Students from China to compete for $25,000 in UD competition

A team of students from Jilang University in China are aiming to solve urban parking problems by competing in the University of Dayton's flyer pitch competition.

The students will travel to Dayton in March to compete in the final round of the competition for the $25,000 grand prize to launch a smart phone app called Parking Spaces Finder.

The app would allow private owners of parking spaces in crowded cities to rent those spots during the day through an online app similar to Uber or Airbnb, according to UD.

RELATED: UD students scoop up spot in global competition with ice cream idea

Parking Spaces Finder advanced from a field of 12 teams from China and Vietnam in the competition's inaugural semifinal round for Asia, held Jan. 8 at the University of Dayton China Institute in Suzhou.

The business idea, which was pitched by Yike Li, Xincheng Qiu and Xiaowu Zhan from China Jiliang University, won $1,000 in the Jan. 8 round. The final competition is scheduled for 10 a.m. March 25 in the UD McGinnis Center.

With the final round, the flyer pitch competition will have awarded $150,000 in cash prizes and $150,000 of in-kind support support to start-up businesses during six events spread over three rounds in Dayton, China and Vietnam. The competition is among the largest at the collegiate level, according to the university.

Rather to visit WSU

Dan Rather, an award-winning television news anchor and longtime journalist, will speak at 7 p.m. Jan. 31 at Wright State’s Nutter Center.

Rather’s visit, which is part of the WSU’s honors institute and presidential lecture series, is free and open to the public, and no tickets are required to attend, according to the university. Rather’s speech will be preceded by a public reception at 5:30 p.m. that is also open to the public in the Nutter Center arena.

Richard Schoen, a 1972 University of Dayton graduate, has won the Wolf Prize in Mathematics, an international prize that’s often described as the “Nobel for math.” Schoen serves as the excellence in teaching chair at the University of California, Irvine.

RELATED: Dayton named a top 20 city for STEM jobs

Wolf Prizes are awarded by the country of Israel to international experts in physics, chemistry, math, medicine and the arts, according to UD. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin will present the awards this summer in the Knesset building, home to the Israeli parliament.

Kettering College turns 50

Kettering College is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2017 and is looking for alumni of the school.

The college, located on the campus of Kettering Medical Center, is hosting a number of events over the next few months to celebrate its 50-year anniversary, including a convocation at 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 13.

Cedarville University and the University of Dayton students have the lowest student loan default rates of any area college, according to a new database of default rates from the Student Loan Report, a student loan news website.

RELATED: Cedarville students are designing a shelter for Syrian refugees

The database ranks colleges based on their average default rate. Cedarville students fared better than anyone else in the area with an average default rate of 2 percent, the 12th lowest in the state, while UD students came in at 13th with a default rate of 2.15 percent.

Central State University president Cynthia Jackson-Hammond has been named one of the top ten most influential presidents at historically black colleges and universities, by HBCU digest.

On Jan. 25, State Rep. Bill Dean, a Republican from Xenia, and state Rep Rick Perales, a Beavercreek Republican, will present her with a resolution acknowledging this accomplishment on the floor in the Ohio House.

Two of Ohio State’s online degree programs have been ranked in nation’s top 10 and another has been ranked in the top 20 by U.S. News and World Report. Ohio State’s online bachelor’s degree offerings are ranked eighth among more than 225 other schools by the publication.

RELATED: Wright State’s online programs ranked by U.S. News and World Report

The College of Nursing’s online graduate programs ranked third. OSU’s graduate online engineering programs placed 18th. Ohio State offers 15 online degree programs.

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