More than 70 students became Florida Polytechnic University graduates in December 2018 as the University’s alumni roll continues to grow. One of those newly minted alumni is Joshua Rentrope, who received a degree in computer science and is already on the path to fulfilling his entrepreneurial dreams.
“I got a lot of experience in just four years,” said Rentrope. “From publishing a paper to helping with a start-up and then later starting my own start-up, Florida Poly gave me a lot of experience even before I graduated.”
Rentrope’s current focus is an app called Janus, named after the Roman god of transitions. He said its goal is to provide a way for people to interact with data the way data scientists would.
“Say you’re going to an art exhibit. You would hold up your phone and scan the area, and the phone would bring up different examples of what you’re seeing,” said Rentrope.
Another example, he said, would be in an industry such as agriculture where Janus could be used with a group of sensors called a sensor array to help maximize an irrigation system.
“Basically, Janus could take information from the sensor array and help non-computer science people utilize the data in a way they normally wouldn’t or would have difficulties doing.”
In fact, Rentrope is helping put a similar system in place with the garden created on campus by the Florida Poly Technology, Research, Agriculture, and Community group. More than two years in the making, the next phase is to maximize production by utilizing sensor technology.
Overall, Rentrope said he’s happy he made the choice to attend Florida Poly. In addition to his academic accomplishments, his participation in organizations such as the National Society of Black Engineers helped transform him as an individual, as well.
“A lot of people would say I’m probably a little bit more outspoken now,” he said with a grin.
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Lydia Guzman
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863-874-8450