{"105811":{"#nid":"105811","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Shines on Forbes\u2019 30 Under 30 List","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWho are the nation\u2019s biggest influencers under the age of 30? Basketball superstar LeBron James, Academy Award nominee Jonah Hill and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg all made \u003Cem\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/special-report\/2011\/30-under30-12\/30-under-30-12_land.html\u0022\u003EForbes magazine\u2019s list\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E. So did two Georgia Tech students. Chris DeLeon and Eugene Medynskiy were honored in January\u2019s edition of the magazine, which profiled the top 30 influencers in 12 different categories. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDigital Media (DM) grad student Chris DeLeon was tabbed in the \u201cEntertainment\u201d category. He\u2019s developed dozens of games. They include \u003Cem\u003ETopple\u003C\/em\u003E, which was the second ranked iPhone app in late 2008, and \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/chrisdeleon.com\/tumult\/TumultHD.swf\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003ETumult\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, an iOS app that ranked fifth in iPad Entertainment in July of 2010. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENone of his games are a commercial blockbuster, and that\u2019s exactly DeLeon\u2019s plan. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cCurrent, popular video games are becoming less imaginative,\u201d explains DeLeon, who is advised by Ian Bogost, director of the Digital Media graduate program. \u201cThey tend to replicate what could be done with a camera in a film. As an independent hobbyist, I\u2019m working on things in games that can\u2019t be done in a movie or comic books.\u201d \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDeLeon\u2019s games tend to make the player think and solve problems. \u003Cem\u003Efeelforit\u003C\/em\u003E, for example, requires the gamer to twist and turn an iPad screen in various directions to align shapes and lines. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDeLeon\u2019s greatest passion, however, is helping others. He\u2019s the founder of \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/vgdev.org\/games\/\u0022\u003EVGDev\u003C\/a\u003E, a club that allows fellow students to create and build their own video games each semester. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cGeorgia Tech has people with skills in programming, writing, design and music,\u201d says DeLeon. \u201cVGDev brings them all together, without discipline or curriculum boundaries, and allows students to make something for their portfolio and shine at what they do best. Seeing students take chances on projects is something I enjoy.\u201d \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMedynskiy, a Ph.D. candidate in Human-Centered Computing, was included as one of the top influencers in \u003Cem\u003EForbes\u003C\/em\u003E\u2019 \u201cTechnology\u201d category. His passion is using computers to help people make healthy decisions. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMedynskiy, the co-founder of \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/usablehealth.com\/\u0022\u003EUsable Health\u003C\/a\u003E, is primarily focused on \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/usablehealth.com\/smartmenu\/\u0022\u003ESmartmenu\u003C\/a\u003E, which is already in use at nearly a dozen metro-Atlanta restaurants. Smartmenu allows customers to order their meals electronically at the counter. Diners choose from one of four categories: balanced, high protein, low carbohydrates or low sodium. Smartmenu\u2019s software sorts the restaurant\u2019s regular menu into these four categories and makes suggestions based on the selected nutritional content. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cMany of the restaurants we work with cater to health conscious customers,\u201d says Medynskiy. \u201cDiners know that they can come in and see preset, healthy options. Our software allows the restaurant to provide that service.\u201d \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne thing missing, however, is face-to-face interaction when a customer orders and pays for a meal. Medynskiy thinks there\u2019s room within the industry for human workers and computerized menus.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOur company isn\u2019t trying to cut down on human services,\u201d he insists. \u201cStaff that would traditionally be too busy taking orders at the counter can now focus on the customer, answering their questions about the menu or food options.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMedynskiy is advised by Beth Mynatt, a professor in the School of Interactive Computing.\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Two students tabbed as top influencers"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ETwo Georgia Tech students were recently named by \u003Cem\u003EForbes\u003C\/em\u003E as top 30 influencers under the age of 30. Digital Media grad student Chris DeLeon was honored in entertainment. Human-Centered Computing Ph.D. candidate Eugene Medynskiy was tabbed in technology. \u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Two Georgia Tech students were named by Forbes magazine as top influencers under the age of 30."}],"uid":"27560","created_gmt":"2012-02-03 09:46:14","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:11:37","author":"Jason Maderer","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-02-03T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2012-02-03T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"105761":{"id":"105761","type":"image","title":"Chris DeLeon","body":null,"created":"1449178174","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:29:34","changed":"1475894723","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:45:23","alt":"Chris DeLeon","file":{"fid":"193965","name":"indiecade.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/indiecade_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/indiecade_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1363529,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/indiecade_0.jpg?itok=5ejb52lj"}},"105751":{"id":"105751","type":"image","title":"Eugene Medynskiy","body":null,"created":"1449178174","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:29:34","changed":"1475894723","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:45:23","alt":"Eugene Medynskiy","file":{"fid":"193964","name":"medynskiy-full.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/medynskiy-full_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/medynskiy-full_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3760401,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/medynskiy-full_0.jpg?itok=IYMq59lO"}}},"media_ids":["105761","105751"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.iac.gatech.edu\/academics\/schools\/lcc","title":"Ivan Allen College"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.ic.gatech.edu\/","title":"School of Interactive Computing"}],"groups":[{"id":"1220","name":"Digital Lounge"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"654","name":"College of Computing"},{"id":"124","name":"Digital Media"},{"id":"22621","name":"Human-Centered Computing"},{"id":"955","name":"ivan allen college"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJason Maderer\u003Cbr \/\u003EGeorgia Tech Media Relations\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-2966\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maderer@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emaderer@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maderer@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}