Dr. James R. Chen Award

During the final semester of their second year, I School MIMS students undertake final projects. The program’s interdisciplinary nature makes many kinds of projects suitable. Some students design and implement a prototype information system. Others engage in a significant research project leading to a written thesis.

In the MIMS final project showcase, MIMS students present their final projects to a panel of professionals from outside the School of Information who select outstanding projects for the Dr. James R. Chen Awards. This award recognizes MIMS final projects that foster innovation, creative solutions, and pragmatic applications in information management and information systems.

Judging Guidelines

2024

Magenta is a mobile application for young adults that provides them with highly accessible local political information.
Playscape is an outdoor play system for kids to explore local biodiversity with an interactive installation and a digital app for educational experiences.

2023

A user-friendly compilation of technology resources, tools, and exercises for organizations of all sizes and stages.
MYND is an app designed to empower users to be proactive about their mental health by monitoring the user’s mental wellbeing. The app will automatically check…
Explore the sustainability of electric vehicles (EV) and factors that contribute to the vehicles’ environmental impact.

2022

A big picture overview of the no code industry and help for founders in decision-making.
MateriALL is a tool that helps K-12th teachers automate the material creation process by taking existing content and generating additional, customizable…

2021

Harmonizing cardiac reports using ML to tackle variable reporting that hurts doctors’ and patients’ ability to communicate test results
PrivacyBot, a simple way to start exercising your privacy rights. PrivacyBot allows you to delete your data from every major data broker and people search site…

2020

A markdown-based web framework for generating WebVR exhibits.
An optimization tool for street sweeping planning to create a clean and organized environment with minimized interruption to the local community.

2019

Our MIMS Capstone Project focuses on the school enrollment process of public schools in the San Francisco Bay Area. The aim is to make the enrollment process…
Skindex aims to equip consumers with the ability to determine the impact of cosmetic ingredients on their own skin and health.

2018

There is no “one” right way. We all learn the best, in different ways. MOOCs for YOU, your way!
Pet Set Go! is a mobile application that seeks to reduce rehoming rates of adopted animals by strengthening the bond between pets and their new owners.

2017

Using wearable devices to send out an alert when the user loses consciousness.
A physical installation to explore the costs and benefits of the rise of connected infrastructure and embedded sensor technologies.

2016

CardStak bridges your offline network to your online network. Create Staks for various engagements (events, projects, classes) and allow people to know one-…
People diagnosed with a rare diseases often have a lot of trouble finding a doctor who can effectively care for them. Et al. Health solves this problem by…
Through user research we observed many blind smartphone users experienced difficulties navigating their phones and a voice user interface (VUI) could make…

2015

A user-friendly interface for exploring and discovering clinical trials and their eligibility criteria, to benefit both critically ill patients and vital…
A shopping app offering grocery pickup services to low-income residents, including SNAP and WIC participants. Our goal is to increase this population's access…
A hotline-management system to give small NGOs serving vulnerable clients in China better record-keeping and reporting capabilities, improving their services’…

2014

A platform for educators to explore, share, and organize resources aligned with the Common Core Standards.
An information system to connect domestic help workers in India with part-time employment opportunities in households.
A web-based mobile mapping tool for safety-conscious pedestrians.

2013

An in-home health monitoring system to reduce readmission for heart failure patients recently released from the hospital.
A collaborative web platform that re-imagines the way we go about arranging the spaces we live in.
A suite of digital tools for collecting and sharing family histories.

2012

A social venture that improves the livelihoods of rural farmers through better management of source information.
A suite of research-based mobile apps for families with young children, promoting digital and analog creativity, imagination, and sharing.
An integrated easy-to-use system for independent media producers to organize, archive, and publishing multimedia resources.

2011

CritterQuest is an interactive biofeedback game to help the 8% of kids with ADD and ADHD focus and self-regulate.
An exploration of music metadata crowdsourcing, including understanding participation incentives, community norms, and official guidelines and standards.
NextDrop provides reliable, near real-time information about water arrival to households in developing countries with unreliable piped water.

2010

Privacy concerns, public access laws, and the use of email within the San Francisco Police Department.
A novel public transit application for the iPhone, built to help riders get around the Bay Area.

2009

A study of historical materials in Russia and Hungary, focusing on user engagement and participation with digitized content.
A system to influence policy change for the data collection and sharing practices of popular Internet sites
Information management and humanitarian response to disasters.
An application to improve the experience of participating in large-discussions.

2008

A digital music distribution system with an innovative economic model for online music sales.
An application for health care providers to enter clinical progress notes by PC, cell phone, or PDA.

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

1st Place

2002

1st Place
3rd Place

2001

1st Place
2nd Place
2nd Place

2000

1999