July 23-26 Impact 2024
Discover CATLab
Meet your next hire
Make Space to Innovate
We help you create the space to learn from fellow technologists and system thinkers. Whether you hire a CATLab intern to work through your company's backlog, attend the Impact Conference to connect with industry thought-leaders, or give a Tech Talk to grow your company's influence, the Center for Applied Technology is ready to help you innovate. How can we work together?
|
I AM A...
Mission Statement
We seek to enhance relationships in the Westmont community through the innovative use of technology.
Learn about the promising young professionals working for CATLab this year!
The Center for Applied Technology seeks to enhance relationships in the Westmont community through the innovative use of technology. One of the main ways we accomplish that goal is through CATLab: our summer program where we partner with students to build the college's critical technological infrastructure and prepare the students for success in industry.
Learn about innovations in technology and Salesforce while enjoying the sunny Santa Barbara weather!
Testimonials
“Going with interns that know the system was actually a more cost-effective route than hiring somebody that didn’t really know a system but had to be there full time. It was an easy pitch from a cost perspective. We needed something, and Westmont came with people that knew the system. All the pieces really worked together.”
—Avery Cloutier, Business System Manager at The Thornhill Companies
“I was pleasantly surprised with Kimberlee’s ability to work on her own. I felt like we were able to get her up to speed on the projects, and she could run with it...To be able to have an intern who can work in a different city and be productive and be a self-motivated worker was really impressive.”
—Andrew Clark, marketing manager at RDN
"CATLab prepares students to the point where “with [their] skill sets right out of college, [they] could come in for an internship for a few months and change how we do business in a very transformative way.”
—Ian Monsma, program manager at RDN
"CATLab is a very effective program to help the Westmont students deliver from day 1 when they join tech teams in the industry. I am grateful to partner with CATLab and Zak Landrum."
—Rohit Malik, Software Engineering Manager at AppFolio
Curious about CATLab? Check out our blog!
Apex: A Crash Course
Read MoreJune 28, 2019
Salesforce, like many major platforms with individual purposes, employs a native programming language uniquely tailored it its needs. Apex—Salesforce’s language—is similar to Java, while also possessing a number of custom features specifically for the Salesforce environment.
8 Tips for Beginning Programmers
Read MoreJune 18, 2019
Many of the fundamental concepts of computer science are used regardless of skill level. For beginning programmers especially, however, building a solid foundation on which to grow is highly important. Here are eight tips to help develop as a beginning programmer.
Ohana: The Salesforce Family
Read MoreJune 14, 2019
Back in the 90s before Salesforce’s founding, not-yet-CEO Marc Benioff rented a beach house in Hawaii and immersed himself in the culture there. Ever since, the concept of ‘ohana has been integral to life as part of the Salesforce family.
Feature Profile: Reed Sheard
Read MoreJune 12, 2019
As higher education undergoes a shift from the traditional to the technological, institutions must adapt as they look forward at emerging technologies. Here at Westmont, the CATLab is an incubator for imaginative, valuable ideas that inspire technological evolution. Yet the CATLab’s formation was only possible due to Westmont CIO Reed Sheard.
Three Reasons to Take Your Team to Conferences
Read MoreJune 4, 2019
A common (if somewhat short sighted) belief in the business world is that sending your team to a conference takes away precious hours from office work, costing the employer time and money. Yet on the contrary to this misconception, everyone benefits from conferences: attendees come home with an expanded business network; renewed energy; and tangible, viable ideas to help innovation flourish in the workplace.
Four Ways to Encourage Collaboration in the Workplace
Read MoreMay 31, 2019
When many people think of computer programming, the stereotypical movie hacker comes to mind—a hunched figure alone in a dark room, typing furiously at a bright screen filled with incomprehensible lines of jargon. Contrary to popular belief, however, STEM careers, including software development, are often highly team-oriented. A team of developers, not unlike a sports team, is comprised of individuals in different roles working towards a common goal, such as the completion of a project or the launch of an app.
