DUBOIS – For the past six weeks, Penn State DuBois students Kim Hummel, Sharon Schatz, and Jim Burton have applied their education in Information Sciences and Technology to the development of a Web site for a regional business idea competition which will begin Aug. 1. Recommended for the experience by the Coordinator of the IST program, Jason Long, the three students met regularly with the marketing department at Penn State DuBois to develop the Web site.
The launch of the Web site is also scheduled for Aug. 1, with the start of the competition.
“We are excited about how the website has taken shape and know that it will be a great asset in publicizing the B.I.G.* Competition.” says Kim Hummel, one of the Web site developers.
The B.I.G.*, or *Business Ideas Gone wild, Competition is open to individuals or teams in the six county area including,: Cameron, Clearfield, Elk, Jefferson, McKean, and Potter. The Competition encourages people with ideas for products, services or processes to enter their ideas and compete for over $15,000 in prizes to be awarded in November, 2009. The B.I.G.* Competition seeks entries that are unique and innovative. The ideas may be for new products, new services, new business processes, or a dramatic improvement in some things that already exist.
Hummel, a current resident of Philipsburg, who would like to develop websites as part of her career, comments, “We are in the final stages of adding the content to several of the sections of the website. The final testing of everything we have done will be completed in the next ten days.” According to Kersey resident Sharon Schatz, another of the website developers, “We have had the chance to utilize a great number of skills, both technical and creative, as we have put this project together. It’s fun to use the IST skills we have learned and see the website emerge.”
“We will add new information to the website over the next month or so. People could visit every week and see something different,” adds Jim Burton, Kersey resident and the third student involved in the project.
The competition is open to everyone. Those who have an idea for a business or service and have what the market would be for the product or service are encouraged to enter. Information on the contest, and instructions on how to enter can be found online beginning Aug. 1.