9th grader from Rosemount advances to semi-finals of 2015 Technovation Challenge

MTS Minnesota Connections Academy 9th grader, Tracey Treat (photo right), and her team partner, 11th grader, Ivy Liu (photo left), from Trinity School at River Ridge, have advanced to the semi-final rounds of the 2015 Technovation Challenge, a 12 week technology entrepreneurship program and competition for girls who work together in teams to imagine, design, and develop mobile apps to solve a problem they are facing.

In Minnesota, six high school teams and 22 middle school teams pitched their ideas in May during the 2nd Annual Appapalooza event at the Minneapolis Convention Center. More than 500 people attended to see the mobile app ideas, from start to finish. As the winners of the high school division, Treat and Liu, along with three middle school teams, will go on to the semi’s. From there, six high school teams and four middle school teams will compete at the Global Finals in San Francisco, CA, in June. One team from each category will receive $10,000 in seed money for their app idea.

Calling themselves TechnovationMN-IT, Treat and Liu’s mobile application, AbroadNet, provides information about foreign schools, and gives students a platform to connect with these schools, and other students, both at home, and abroad. The goal of the app is to help students learn more about studying abroad, as well as help them form a network of contacts prior to arriving in that country.

The girls worked with mentors during the entire 12-week development challenge who help motivate participants and answer any questions. Treat and Liu’s mentors were: Cindy DeHerder (Lead); Shilpa Dutt; Caroline Koerner; Iris Burse; and Shawn Leighton. In a TECHdotMN article written by Beth Korth, Korth reports that both young women appreciated the help they received from their mentors. “I thought it was going to be easy, but I learned a lot, and now I can teach others,” Treat said of the experience. Liu echoed that sentiment, “I learned about teamwork and how to express your ideas.”

“The girls worked very hard,” said Tracey’s mom, Cristy. “They complement each other so well. Tracey and Ivy are both very excited about this opportunity.”

Treat is also one of the 10 state runner-up awardees for NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing 2015. Only two freshmen girls in Minnesota received the award, the majority of the awardees were seniors and juniors. “She feels very blessed and honored,” said Cristy.

Photo by Matt Gray for Technovation[MN].