SectionsStudent enters Microsoft competition
Nic Stogsdill
Issue date: 5/5/09 Section: News
Brian Hawkins, a senior computer science major, has developed software to enter into Microsoft's Imagine Cup this year.
The Imagine Cup was created by Microsoft to encourage students to voice their concerns over the problems society faces and try to find a solution.
"The Imagine Cup is a tech competition to promote social change," said Joe Wilson, the director of Academic Initiatives at Microsoft Corp.
Wilson, who is responsible for the creation and implementation of Imagine Cup, said this is the seventh year Microsoft has hosted the competition, which grows in popularity each year.
The Imagine Cup has 307,000 students internationally competing this year, Wilson said.
"So much of the world's innovation over the last 20 years has come from students," he said. "Look at the technologies that have been developed; most of them were started by students as projects while they were going to college."
Hawkins said he may have the next technology that will change the way businesses perform.
His project is the Green ENV, which will help corporations by showing companies where waste is happening in data centers or server racks by monitoring the carbon footprint and temperature difference.
"It's a two-piece system, part software and part hardware," Hawkins said. "It gives a carbon footprint by monitoring temperature and humidity."
He said the Green ENV will be able to provide a company with its base reading for the emissions its servers are producing.
"This will help companies start to realize that older computers are inefficient," he said.
The Imagine Cup is not only a good way for students to try to change the world, it also gives them the opportunity to meet employers who may be interested in the technologies they are developing.
Wilson said the winners of the U.S. finals will get to go to the world finals where businesses will be watching to see what the students have come up with.
Hawkins said that he is nearly ready for the competition.
"The features are done, and there are only a few things left to do before it goes to the competition," he said.
The U.S. finals event will be held May 2 through 5, and there are prizes for the top three places of the U.S. finals; first place gets $8,000, second gets $5,000 and third gets $4,000.
The winners will also get a place in the world finals which will be in Cairo, Egypt, during July.
Students at Missouri State said that they feel this is a good way for the college to encourage working toward newer technologies.
"Great idea, and a way to encourage kids to work toward new technology," said Kate Rhodes, a junior biology major.
She said this seemed to follow the trend Missouri State has had over the last few years of going green.
Rhodes said she could be affected by the outcome Imagine Cup if she uses or works for a company that uses inventions developed by the competition.
The Imagine Cup was created by Microsoft to encourage students to voice their concerns over the problems society faces and try to find a solution.
"The Imagine Cup is a tech competition to promote social change," said Joe Wilson, the director of Academic Initiatives at Microsoft Corp.
Wilson, who is responsible for the creation and implementation of Imagine Cup, said this is the seventh year Microsoft has hosted the competition, which grows in popularity each year.
The Imagine Cup has 307,000 students internationally competing this year, Wilson said.
"So much of the world's innovation over the last 20 years has come from students," he said. "Look at the technologies that have been developed; most of them were started by students as projects while they were going to college."
Hawkins said he may have the next technology that will change the way businesses perform.
His project is the Green ENV, which will help corporations by showing companies where waste is happening in data centers or server racks by monitoring the carbon footprint and temperature difference.
"It's a two-piece system, part software and part hardware," Hawkins said. "It gives a carbon footprint by monitoring temperature and humidity."
He said the Green ENV will be able to provide a company with its base reading for the emissions its servers are producing.
"This will help companies start to realize that older computers are inefficient," he said.
The Imagine Cup is not only a good way for students to try to change the world, it also gives them the opportunity to meet employers who may be interested in the technologies they are developing.
Wilson said the winners of the U.S. finals will get to go to the world finals where businesses will be watching to see what the students have come up with.
Hawkins said that he is nearly ready for the competition.
"The features are done, and there are only a few things left to do before it goes to the competition," he said.
The U.S. finals event will be held May 2 through 5, and there are prizes for the top three places of the U.S. finals; first place gets $8,000, second gets $5,000 and third gets $4,000.
The winners will also get a place in the world finals which will be in Cairo, Egypt, during July.
Students at Missouri State said that they feel this is a good way for the college to encourage working toward newer technologies.
"Great idea, and a way to encourage kids to work toward new technology," said Kate Rhodes, a junior biology major.
She said this seemed to follow the trend Missouri State has had over the last few years of going green.
Rhodes said she could be affected by the outcome Imagine Cup if she uses or works for a company that uses inventions developed by the competition.
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