering for the fifth year with our alumni at Major League Baseball to offer this opportunity to students at Syracuse,” said Julie Walas Huynh, director of academic advising & student engagement at the iSchool. “Students at the iSchool are tech savvy users of interactive sites like MLB.com, so we think they’ll come up with some innovative and insightful proposals for MLB.com to consider implementing.”
Syracuse iSchool alumni and MLB.com employees Josh Frost ’08, Marc Squire ’11, and Ben Romy ’12, along with fellow Syracuse University graduate, Mike Hoffman ‘93, once again will be leading the initiative working closely with Walas Huynh and iSchool professor, and CEO of SIDEARM Sports, Jeffrey Rubin.
“An initiative like this offers students an opportunity to put their iSchool experiences to immediate use in an educational, challenging and team-oriented environment. We eagerly await the many original, thought-provoking concepts this year’s group of students are sure to deliver,” said Frost.
Team-based registration for the contest officially begins on Wednesday, October 8, 2014. All iSchool students are encouraged to register and form teams, consisting of two to five members. The contest is open to all Syracuse University students, and all rosters must have at least one iSchool student and all teams must register online by 5 p.m. on Monday, November 3.
The on-campus challenge will use a two-day, hack-a-thon style, beginning with dinner on Thursday, November 13, where the details of the challenge will officially be launched. The student teams will work on their pitches and proposals through the night and present in an open forum on Friday, November 14 at the Chiefs Stadium in Syracuse.
The winning team will earn a trip to New York City to visit MLB.com's headquarters for a behind-the-scenes facilities tour and lunch with MLB.com employees. All entrants will enjoy participation prizes from MLB.com.
For more information, visit the registration website, or e-mail Julie Walas Huynh at jlwalas@syr.edu.