A team of computer science students from UCLA will travel to Sao Paolo, Brazil, next month to compete in the world finals of the 2004 Microsoft Imagine Cup software design invitational. The UCLA team will represent the United States after winning the Team USA title at a judging exhibition held May 23 at the University of California, San Diego.
In addition to being named Team USA, computer science undergraduate Chris To and graduate students William So, Tree Li and Alex Chang received an $8,000 prize.
Student teams were asked to submit an application that demonstrated the theme of imagining a world where smart technology makes everyday life easier. The UCLA team, composed of students from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, won for developing PICKS, a “digital concierge� that runs on mobile devices and is designed to help users answer lifestyle questions such as where to eat or what to wear.
“The Imagine Cup is an opportunity for students worldwide to showcase their creativity, knowledge and technical expertise to the world,� said Morris Sim, a senior director at Microsoft, in a press release issued May 23. “These students’ achievements are truly inspiring, and the caliber of competition is high this year. We wish Team USA well at the worldwide finals next month.�
PICKS is a digital aid that provides the services of a world-class concierge in a pocket-sized device. The key to the innovation is the “Smart Picks� framework that delivers relevant and personalized answers to questions posed on a mobile device. PICKS draws on a rich knowledge base that effectively emulates word-of-mouth.
“Ours is the first mobile technology designed to synergize local service and search on your smart phone or PDA,� said Chris To, a student on the UCLA winning team. “Our goal was simple, to empower people to enjoy life more.�
Other features include blog functions and customization tools. Project PICKS was built on the .NET Compact Framework with Visual Studio.Net 2003 and uses Microsoft MapPoint Location Services.
“As I worked with the UCLA students, I was impressed by their creativity and drive,� said Sam Stokes, Microsoft’s Academic Relations Manager for UCLA. “PICKS is an exciting technology, and I am confident it will do well in the world finals.�
The Imagine Cup is a programming competition designed to provide an outlet for students to explore technological and artistic interests outside the classroom. More than 10,000 students from more than 90 countries competed in the four Imagine Cup 2004 invitationals, including software design, rendering, algorithm and short film. Within the United States, 650 students from more than 75 top research and technical universities competed in the software design invitational.
“It’s exciting to know that we’ve won but it’s daunting to envision the potential we could realize,� said Chris To on the day his team won. “We’re enamored with the development process. Imagine Cup drove us to learn about what it’s like and to envision a product for a potential customer.�
Team USA travels to Sao Paolo, Brazil, for the worldwide finals held July 4–6.