Microsoft Innovation Center Report 2010-2011 vol.4
Imagine Cup 2010 World Finals: The Largest IT Competition for Creative, Passionate Students to Change the World with Technologies
Published: September 3, 2010
Japanese >>
July 4th - 8th, 2010, Warsaw, Poland
Imagine Cup is the largest IT competition for students hosted annually by Microsoft. In the 8th year of this technology competition, over 325,000 students from more than 100 countries and regions applied to Imagine Cup 2010. After surviving a half year of preliminaries, over 400 students from 113 teams gathered in Warsaw, the Polish capital, to compete at the world finals. Entrants from Japan vied for the crown in the most competitive divisions of world finals: Software Design and Embedded Development. In addition to instructors who accompany finalist students as mentors, Japanese IT venture companies provide support as mentors in the Software Design division. Japanese representative teams made a solid showing at Imagine Cup 2010 World Finals.
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Technology Competition for Students Forging the Future
 | I am sure you can resolve any problem as long as you have a strong will to tackle it. All the students in the World Finals are winners. As future leaders, you can change the world. |  | | Jon Perera
General Manager, Microsoft Education
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Imagine Cup, now in its 8th year, is the largest IT competition for creative, passionate students to change the world with technologies. Since 2003, the competition is held in a different country every year to foster advanced IT human resources. Imagine Cup provides a place for young programmers, mathematicians, engineers and the students who will become future designers, creators and artists to pit their expertise against that of other students from all over the world.
At the opening ceremony of the World Finals, Jacek Murawski (General Manager, Microsoft Poland) greeted the audience. He started his speech with his country's development and history, including the desperate economic situation and low educational level problems of Poland’s past, and discussed the current growth Poland achieved after 20 years of great effort. Murawski illustrated to the over 400 students from all over the world that continuous effort leads to great results.
"I praise each one of you here," said Murawski, "as your country's representative and a representative of 325,000 students from 170 countries all over the world. Congratulations to you all! I am sure you can resolve any problem as long as you have a strong will to tackle it. The young generation can change the world."
After Murawski, Polish Deputy Prime Minister Waldemar Pawlak, who made a great contribution to the development of today's Poland during the two terms of the previous prime minister, came to the stage. The deputy prime minister noted that it was the 200th anniversary of Chopin, a Polish national hero: "If Chopin were still alive today, he would encourage you to be traditionally modern."
Imagine Cup 2010’s theme was "Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems", and focused on solutions to help solve the problems today's world faces, including the environment, food shortages and poverty. As at Imagine Cup 2009 World Finals in Egypt, students chose one theme from United Nations' 8 Millennium Development Goals and competed for top honors at the world finals with their solutions in 5 divisions: Software Design, Embedded Development, Game Design, IT Challenge and Digital Media.
Strong Support from the Mentor Companies for the World Finals
| | Everyone is allotted an equal amount of time, and it is up to each person to make the best use of it to resolve any issues. To achieve the best results in the time given, I suggested that each person further develop his or her own expertise. | | | Takashi Kato
President & CEO, OneBe, Inc.
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In March 2010, the Imagine Cup Japan finals for Software Design and Embedded Development divisions were held, and winner teams received tickets to the world finals.
As a mentor to the Japan finalist team in Software Design, one Microsoft Innovation Award winner company that grew its business from an innovative idea provided extensive support not only from a solution development perspective, but from a business perspective as well.
OneBe, Inc. mentored PAKEN, the Japan finalist team from Junior and Senior High School at Komaba, University of Tsukuba. Takashi Kato (President & CEO, OneBe, Inc.) and Koji Tsukiji (Corporate Officer, OneBe, Inc.) periodically advised the members of PAKEN after the team got a ticket to the world finals. In Warsaw, the two provided continuous support to the students on the presentation and technological fronts until the start of the first round of competition.
"We tried to offer as many options as possible and let the students decide whether to implement them or not," recalled Takashi Kato (CEO & President, OneBe, Inc.), "In Warsaw, I meant to give them full support, including emotional support. Everyone is allotted an equal amount of time, and it is up to each person to make the best use of it to resolve any issues. To achieve the best results in the time given, I suggested that each person further develop his or her own expertise, rather than try to overcome other weak areas."
