Over the Edge - October 10th 2012

COMPUTER SCIENCE STUDENT XIN! ZHUANG ENDS TRANSIT TROUBLES

HANNA PETERSEN

NEWS EDITOR

Getting around Prince George can
be very difficult, especially for those
who are new to the city and thus
unfamiliar with the regular transit
routes. Students hailing from larger
cities might be used to a short five-
minute bus wait with the possibility
of transferring to multiple routes,
but as the residents of Prince George
who frequently bus know, the
transit system is nowhere near that
convenient - especially in winter.

However, a UNBC computer science
student has taken navigating the PG
transit system into the 21st century.
UNBC Master’s student Xinyi Zhuang
created the iPhone app PG Transit to
make a fast, easy and free way for

made Rider’s Guide,” says Zhuang,
who came to UNBC last January
from his home in Quanzhou, Fujian,
southern China. “I think this app
has great potential to make a better
public transit system if there is a way
to directly communicate with the
digital database of BC Transit. It will
be easier to notice schedule changes
and notifications.”

So far the app has around 100
downloads after its official release
on the 12th of September. At first,
Zhuang said he considered charging
$0.99 to download the app, but then
reconsidered. “It makes me happy just
to see my fellow students and transit
riders using the app, and it’s also good

transit troubles cannot be fixed by an
app, the app does make planning the
journey quite simple. It features an
easy-to use interface with every route
and stop marked on a corresponding
Google map. Click on the route you
need and the stop closest to you, and
the time of the next bus appears on
the screen. “Way long overdue - thanks
so much for taking the initiative to
build this very useful app,” says one
reviewer.

The app can be downloaded for free in
the iTunes app store, and a link may
also be found on the UNBC website.

residents to get to their bus ontime, for my resume,” says Zhuang. He says

he hopes to soon develop the app for
“| used to see many bus riders, Android.
especially people unfamiliar with the

transit schedule, reading the paper- While the obvious Prince George

PAGER RCE UNBC.CA

Special mention of UNBCs
inclusion on the top ten was
made in the survey's editorial
section. “One notable addition
to this list is UNBC, which is in
the process of expanding its
engineering faculty to keep up
with the extensive economic
development and __ resource
extraction efforts occurring in BC’s
north. It offers a joint degree in
environmental engineering with
the University of British Columbia,
helping UNBC land an_ overall
ranking of eighth, supported by
top marks in both required and
elective courses dedicated to
social or environmental impact
management.”

 PHOTOSOORCE UNBCCA i. ann

recognized _ nationally
HANNA PETERSEN among some of the country’s
NEWS EDITOR most notable universities is an
UNBC has earned its place in the top ten on a list of schools offering honour,” says UNBC President
undergraduate-level engineering programs in Canada. The list specifically | George Iwama. “It recognizes the
recognizes UNBC’s environmental engineering program (a collaboration with © foundation we have started to
UBC) placing it eighth in Canada, a position above much older institutions create with our faculty, students,
such as the University of Alberta, Carleton, Concordia, and Ryerson. and education partners as we
aim to expand our offerings in
The list was produced by the magazine Corporate Knights, a national — engineering to be of better service
supplement to the Globe and Mail. The rankings Corporate Knights produced to communities and industries of
are described as “the definitive annual ranking that analyses how Canadian _—our region at this critical time of
Universities are faring at integrating sustainability into the school experience.” growth and development.’

“UNBC’s environmental engineering program, in collaboration with UBC, has The Corporate Knights assessment
been growing steadily since its inception and our success is due to our faculty, —_is now in its ninth year. It scores
staff, and students,” says Dan Ryan, UNBC’s Dean of the College of Scienceand Canadian MBA programs and

Management. “We see our role as developing forward-thinking engineers undergraduate engineering
with the skills to ensure that we build environmentally sustainable industries | programs in the areas of
within northern communities.” institutional support, student

PHOTO SOURCE SHELLEY TERMUEN

initiatives, and course work.