Extra Credit

I attended the session at 3:20 in room 202C.

The first presenter, Samantha Schwab, presented on implementing new technology inside of dining halls. The technology would be there to help students with dietary intolerances/ restrictions so that they did not have to worry about what exactly was in their food. The technology implemented would be a kiosk in the dinning hall, which is accompanied by a mobile app. She stated that other schools such as Louisiana State University already have implemented similar systems that have been successful. The cost of implementing these kiosks and the cost of developing the app would come to not even 1% of Rutgers University's budget.
Very interesting idea with great intentions! I'm sure many students would be grateful for such technology in the dining hall so that they do not have to worry about what they are eating for health reasons, allergies, or dietary restrictions.

The second presenter, Joseph Newmark, introduced an app to help combat sexual assault on our campus. He stated that Rutgers specifically has two means of combating sexual assault, which includes SCREAM theater, and the blue light system. The problem with SCREAM theater is that it is not mandatory, so not many people attend these events. The problem with the blue light system is that the blue lights are typically not near locations where sexual assault happens. Newmark's idea was for Rutgers to partner with the app "LiveSafe." LiveSafe would be free for students because it would be completely funded by the University. LifeSafe offers two way contact between the user and the police, comes with location sharing, and the opportunity to request a safe ride. It would cost Rutgers a one time payment of $60,000 for the first year, and then $10,000 each year after.
This presentation was great, and this app could potentially save many potential victims. At Georgetown University an arrest was made within the first month of implementing the LiveSafe app at their school. The statistics in his presentation for students who have been sexually assaulted seemed quite low to me, but that is expected being that many victims do not report their assaults -- and if they do, Universities typically try and keep them from gaining any attention.

The third presenter, Gabriella Conmy, presented on a comprehensive injury prevention initiative. Her argument was based off of sports specialization, that is, choosing to only play one sport out of all that someone once participated in. The problems with this is that you begin to use the same muscle groups that become over worked, over used, and are prone to more injury. Her plan is to introduce a workout routine that incorporates every muscle group so that the entire body is worked out, not only the muscles specific to one sport (she focused on soccer). This plan includes getting the coaches or trainers to become certified in teaching the students how to properly work out all parts of the body, while understanding why/how sports specialization is dangerous.
Being an athlete all my life, I think sports specialization is a concept not many athletes have heard of. To be the best at one sport is pushed on by parents, coaches, and even by the person themselves. I'm sure that making sure the whole body is worked out and in good shape, not just the muscles specific to the sport, would show a decrease in injuries throughout all sports played and therefore create well rounded athletes.

The last presenter, Tanya Banerjee, presented on a mental health app. Being that my paper focuses on anxiety and depression, I found this presentation extremely insightful. Her idea is to implement an app that is personalized for each student based on the symptoms he or she feel because of anxiety/ depression. The student would be engaging in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with the help of this technological device. There is a checklist for mental health apps based on what they offer the patient, but no app thus far has succeeded in checking off everything on the list. Banerjee's app "MHWithU" would check everything off.
I think that this idea is great, especially considering my paper topic. The issue I discovered with her proposal was that the cost of the app, the devices, etc. came to a ridiculous amount of money. Most of this cost was dedicated to an app programmer, which I am sure she could cut the cost of by having someone affiliated with Rutgers design the app. This app would significantly help the overwhelming amount of students looking for help for anxiety/depression when away at college.

Overall, all proposals were amazing and the presenters did a great job. So many students here at our own school have such great ideas that I hope take off. The students could help better the Rutgers community, and the fact that these ideas are coming from our own students make it that much better.