|
|
|
| 24 December 2007 |
| |
| TARC IMAGINE DAY 2007 |
Empowering students to imagine a better world through innovation and technology |
| |
Tunku Abdul Rahman College (TARC) and Microsoft Malaysia today launched the Imagine Day 2007, an event designed to develop ICT expertise and drive innovation excellence amongst higher education students, encouraging them to create technology solutions that solve real-world problems. |
| |
At the official launch of the Imagine Day, Yeow Sing Hing, Vice Principal of TARC said that the college was delighted to host Imagine Day again this year due to the overwhelming response received from both students and faculty members during the inaugural event last year and also its vision to be at the forefront of technology education. |
| |
"In line with our emphasis on technology as a key area of growth at TARC, Imagine Day has become one of our key flagship events for the year. We have created a program based on Microsoft's Imagine Cup competition model, establishing a platform where our students and faculty members can participate in and share ideas and knowledge on technology solutions, providing an avenue for them to expand their creative skills to generate solutions that are effective in combating global social issues. |
| |
"We are encouraging our students to realize the importance of technology both as a skill set and a tool that can create a better world for us all - encapsulating both the economic and social aspects of their future," said Yeow. |
| |
As TARC is a strong and keen competitor at Microsoft's annual Imagine Cup competition, Yeow added that the Imagine Day also acts as a stepping stone for students interested to participate in the Imagine Cup to prepare and equip themselves with all the know-how for the competition. TARC’s ICT students have done well in Microsoft’s Malaysian Imagine Cup Software Design competition for two years in a row with Team PointVector emerging as the 1st Runner Up this year and Team Creative Brains as the 2nd Runner Up last year. |
| |
He said the event will include tracts highlighting the latest in Microsoft technology, student experience workshops that feature mindshare from previous participants of the Imagine Cup and a full-fledged student competition for the following categories (similar to Microsoft’s Imagine Cup competition categories): |
| |
|
Software Design: To create new applications that demonstrate innovation on the .NET Framework and Windows platform |
|
Project Hoshimi: To devise and implement a program for a multi-player head-to-head game |
|
Algorithm: To compete in a series of brain teasers, coding challenges and algorithmic puzzles |
|
Photography: To communicate a story about creating sustainable environment using photos as the communication medium |
|
Short Film: To highlight the art and science of telling a story on "the environment" that includes taking a project from an abstract to storyboard; and finally the final product |
|
Interface Design: To create useful and compelling user interfaces that are unique and forward thinking |
|
| |
| "Last year the focus for Imagine Day was the Software Design category and we have decidedly expanded it to the six categories from the Imagine Cup this year. This is how much we believe our students will benefit from Imagine Day. Apart from the educational tracts, the challenges and experience faced in competition will build greater teamwork, soft skills, awareness of global issues and the potential of technology," he continued. |
| |
| Speaking on behalf of Microsoft Corp, Joe Wilson, Director of Academic Initiatives for Developer and Platform Evangelism said that Microsoft is strongly committed to helping students realize their potential and experience the opportunities made possible through the power of technology and one of the ways in which this is achieved is through partnerships with higher education institutions like TARC. |
| |
| "These students are the future of innovation in our country and it is from programs like these that they discover the potential of applying their imagination to technology and what impact it could have on everyday life. By engaging these young technologists in the pursuit of excellence and innovation in technology, we are inadvertently developing future leaders that fully understand and can capitalize on the currency of the future - technology - to build intellectual property assets that can create new economic opportunities and solve developmental challenges. This is definitely education at its best!" added Wilson. |
| |
| In closing, both Yeow and Wilson reiterated their commitment in working together to develop ICT expertise and drive innovation excellence amongst higher education students in Malaysia. |
| |
 |
|
Mr. Joe Wilson, Director of Academic Initiatives for Developer and Platform Evangelism, Microsoft looking intently at a student’s project under the software design category. |
|
| |
| Microsoft's premier student competition, Imagine Cup, encourages young people to apply their imagination, passion and creativity to technology innovations. Themed "Imagine a world where technology enables a sustainable environment", the 2008 Imagine Cup World Finals will be held from July 3 – 8, 2008, in Paris, France and will gather young programmers, students, artists and technologists from around the globe. More information on the Imagine Cup 2008 is available at http://www.imaginecup.com. |
| |
