A student applied-research project, completed by 4 graduates of SAIT’s Software Developer program, won the research poster award at the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency’s inaugural Traceability Symposium. They worked with Sherry Yang, a software developer with SAIT’s Applied Research and Innovation Services (ARIS) department, on a capstone project called “Chuckwagon Check-In” during their final term at SAIT in the spring of 2015.

The group was supported by the World Professional Chuckwagon Association (WPCA) to develop an automated high-tech system that would monitor the number of races, condition and transportation of the horses participating in chuckwagon events. “For students, this kind of project gives them a real-world experience,” says Yang. “They need to work with a client, professionally, and learn how to communicate and report on their progress.”

The integrated check-in and management system developed by the students used web and mobile technologies, low-frequency (LF) radio frequency identification (RFID) and customized programming to solve the problem. “During the project, they got to develop an android app,” says Yang. “So this really expanded their learning.”

For more information, read the SAIT Applied Research and Innovation Services blog