Imagine Cup USA 2010

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The Newseum in Washington, DC (Image Courtesy of http://www.newseum.org/)

The Imagine Cup U.S. Finals event was held on Monday, April 26, 2010 in Washington, DC at the Newseum.  The Imagine Cup is the world’s premiere student technology competition sponsored by Microsoft.  The annual competition, now in its 8th year, encourages and empowers students to use technology, innovation, and their creativity to change the world by addressing social and environmental issues.  Compared to the 2009 competition that had only 2,000 applicants, participation in this year’s U.S. competition skyrocketed and attracted over 22,000 applicants! Of these, a distinguished group of only 80 students were selected to compete in the finals over the weekend.

As a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, MetroStar Systems was invited to participate and attend.  Our CEO Ali Manouchehri was a featured representative on the Industry Partner Panel that reviewed the student entries and gave the students a chance to ask questions and get advice about technology, industry trends, and their future careers. I got the chance to attend the U.S. Finals event that featured the student Finalist Presentations, Keynote Addresses, and Award Presentations.

The student finalists got to showcase and demo their applications and games in presentations before the judges and a community showcase open to the attendees.  The finalists projects were quite diverse, innovative, and inspiring.  They included:

In the Software Design Finalist Presentations…

  • Team Extraplaid: A pollution monitoring system accessible by mobile headsets
  • Team MangoBunnies: A mobile & web message alert system to inform users of unsafe areas for women
  • Team Mobilife: A mobile tool to diagnose vascular diseases
  • Team Blob: A multi-touch designer to help teachers create interactive presentations

In the Game Design Finalist Presentations…

  • Team Coffee Powered Altruism: A strategy game to tackle development issues of a country or region.
  • Team Level 13: A video game that combats pollution through cultivating plants around the world.
  • Team To Be Announced: An educational game that involves a series of quest challenges.
  • Team Ifrit Salsa: A game that promotes a cleaner environment by collecting, sorting and recycling different items.

Academy Award Winning Filmmaker James Cameron speaking at Imagine Cup USA 2010

The keynote addresses were a highlight at this event and featured Academy Award Winning Master Filmmaker James Cameron to the surprise and delight of the attendees.  James Cameron spoke about his relationship and work with Microsoft that began years ago in development of his recent film Avatar that is now the highest-grossing film ever.  He worked with Microsoft on the innovative 3D initiatives and pioneering technology for the 3D stereoscopic cameras that is predicted to change the face of cinema forever.  Cameron spoke about the importance of technology, education, building strong future leaders, and how the Imagine Cup event is a wonderful “collision of social issues and technology” (much like his film Avatar).

Also giving great keynote speeches were Craig Mundie (Chief Research and Strategy Officer, Microsoft), Karen Cantor (Director of the Office of Education Technology, U.S. Department of Education), and Anthony Salcito (Vice President Worldwide Education, Microsoft).  You can view video of the keynote speeches and event highlights, check the image gallery for photos in Microsoft’s News Center, or visit the Imagine Cup website to learn more about world finals in Poland later this summer and to get more info on next year’s competition.  Congratulations to all of the students who participated this year and special congrats to the Imagine Cup U.S. 2010 Winning teams!

Posted on April 29th, 2010 in Community, News.