MIT sophomores win Grand Prize in OnStar Student Developer Challenge

OnStar has announced that four students from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are Grand Prize winners of the OnStar Student Developer Challenge and a $10,000 Developer Dream Package. The students created an app called EatOn, a restaurant discovery experienced within the vehicle.

The winning team included of MIT sophomores Drew Dennison, Isaac Evans, Sara Sprague and Marie Burkland.

“It was a great competition that allowed us to explore the latest in automotive technology,” said Dennison. “There were excellent submissions and strong teams. It was fun to work together; everyone brought 110 percent effort and we are honored to be selected.”

Originally, OnStar challenged students from Carnegie Mellon University, MIT, University of Michigan, University of Texas and University of Toledo to submit voice applications that would help provide a greater level of connectivity to OnStar subscribers.

“This challenge was about looking outside the box in order to develop new technologies that will enrich the driving experience for our six million customers,” said Nick Pudar, OnStar vice president of Planning and Business Development. “We were extremely impressed with all of the students’ final app submissions. These students represent the future of digital connectivity and I wouldn’t be surprised to see one of these applications incorporated into OnStar’s suite of services in the future.”

– By: Omar Rana