Course Description
Computer science, taught by Mrs.
Taricco, focuses on fundamental programming concepts — many of
which are part of the AP Computer Science A curriculum. Despite not having taken AP Computer
Science, I have some background in Java and am now working on an independent project instead.
Working on this project has helped me to gain a better understanding of integrating various
programming languages and using various servers, machines, and applications.
Java Problems
To begin our unit on Java, we
worked on solving various problems, with a particular focus on
number theory. These problems were actually very fun and interesting to do, and it was
incredibly satisfying to get the program to output the correct answer (especially on the first
try!).
Online Community Service
Portal
I am currently working with Rianna
Santra to build and deploy an online community service portal for Mass Academy.
Currently, Mass Academy students are required to create several forms have them each approved by
Ms. Ludes, the director of Mass Academy, in order to complete community service. This form would
accelerate the process for students, teachers, and administrators alike, with the added bonus of
saving plenty of paper. This web application should go live in the coming weeks and months. The
design specification document can be viewed to the left.
Park King (Apps for Good)
The Apps for Good project is the final project in the Computer Science course, in which
we work in groups of
three to four students to develop a mobile application to improve peoples lives. I worked with
Joshua Schnee and
Patrick Wang to tackle parking, a common problem for many drivers, particularly in urban locations.
We developed Park King, an application that helps drivers find parking spots in unfamiliar
locations.
We began with the WPI campus and surrounding campus, and we are planning on expanding this to other
locales as well.
Learn more about the project below!
Problem
Statement
With over 240 million drivers in the United States and 80% of passenger miles travelled in
automboiles,
the vast majority of individuals drive themselves for transportation. However, finding
nearby and accessible parking
spots is a common nuisance — New York City loses over 100,000 hours annually from parking
alone. With societal, psychological, and energy costs,
we aimed to develop an application to make finding the right parking spot easy and
painless.
Target
Audience
With the app
beginning in WPI, our original
product is designed for WPI students, faculty, and visitors. As we expand the areas our app
covers, our target audience will include all drivers in those areas.
Minimum Viable
Product
Our minimum viable product is an application that:
1) contains all major parking spots in and around WPI,
2) contains detailed information, such as number of parking spots,
3) allows the user to easily find which parking spot is nearest to their destination of
choice.
Process and
Technologies
We developed
a Flutter application
that functions on both iOS and Android devices to provide cross-compatibility. Users are
able to input a target destination
or use their current location to find parking spots, and it will give relevant
information such as the number of parking spots. We
had extensive communication with WPI administration, from the Chief of Police Stephen
Marsh to the Events Director William Battelle, to improve and design our app.
They gave crucial feedback and insight for improving and developing the application.