15 November 2006
Innovative website offers fun and games for children with Cystic Fibrosis
Students from the University of Sheffield are developing an innovative website to help children and teenagers suffering from Cystic Fibrosis manage their medication in a fun and educational way.
The website will be developed by Genesys Solutions, a software development company run by fourth year Computer Science undergraduates and Masters students at the University. It will be based on a paper booklet that already exists and will allow children and teenagers with Cystic Fibrosis to calculate how many pills they need to take at mealtimes.
Cystic Fibrosis sufferers need to take various pills throughout the day, because their pancreas fails to secrete digestive enzymes naturally. This means that when sufferers eat food they need to take these enzymes in a pill form. How many pills they take, or which type, depends on the amount of fat in the food and this can be very confusing for children to understand.
A team of five students from Genesys Solutions will be working on the project and they hope to create a website that as well as being a functional calculator will also be visually appealing, educational and entertaining. Cartoon characters will be used and games will be created to help children and teenagers learn more about their illness and make the process of working out their medication less of a chore and more of a fun, enjoyable experience.
Steve Workman, a member of the marketing team at Genesys Solutions, who is studying Computer Science at the University of Sheffield, said: "This is a very exciting project for Genesys and everyone involved is looking forward to getting started. Having the opportunity to work on a project that could help children with Cystic Fibrosis locally, nationally and even internationally will be extremely rewarding for us."
The project, which is being funded by Solvay Healthcare, is being co-ordinated by Professor Christopher Taylor, from the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Sheffield. Professor Taylor, whose main research interest is Cystic Fibrosis and the effects of the disease on the body, came up with the idea for the website and was keen to get Genesys Solutions involved.
He said: "I think the paper booklet that already exists is an extremely helpful document and will continue to be used by children, but with new technology and young people´s continued interest in the Internet and computers I think we also need something that will tap into this interest."
He added: "I hope with the help of Genesys the website will build on the success of the booklet and will be a helpful tool for children and teenagers with Cystic Fibrosis. If children and teenagers have a fun, interesting and accurate way to manage their medication they are more likely to work out their doses correctly and will therefore control their symptoms more effectively."
As well as receiving advice from Professor Taylor, Genesys Solutions will also be consulting Helen Pacey, a mother from Nottingham, who put together the original paper booklet the website will be based on. Helen´s son and niece both suffer from Cystic Fibrosis and she put the booklet together to help the children manage their medication. The booklet then went nationwide because it was so well-received locally. Helen fully supports the new website and is looking forward to seeing the finished product.
She said: "I think the website is a wonderful idea and I hope, with the help of Solvay Healthcare and Professor Taylor, Genesys will be able to create a website that builds on the booklet I created"
She added: "It is very exciting that an idea I first put together on paper could soon be on the web and help thousands of people."
Due to the success of Genesys Solutions and their projects, the Department of Computer Science at the University of Sheffield is planning to get more of its students involved in the company and in September 2007 the University will be running a new degree programme, `Enterprise Computing´.
The aim of the course is to allow students to develop the technology, business and management skills that are demanded by IT employers. The degree will, for the first time, give students the chance to work for Genesys Solutions in their third year, giving them the opportunity to work with experts from IBM on real software products.
For those who want to learn more about Genesys Solutions or the new `Enterprise Computing´ degree programme at the University of Sheffield please visit http://www.shef.ac.uk/enterprisecomputing
Notes for Editors: At Genesys Solutions the students are responsible for all aspects of the company, from the pricing of contracts to maintaining their own intranet. They offer business solutions, consultancy services, as well as training and maintenance.
The new `Enterprise Computing´ degree programme at the University of Sheffield will help students develop their entrepreneurial skills by giving them the chance to - work on real software projects with experts from companies such as IBM and Accenture; use the latest Microsoft technology on business projects in the University's unique Microsoft Innovation Centre; take part in running a real software house, Genesys Solutions; negotiate project contracts and software requirements with business clients from across the UK and learn with IBM about how large computer systems are managed.
For further information please contact: Jenny Wilson, Media Relations Officer on 0114 2225339 or email j.c.wilson@sheffield.ac.uk
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