This year, Team AlphaWaves from Nanyang Polytechnic Singapore wins the Singapore Microsoft Imagine Cup Championship 2012 with their creation, ‘Dementia Assistance and Recall Engine (DARE). This year theme is “Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems.” More information after the break.
NANYANG POLYTECHNIC STUDENTS WIN SINGAPORE’S MICROSOFT IMAGINE CUP CHAMPIONSHIP 2012
National competition inspires students to realize their potential in science and technology fields
SINGAPORE, 14 April 2012 – Over the past two days, students across the country came together in Singapore to harness their creativity and passion to generate ideas on solving the world’s toughest problems using technology. These students were part of the tenth annual Imagine Cup, the world’s premier student technology competition.
The annual event, conceptualised and organised by Microsoft Singapore, has become known as the Olympics of student technology competitions. It also showcases the inventiveness, maturity and sophisticated thinking of our students.
The winning team was decided from over 85 entries in the Software Design Category. They were judged by Ms. Jessica Tan (Managing Director, Microsoft Singapore), Ms. Chew Mok Lee (Group Director, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Spring Singapore), Mr. Rob Miles (Lecturer, Computer Science, University of Hull and Imagine Cup Worldwide judge), Mr. Jeff Paine (Partner, Golden Gate Ventures), Mr Chak Koon Soon (President, Stream Global Pte. Ltd.), Ms. Gwendolyn Tan (Co-Founder SGEntrepreneurs/Partner of Thymos Capital), Ms. Chia Woon Yee (Director, Technology and Vocational Training, the Society of Physically Disabled Singapore), and Ms. Bernice Ang (Founder, Syinc).
Team AlphaWaves from Nanyang Polytechnic Singapore emerged the national champion of the Singapore Finals with their creation, ‘Dementia Assistance and Recall Engine (DARE)’ a web-based digital scrapbook designed to capture and organize the past memories in a personalized digital format, following the theme of this year’s competition “Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems.”
“The Imagine Cup is more than a software competition; it’s about inspiring students to become tomorrow’s technology and business leaders,” said Jessica Tan, Managing Director, Microsoft Singapore. “The technology industry not only is a key driver of economic growth and job creation, but also offers vast potential to solve some of the world’s toughest social problems. The creativity and passion of these students speak volumes about the impact they will create in Singapore and, hopefully one day, in the world.”
“With this event, we have seen how far our young can push the envelope in fulfilling the theme of the competition. However, more than just being a competition and meeting requirements, we are happy to note how far this competition has grown and flourished to be very relevant to the students’ learning experience and the positive impact that it has on the Singaporean education sphere,” said Jessica.
More than 2700 students registered for this year’s Singapore competition; out of which only four teams were selected by a panel of judges to compete in the Singapore finals. The top four teams, Team Social Cops (Nanyang Technological University), Team AlphaWaves (Nanyang Polytechnic School of Information Technology), Team Eynteract (Temasek Polytechnic and Singapore Polytechnic) and Team Kinecteract (Nanyang Polytechnic School of Information Technology) were tasked to use technology to make a difference in the lives of people in their local communities and around the world, addressing issues in education, healthcare and environmental sustainability. These projects include – eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; achieve universal primary education; promote gender equality and empower women; reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensure environmental sustainability; and develop a global partnership for development.
Miss Chia Woon Yee, Director of Technology and Vocational Training, Society of Physically Disabled Singapore said, “We are indeed very happy and proud with the outcome of this year’s competition. Not only has this competition honed the creative thinking of our students, who produce creations that are relevant and sustainable, it has also boosted their confidence and maturity. The judging process that the students go through is not an easy trial, but over the years we have witnessed how students have evolved in the way they think and, more importantly, articulate their creations to the judges.”
Jessica further commented, “Representing the country is a major achievement. Our students will compete against other students from around the world. Communication skills are of paramount importance in the competition and it is through this competition that we hope they will get a jumpstart. We have seen vast improvements throughout the years and we hope this competition has played a pivotal role in improving the capabilities and future employability of students.”
As winners of the Singapore Finals, team AlphaWaves will travel to Sydney, Australia, this July to represent Singapore in the worldwide finals and showcase their innovation alongside hundreds of other students from around the world. In addition to cash and prizes awarded to the top teams in the worldwide competition, students gain real-life experience, make new friends and attend several training sessions to help them turn their ideas into reality.
The Imagine Cup provides the incentive, but the competitors provide the genius behind innovative, dynamic, and powerful software applications.
“Technology empowers the individual to make the world accessible according to their own needs,” said Nur Nadiah Bte Zailani, Team AlphaWaves, champions of Singapore Imagine Cup 2012. “Build on Windows 8 and Windows Azure, the aim of DARE, as part of reminiscence therapy, is to stimulate recall of past memories through photographs and other media (e.g. sound, video) that can be presented on a PC or tablet to remind the elderly and persons with dementia of their past and who they are. DARE will have an active link to user’s brainwaves to analyze and make sense of their cognitive and mental abilities to help in stimulating their recall capabilities.”
The Singapore chapter of the competition was held for the first time in 2003 and participation has grown over the years since. Every year, scores of Singaporean students take part in the competition which culminates in a day-long grueling competition at the Singapore Finals, where they present their innovative inventions under a different theme each year. The winners get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take part in the Worldwide Finals, which is traditionally held in a different country each year.
For more information on the Imagine Cup, please visit www.imaginecup.com
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About the Microsoft Imagine Cup
Initially branded as the Asia Pacific Student .NET Competition in 2001, and having changed its name to the Imagine Cup in 2003, this Microsoft-organized competition is held at the national and international levels. It is a competition that challenges tech-savvy, tertiary students to use their creativity, passion and knowledge of technology to help solve global challenges and make a difference in the world. The Imagine Cup is part of Microsoft’s on-going and long-term commitment to students and academia, inspiring them to realize their full potential.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
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