There’s a change with school lunches this year, but the change doesn’t have to do with the food. It’s the new way students can learn about what’s for lunch: Mustang Cafe.
Tucker Osman, sophomore, invented this app to inform students of what’s being served and the prices.
Students with Android phones can find Mustang Cafe free at the app store and other students with internet-enabled phones can still access the app at mqc.usa.cc.
“I have created a few programs before but never distributed,” Osman said. “It’s great to branch out and start with Android.”
Osman is the founder of Osmium Enterprises where he has created other computer software programs, but his app, Mustang Cafe, is the first item students can access on the market.
Osman learned app-making skills in sixth grade at the Joseph Baldwin Academy, a Truman State University program where he took a college level Java programming course.
“Tucker has wanted to create an app since he got his first smart phone and we tossed around ideas that could be useful to his fellow students at MHS,” Teri Gargani, Osman’s mom, said. “Tucker has always wanted to know how computers function. Coupled with his dedication and desire to create and possibly improve that functionality he has researched and taught himself several software languages.”
Gargani said Osman has always read computer books to learn the languages of technology.
“I learned Android development over the summer and I wanted to make something useful and cool that would help the school,” Osman said.
To create the app, Osman designed how it would work, transferred the coded information to the app, and published the app off his Google Play account. The registration fee to put the app on the Android market cost $25.
“The app took about three months and it was publicaly released in late September,” Osman said.
Before publishing the app on the market, Osman met with Assistant Principal Dr. Jennifer Sebold and Principal Dr. Greg Mathison.
“He came with his app idea and asked for the school’s permission because he used public information like the lunch menus and prices and he needed our approval,” Dr. Sebold said. “He is an extremely self motivated, absolutely bright and responsible student that wants to do things to develop his skills and help the community.”
Dr. Mathison said the school has been promoting Osman’s app through Dr. Sebold’s blog. Dr. Sebold chose Osman as student of the quarter for his achievements and sent a notice out to the communications department and Superintendent Dr. Bruce Borchers to praise Osman’s app.
“In the long term, Osman is inspiring other students to jump into technology,” Dr. Mathison said. Osman said he has a few more app ideas and he continues to work on software and update Mustang Cafe.
“Along with writing the app, he just finished configuring an old desktop machine into our home server and is setting up a sub-network to support his ‘lab’ in the basement,” Gargani said. “He’s learning how to write for the Apple operating system so he can get Mustang Cafe running on iPhones and iPads.”
Osman said he wants to become a computer or software engineer and eventually start his own software business. He is looking into Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon, MIT, Stanford and Georgia Tech as possible colleges.
“Steve Jobs is one of my big idols and I follow his philosophies and ideas about technology,” Osman said.