PHOENIX - Swine flu vaccinations are being distributed in Maricopa County more efficiently thanks to a new software program developed by students at Arizona State University.
The students from the
W.P. Carey School of Business developed the software for the Maricopa County Department of Public Health.
"This is an excellent example of how academia can play a proactive role in real world problems," said information systems professor Ajay Vinze. "It's not all ivory tower issues. We deal with real world problems."
The software will enable the Department of Public Health to quickly determine where in the county to send new doses of the vaccine, ASU says.
Using the new software, county health workers can now make that decision within an hour of the vaccine's arrival in Arizona.
"This was a lot of fun to be involved," said student Trent Spaulding. "It's really exciting and refreshing to put into practice what we study."
The students also configured the software to take into consideration the varying types of vaccine that come in such as for children or for women who are pregnant.
