
Eric Neufield, the department head of computer science at the University of Saskatchewan had one clear vision when he conceived iUSask, the free interactive app now available to all iPhone-and iPod Touch-wielding students. “My kid came home with an iPod Touch a year and a half ago, and I thought, I want to be in that machine. I want to be in the pockets of all of these 20,000 students walking around.” Neufield is now one step closer to achieving that dream, after the U of S became the first Canadian university to offer students a free, downloadable iPhone application. Students at U of S will now be able to review their class schedules, view real-time maps of the campus, search the entire library catalogue, read up on the latest campus news, and even check their final grades – all from the convenience of their phone. For over eight months, fifteen computer scientists worked diligently on the project, which was headed by Chad Jones, a former Apple employee.