Newswise — The mostly white male-dominated field of computer programming and software design (according to U.S. Census Bureau 2007 statistics) has just received a super surge of new energy from programmer Jonecia Keels, a Spelman College junior whose new iPhone application has been on the Apple App Store Top 25 list of more than 2,600 reference apps that are downloaded from the site since being released. “What started out as a fun little side project for me, turned into this ridiculously successful worldwide application,” said Keels. iDex gets downloaded 1,500 times a day worldwide.
Keels, a dual-degree engineering major, who is co-captain of SpelBots, the Spelman College robotics team, designed her application, named iDex, for fans and players of the Pokémon game franchise. As Keels explains its genesis, a playful spirit of competition between sisters is evidently the impetus for iDex’s creation. “My little sister Jonnae and I play Pokémon a lot. During Christmas break last year she was trying her best to beat me; she just shouted ‘I wish I had cheat sheet to help me win!’ Then I was like ‘I can put that info on my iPhone. I can make a (game guide) that’s at our fingertips.’” Keels explained that her reference application iDex contains information about the hundreds of Pokémon characters, including each of their different abilities and special powers, and helps players make smarter, better moves when playing the game.
Andrew B. Williams, Ph.D., chair of Spelman’s computer and information sciences department, and founder/coach of SpelBots, explained what Keels has accomplished by inventing this application is historic. “Women have been underrepresented in this area, but they have a lot to bring to the table, they offer a different perspective.”
Apple hosts an annual camp for computer tech students at its headquarters in Cupertino, Calif. This is the second year that Keels has been one of 25 students in the nation chosen to participate in Cocoa Camp. She had to first conquer their criteria by demonstrating computer programming skills and going through Apple’s tutorial, which contained their specialized language Objective-C, before she could take advantage of the opportunity. Cocoa Camp is somewhat of an exclusive club with students from MIT, Brown University, Stanford University, Brigham Young University and Georgia Tech, among other prestigious institutions. “There were no other HBCU or liberal arts students there. I was one of two females and the only Black female,” Keels explained about the first year she attended.
This year, Keels attended camp with classmate and SpelBots co-captain Jazmine Miller. While she and Miller had fun, Keels said that she learned a great deal about iPhone development, which provided the knowledge she used to create iDex.
“I like students to find their passion,” said Dr. Williams, “I try to give students a vision of doing something beyond what they think they can do or have ever done before. Jonecia is an example of that. I’m very proud of her. “
Keels dreams of starting a computer software company that creates revolutionary applications for mobile and computing platforms. And with the invention of iDex, she is well on her way to making that dream a reality.
Spelman College:Founded in 1881, Spelman College is a prestigious, highly selective, liberal arts college that prepares women to change the world. Located in Atlanta, Ga., this historically black college boasts a 79 percent graduation rate, and outstanding alumnae such as Children's Defense Fund Founder Marian Wright Edelman; former U.S. Foreign Service Director General Ruth Davis, authors Tina McElroy Ansa and Pearl Cleage; and actress LaTanya Richardson. More than 83 percent of the full-time faculty members have Ph.D.s or other terminal degrees, and the average faculty to student ratio is 12:1. More than 2,100 students attend Spelman. For more information, visit: www.spelman.edu.
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