For me, one of the most exciting things about working with students is seeing their passion and absolute belief that one person can, in fact, change the world. At Microsoft, we want to do whatever we can to encourage that optimism, and to help students use their technical skills in ways that can help make the world a better place. That’s the goal of our annual student technology competition, the Imagine Cup.
I’m writing this from Seoul, Korea, where we’ve just concluded the 2007 Imagine Cup finals, the culmination of a nine-month long program in which university students from virtually every country in the world have had the chance to use the power of software to develop a solution addressing one of the most pressing challenges of our day. Our theme, “Imagine a world where technology enables a better education for all,” gave our students a unique opportunity— to think about the education challenges in their own countries, and to take the future into their own hands by creating solutions that can bring about lasting change.
Since its beginning in 2003, the Imagine Cup has been a gathering place for some of the world’s greatest young minds, and the technology showcased has truly reflected the caliber of the competition. This year is no exception. Teams have worked together to develop cutting-edge technologies that help extend learning outside the classroom, that promote collaboration among teachers and students, and that have the potential to make education accessible to far greater numbers of people around the world, regardless of their social or economic situations.
But inasmuch as the Imagine Cup is a premiere technology showcase, its impact goes far beyond the technology itself. Archit Jain, a fourth-year student from Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology in India, told us how meeting the other teams and judges in Seoul this week has helped expand his vision of how technology can help the people of his home country. His dream is to see “the power of technology made accessible to the masses” and he plans to research how low-cost computing materials can help make this dream possible.
I celebrate Archit’s vision. It’s an exciting time, and we’re only at the beginning of what computer science can offer the world. It gives me great hope to see the future of computing in students like Archit, and deep satisfaction to know that Microsoft and the Imagine Cup have played even a small part in their life and work.
There have been some amazing moments this week at the Imagine Cup. The highs and lows of competition, the lasting friendships that have been made, and the incredible potential of the ideas presented here have left me with a true sense of optimism for what these future leaders can achieve.
Six teams will go on to formal business and technology training early next year. Others will pursue commercializing their software applications with the help of their schools, their mentors and resources available through their communities. Others will return to their studies, with indelible memories of their amazing week at the Imagine Cup. We hope most of them will also begin planning their entry for next year’s Imagine Cup.
Next stop is France for Imagine Cup 2008. The theme is, “Imagine a world where technology can create a sustainable environment.” I can’t wait to see what these young minds come up with.
Namaste!
S. Somasegar is the corporate vice president of the Developer Division at Microsoft Corporation.
