Bangkok--15 Jun--Hill & Knowlton
Microsoft encourages Thai students to turn their creativity into real software applications
Winning Thai team to represent Thailand at the Imagine Cup 2010 contest in Poland and play a role in building a prosperous future for Thailand through sustainable IT development.
Microsoft (Thailand) Limited has revealed the winning Thai team for this year’s Imagine Cup contest. The winning application was ‘eyeFeel’, designed by students from Kasetsart University, which was selected for its unique ability to help the hard of hearing communicate with others around them via a real-time communicator and virtual conversation software. As the winning Thai entry, the team members will receive a royal trophy from HRH Princess Maha Chakri Siridhorn and get the chance to proudly showcase Thailand’s potential to the world by representing Thailand during the international stage of the Imagine Cup 2010 competition, to be held in Poland from July 3 - 8, 2010.
Each year the Imagine Cup contest follows a theme, with this year’s entrants asked to base their designs on the statement “Imagine a world where technology helps solve the problems facing us today.” Rising to this challenge, the ‘SKeeK’ team from Kasetsart University (Krithee Sirisith, Pichai Sodsai, Thanasunn Dilokpinitnun and Nonthawat Srichad), chose to address the needs of the hearing-impaired with their original ‘eyeFeel’ application that is designed to help bridge the gap between the hard of hearing and others, thanks to an augmented reality environment that brings together speech and face recognition in order to convert spoken English into text, with the aid of a virtual conversation text balloon and sign-language animations displayed in real-time. Currently the ‘eyeFeel’ application supports English language, but plans are afoot to develop Thai-language support in the future.
Additionally, Microsoft has also organized Imagine Cup People’s choice award which is open to public for voting the team they like best from now on till July 7, 2010. Be a part to support SKeeK team from Thailand at www.msstudentlounge.com/studentrally/tabid/81/Default.aspx.
Now in its eighth year, Imagine Cup is open to university-level students from all over the world. The contest not only encourages students to take a more active interest in software application development by coming up with new applications that can truly solve social problems, but also provides a unique opportunity for entrants to showcase their talents on a global stage. By working together for a social cause, students will learn how to think systematically and logically, as well as find and enhance their true potential in line with Microsoft’s commitment to strengthening the country’s IT ecosystem through local creativity.
To help students get a broad understanding of the social issues facing us today and match their applications accordingly, Microsoft has also invited software companies, ISVs and NGOs to share their views and insights on the country’s current social issues and software development industry. Moreover, by working closely with others in the industry, the process is opening up new business opportunities by matching students with potential companies that may wish to purchase or further develop the students’ applications.
In addition, Imagine Cup competition is sponsored by Kasikorn Bank Public Company Limited, Wall Street Institute, and The Value System Co., Ltd. for prize check, flight to Poland for the winners, as well as English training courses for the 12 finalists.
“Following the recent political turmoil in Thailand, every organization is doing its part to speed up the country’s recovery in the best way they can,” said Patama Chantaruck, Microsoft (Thailand) Limited. “At Microsoft we recognize that the success of Thailand’s youth is critical to bringing back good news and happiness to Thailand once more. The standard of entries from all the Thai teams who entered this year’s Imagine Cup was very high, so the winning ‘SKeeK’ team from Kasetsart University should feel particularly proud of their achievement and we look forward to seeing them represent Thailand when they showcase their application during the global round in Poland - where more than 300,000 students from more than 100 countries will take part. Looking beyond the applications themselves, the Imagine Cup is more than just a software development contest. It is an important platform where students can turn their ideas into reality and make a name for themselves, while also gaining valuable experience outside of the classroom that can be brought back and shared with others in Thailand as quality citizens for the country’s future.”
Suwipa Wanasathop, Director of Software Park added, “As an organization devoted to driving forward the country’s software industry, Software Park is pleased to see more and more groups collaborating in order to strengthen our local software industry. The Imagine Cup competition is a great example of this and is bringing many benefits to the ICT and education industry by encouraging the next generation to develop their creative thinking and put their talents to good use. As such, Software Park is proud of its continuous support for the Imagine Cup competition in order to promote the sustainable development of the country’s software industry.”
“The Imagine Cup stands out for its ability to make a significant impact on the local IT ecosystem from a very early stage,” added Patama Chantaruck. “Today’s students are the workforce of tomorrow, so by developing capable personnel with an eye for creative innovation we are securing the local software industry’s future. To support this, Microsoft is also focused on a number of other activities to address the full cycle of local software development, including Academic Alliance, Microsoft Student Partners, 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.”
Silawat Santivisat, First Senior Vice President, Kasikorn Bank Public Company Limited, said, As the main sponsor for Imagine Cup 2010, Kasikorn Bank is very pleased to support Thai students to showcase their creativity and develop the software application that contribute to society. We firmly believe that students who join the competition will gain valuable knowledge and experiences that help prepare them to be the capable workforce for software industry and the country.”
Out of the other Thai teams that entered this year’s Imagine Cup, the first runner-up was the ‘Permanent’ team from Chulalongkorn University for their Epidemic Detection and Control System (EDAC) application, while second runner-up position went to the ‘Wake Up Late’ team from Mahidol University for their MagicLearning application. The ‘Bughouse’ team from Mahidol University was also commended and received a consolation prize for their Reinforced E-Hospital application.
As the winning Thai team, the ‘SKeeK’ team will be sponsored by Microsoft on their trip to the finals in Poland, with more than one million baht for flights, accommodation and expenses. The team will also receive a prize check for 50,000 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’s Incubation Center in Thailand. The runners-up ‘Permanent’ and second runners-up ‘Wake Up Late’ will each receive checks for 30,000 and 20,000 baht respectively, as well as plaques and certificates from Microsoft, while the ‘Bughouse’ team will receive a check for 10,000 baht, as well as their plaques and certificates from Microsoft.
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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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