Software developers, programmers, educators, students, healthcare professionals and entrepreneurs will attend CajunCodeFest 3.0.
The 27-hour coding contest, which is in its third year, will be held April 23-25 at the Cecil J. Picard Center for Child Development and Lifelong Learning in University Research Park.
Competitors will develop software and applications based on the theme “Aging in Place.” Teams of up to six participants will build tools that will assist people who live at home as they age. Cash prizes, in categories such as best overall product and best student team, will be awarded.
“Judges will seek ways to maintain quality of life as patients grow older and want to live at home,” said Cian Robinson, associate director of the Center for Business and Information Technologies at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. “A sub-theme will be the ‘Internet of Things,’ specifically how uniquely identifiable objects and their virtual representations can help people ‘Age in Place.’ ”
CajunCodeFest 3.0 also will offer opportunities to network and listen to speakers from industry, higher education and public service. “The line up of esteemed leaders will inspire and embolden participants to create solutions to problems that impact health care,” Robinson said.
Speakers scheduled for CajunCodeFest 3.0 include:
• Bryan Sivak, chief technology officer, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services;
• Kathy Kliebert, secretary, Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals;
• Jeff Makowka, senior strategic advisor on thought leadership, AARP;
• Cindy Munn, CEO, Louisiana Health Care Quality Forum;
• Fred Trotter, data journalist, DocGraph Journal;
• Lizheng Shi, Regents associate professor, Department of Global Health Systems and Development, Tulane University; and
• Kenny Cole, associate chief medical officer and vice president of Care Delivery, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana.
CajunCodeFest 3.0 is coordinated by UL Lafayette’s Center for Business and Technologies. CBIT research, development and technology transfer focus on technology-driven innovations in areas such as health care, education, industry and workforce development.
Sponsors include Lafayette General Health; Esri, an international supplier of geographical information system software; CBIT; and the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals.
"Lafayette General Health has been a leading sponsor of this event for all three years because we believe in health care innovation and new technology," said David Callecod, president and CEO of Lafayette General Health System. "Cajun Code Fest is an opportunity to pull together innovative people who will generate better health care solutions.“
For more information about CajunCodeFest, visit www.cajuncodefest.org, or follow @CajunCodeFest and search #CCF3 on Twitter.