Bangkok--14 May--Hill & Knowlton
Microsoft builds IT foundation for the next generation; announces winning Thai students to represent Thailand at Imagine Cup 2009 competition in Egypt
Microsoft (Thailand) Limited today hosted a ceremony to announce the winning Thai team who will go on to represent Thailand at the international stage of the Imagine Cup 2009 competition in Egypt. After careful consideration from the judges it was the CSCU? team from Chulalongkorn University who took first prize and received a royal trophy from HRH Princess Maha Chakri Siridhorn for their innovative ‘Meddy’ healthcare application.
Now in its seventh year, the Imagine Cup competition represents Microsoft’s ongoing commitment to promoting creativity and IT skills amongst youngsters by giving them an international platform upon which they can showcase their talents to the world and establish a stronger local IT ecosystem for the next generation of young IT developers to take advantage of.
The global theme of this year’s Imagine Cup competition is “Imagine a world where technology helps solve the problems facing us today.” The winning CSCU? team most accurately responded to this challenge with their ‘Meddy’ application, which utilizes video conference features to tackle the issue of limited medical services in rural areas by making use of multimedia streaming technologies. In addition to providing a much-needed access point for medical attention, the judges appreciated that the program is also fast and responsive since users can also connect to it via .Net technology and receive real-time medical suggestions. The winning team who came up with the ‘Meddy’ application consists of four members from Chulalongkorn University: Chakrit Wichian, Rungthum Leelachareankitwong, Nuttapol Sangsuriyachot, and Passaporn Kanchanasri.
All students who take part in the Imagine Cup competition are challenged to turn their creative ideas into a real IT application that can be showcased during the contest, with the chance to potentially turn it into a business reality. In light of the current economic recession, the Imagine Cup serves as an important means of strengthening the local software ecosystem from a very early stage by providing a new channel for the next generation of IT developers to get their ideas known and subsequently secure a successful career within the industry.
“Our country needs capable personnel who can creatively and systematically produce effective work. Microsoft believes that the Imagine Cup competition is not only a means of helping individuals, but will also ultimately enhance the economy and the country as a whole. We need to encourage our children to think effectively, which means not just relying on traditional direct teaching methods, but also encouraging students to learn from their own experiences,” said Patama Chantaruck, Managing Director, Microsoft (Thailand) Limited. “The winning application from the CSCU? team, using .Net technology, is a very accomplished medical application that can be adopted in many real-life scenarios, with the potential to be developed into a significant medical innovation that can proudly carry a ‘made in Thailand’ label.”
“Each year the standard of Thai entries to the Imagine Cup continues to impress us and we are extremely proud of all the teams who have entered this year. Microsoft is passionate about getting more youngsters and students involved in IT and I really believe that this contest will have a long-term positive impact on the local software ecosystem in Thailand by reaching out to the next generation of IT experts and developers. In addition to the Imagine Cup we are also working to ensure this with other activities to fulfill the cycle of local software development, including Academic Alliance, Microsoft Student Partner, Faculty Support, Microsoft Innovation Center, DreamSpark and BizSpark. Together these activities have been designed to ensure that we have programs in place for everyone from young software developers to established ISVs,” added Patama.
Also speaking at the Thai winner’s ceremony, Dr. Khunying Galaya Sophinpanich, Science and Technology Minister added, “With an emphasis on gaining real educational experience, the Imagine Cup 2009 competition will bring many benefits to the ICT industry by encouraging more students to get creative with science and technology. I strongly believe that the Microsoft Imagine Cup will help inspire the next generation to take the country’s ICT industry to the next level and develop it in a sustainable manner.”
First runners-up were the ‘CONCEIT’ team from King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang with their ‘Firewatch’ application designed to prevent forest fires, while second runners-up were the ‘Ice Tea’ team from Mahidol University with their ‘Group Trade’ application designed to promote business trading opportunities in underprivileged areas. Two other teams received consolation prizes for their efforts, which were the ‘Permanent’ team from Chulalongkorn University for their ‘Simland Manager’ land-development application and the ‘Last Idea’ team from Mahidol University for their ‘Health Map’ medi-care application.
As the winning Thai team, the CSCU? team will be sponsored by Microsoft on their trip to the finals in Egypt, with 400,000 baht for flights, accommodation and expenses. The team will also receive a prize check for 100,000 baht, a royal trophy from HRH Princess Maha Chakri Siridhorn, a plaque and certificate from Microsoft and the chance to officially test their application at Software Park Thailand. Runners-up ‘CONCEIT’ and second runners-up ‘Ice Tea’ will each receive checks for 50,000 baht and 40,000 baht respectively, as well as plaques and certificates from Microsoft, while the ‘Permanent’ team and ‘The Last Idea’ will each receive a check for 10,000 baht, as well as their plaques and certificates from Microsoft.
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.
Established in 1993, Microsoft (Thailand) Limited provides world-class software that is easy to use and localized to suit the local market’s needs. It also has a compelling and consistent platform to build powerful business solutions that can scale from a notebook computer to a mainframe — class multiprocessor systems using Microsoft technology. For further information, information, please visit the Microsoft (Thailand) website at: http://www.microsoft.com/thailand.
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