Two teams of computer science students at Missouri Western brought home first and second place after presenting their web application projects at a national collegiate conference earlier this month.

They were two of only nine finalists selected from colleges and universities across the country to present at the National Collegiate Conference of the Association of Information Technology held in St Louis earlier this month.

The first-place team from Missouri Western developed an application for the Missouri Academy of Science and the second-place team developed one for the Boy Scouts of America to use for its national Jamboree.

Team members for the first-place award included Meagan Gates, Platte City Mo.; Jason Mullin, Kearney, Mo.; Zac Parks, Braymer, Mo.; Jessica Pasley, Cameron, Mo.; and Xubo Zhao, St. Joseph, Mo. Those earning second place were Anna Edwards, St. Joseph, Mo.; Richard Fletcher, Smithville, Mo; and Jeff Martin, Savannah, Mo.

“I was extremely proud of both of our teams,” said Luke Mason, president of the Association of Information Technology Professionals student group. “It was very cool to bring home first and second place.”

Instructor Connie Hecker said the web application project spanned two semesters, and students submitted their progress to the competition site several times throughout the period. She said the competition allows the students to take what they are learning from the textbook and apply it to their project.