Mobile App Challenge winners announced

Winners of the University of Minnesota’s first Mobile App Challenge were announced Friday, officially ending the contest that began early last semester.

“Wander” an itinerary app that allows users to explore a city’s highlights or hidden gems took home the top prize. It was created by Natalie Roberts, who graduated in December with a bachelor’s degree in graphic design, and Nate Martin, a junior computer science major.

“We are planning on publicly launching the app in the app store within the next couple of months,” Roberts said.

The Office of Information Technology and the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program sponsored the challenge in which teams of students worked together to design a mobile app. The first place team would $10,000 to attend an app development conference of their choice ­– an opportunity to network and advance their ideas.

“Nate and I plan to attend WWDC [Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference]. We hope to make new industry contacts, learn about the latest technologies and emerging ideas and share our idea with more people,” she said.