CSSE master’s student gains meaningful experience in app development 

CSSE master’s student Kris Yu created Forest Guardian, an app that encourages players to make environmentally-friendly decisions.

Coming from a computer science background, graduate student Kris Yu came to UW Bothell wanting to get hands-on experience in developing apps. Yu discovered the Master of Science in Computer Science & Software Engineering program and saw it as an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the software powering this technology.

In his first year, he entered Apple’s Swift Student Challenge, a global app development contest for student developers – and ended up being chosen as one of 350 winners. His winning app design, Forest Guardian, puts players in a forest where they face environmental challenges, encouraging them to make better choices to gain points.

This year, he plans to submit to the contest again. He is currently finishing work on a learning app for individuals with autism.

This app is being made alongside Dr. Annuska Zolyomi, assistant professor in the Department of Computer & Software Systems, whose research focuses on autism and social interaction.

“Professor Zolyomi asked me if I’d like to help her implement the research into a real tool that could help people have a better life, and I thought, ‘Hell yes, I’d love to do that,’” Yu said.

Read more about these apps and how Yu looks ahead to a career in tech in the UW Bothell story, “Applying software engineering to real-world problems.”