糖心传媒

by Jordan Chapman

Stanislav Bogdanov 鈥�09, M.B.A. 鈥�12, M.A. 鈥�14, is many things. He鈥檚 a self-styled degree collector; he鈥檚 a co-founder of a technology company, Boglio; he鈥檚 an educational technologist in Swirbul Library; and he鈥檚 a hacker鈥攁 really good one.

No, not that kind of hacker. Bogdanov鈥檚 most recent successes include first- and second-place finishes at the 2013 Android Codefest and InnovateNYP: the First Hackathon for NYC Hospitals. The combined winnings for both placements tally up to $26,000.

Wait, hack-a-what? Spelled and pronounced as one word, a hackathon is a software development competition. Teams vie to create a solution鈥攐ften in the form of an app鈥攖o a particular problem or dilemma. Participants work around the clock to create a working prototype鈥� from scratch鈥攐f their application to present to judges.

鈥淲hether an organization or company organizes it, they usually want to solve a problem or generate more creative ideas about their product or services,鈥� Bogdanov said. 鈥淢ost hackathons do have a bucket list, or wish list, on what the organizers really want you to focus on.鈥�

At the Android Codefest, hackers used Intel developer tools to create applications that addressed pressing social issues faced by the United Nations Foundation. Bogdanov and his team came up with adviceMAMA, an app that would allow expectant mothers鈥攑articularly those who don鈥檛 have easy access to medical care鈥攖o subscribe to pregnancy tips via text message, or to ask Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action (MAMA) volunteers questions about their pregnancy.

InnovateNYP鈥攐rganized by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital鈥攊nvited participants to develop solutions for enhancing myNYP, the hospital鈥檚 online patient portal.

Under the team name Bogney, Bogdanov and his partner, John Kinney, created Intermed, an application to address the isolation and anxiety patients can face while in a hospital setting. The app would allow patients to connect with fellow patients based on interests or conditions, interact with friends and family through social networks and access tools that promote relaxation and meditation.

Though both applications have yet to come to public use, Bogdanov is intent on applying his programming savvy to improve the delivery of healthcare and education. 鈥淗ealth and education; nobody has found the best way to improve them or disrupt them using mobile technology,鈥� he said.

Through Boglio, Bogdanov and his partner Louis Di Meglio 鈥攚ho also attended Adelphi鈥攈ave developed a handful of educational and personal health apps.

Before starting Boglio, Bogdanov developed the library section of Adelphi鈥檚 mobile app, AU2GO, which is now managed by the University鈥檚 Office of Information Technology. Now he鈥檚 helping to organize Adelphi鈥檚 first hackathon, scheduled for the spring of 2015.

Adelphi鈥檚 hackathon will invite students to develop applications that improve their educational experience by enhancing the services already provided in Swirbul Library. 鈥淭he library is a specific area of education that is changing a lot right now when it comes to its role in听academia,鈥� Bogdanov said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 notoriously the area [of education] that changes the slowest鈥�We鈥檙e looking for creative new ideas on how mobile technology can be used to improve our services.鈥�

The best part? Anyone can get involved. 鈥淎fter attending a lot of hackathons, I鈥檝e become acquainted with quite a lot of tools that allow people who don鈥檛 know how to program to visually put together a mobile application,鈥� he said. 鈥淢ost of the people that attend hackathons have no experience, they just have ideas.鈥�

In this way, Bogdanov finds hackathons even more effective than traditional programming courses because they involve hands-on learning, creative problem solving and collaboration.

鈥淚 think one of the biggest trends in the field is the ubiquitousness of it all,鈥� Bogdanov told blogger Wendy Boswell in an interview earlier this year after adviceMAMA won the Android Codefest. 鈥淚t is truly inspiring that anyone with enough determination could pick up some tools, learn a language and develop a killer application.鈥