To help students compete for top world honors, Microsoft Co., Ltd. Japan provided the Japan finalists with company-wide support, including presentation sessions, English Q&A simulation with a native English speaker, feedback from business consultants and technical reviews from Development division as well as advice from Japanese prize winners of past Imagine Cup world finals.
| Software Design World Finals First Round | PAKEN from Junior and Senior High School at Komaba, University of Tsukuba | • | Osamu Ishimura (9th grade) | | • | Taiji Nagano (9th grade) | | • | Shu Sekikawa (8th grade) | | • | Masahiro Kanai (7th grade) | Mentors | • | Michikazu Ichikawa (Teacher, Junior and Senior High School at Komaba, University of Tsukuba) | | • | Takashi Kato (President & CEO, OneBe, Inc.) | | • | Koji Tsukiji (Corporate Officer, OneBe, Inc.) |  |
| Embedded Development World Finals Second Round | CLFS (Control Lab File System) from Tokyo National College of Technology | • | Yuki Aruga (1st year) | | • | Lydia Ling Yieng Chen (4th year) | | • | Shohei Hisano (4th year) | | • | Shiro Matsumoto (2nd year, Japan Finals participant) | Mentor | • | Katsushi Matsubayashi (Professor, Tokyo National College of Technology) |  |
Japan Finalists’ Presentation Excels in Software Design Division
| | The PAKEN members showed rapid growth in just six months from their initial entry to Imagine Cup Japan to the World Finals. I am really glad that I had this opportunity to see the students grow that much. | | | Michikazu Ichikawa
Teacher, Junior and Senior High School at Komaba, University of Tsukuba
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PAKEN chose "Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger" as their theme. Their solution, Bazzaruino, allows delivery of supplies to deprived areas using free luggage space on commercial aircraft. Two additional services were added to the Japan Finals solution: AirPorter to handle logistics and CivilPress to disclose feedback for any actions taken. At the world finals, PAKEN demonstrated their presentation in the first round.
Koji Tsukiji (Corporate Officer, OneBe, Inc.), who participated as a mentor in the competition with a two-fold goal of helping students grow and winning the award, notes the appeal of Imagine Cup:
"It is an ideal opportunity for students who plan to start a business in the future. A team can have a variety of members who take the roles of president, marketing, and development staff to simulate a venture company whose whole process from clarifying a vision and developing a good product to selling it is the same as that of Imagine Cup. I would like many students to experience this chance to acquire professional skills which otherwise can only be developed in the front line of a real business."
PAKEN demonstrated a good presentation: Osamu Ishimura took the role of facilitator and Hirohito Kanai summarized important points, while a short play by Taiji Nagano and Shu Sekikawa added a sharp edge to the entire presentation. The finalist students felt positive about their 20 minute presentation but did not make it to the second round.
"What concerns a teacher most is the growth of the students," said Michikazu Ichikawa (Teacher, Junior and Senior High School at Komaba, University of Tsukuba), "They only grow little by little throughout their long school life. The PAKEN members, however, showed rapid growth in just six months from their initial entry to Imagine Cup Japan to the World Finals. I am really glad that I had this opportunity to see the students grow that much."
Second Challenge at World Finals: CLFS Moved to the 2nd Round in Embedded Development
| | I think their idea can compete with other teams in the final round. I am sure they will get far better results once they integrate all the elements into one solid solution including a more sophisticated user interface. | | | Katsushi Matsubayashi
Professor, Tokyo National College of Technology
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Focusing on the mother-child health handbook system, which was in effect in Japan since 1948, CLFS proposed "Electronic Maternal and Child Health Handbook", a network-aware embedded device system based on the mother-child health handbook with a variety of sensors including a baby scale, thermometer and blood pressure gauge, as well as a camera and touch-panel. By recording the data via Internet communication and using a rent-a-phone to allow a remote clinical examination in deprived areas with no doctors, the solution would help to solve two issues: "Reduce child mortality" and "Improve maternal health."
Yuki Aruga (CLFS member, Tokyo National College of Technology) attended Imagine Cup 2009 in Egypt as the youngest member of the team. He was now the leader of the team and took a role in performing the presentation. His significant growth greatly surprised Imagine Cup reporters who knew Aruga a year ago.
Aruga's experience losing in the first round last year colored his team’s careful preparations to advance to the second round this year. Lydia Ling Yieng Chen, an international student from Malaysia who is fluent in English, Malay, Chinese and Japanese, took the role of co-presenter. With Shohei Hisano's demonstration, the team presented well.
"This year, we included all missing elements in the last World Finals," remarked Katsushi Matsubayashi (Professor, Tokyo National College of Technology), "I am just happy that they made it to the second round, but the students are certainly aiming higher. I think their idea can compete with other teams in the final round. I am sure they will get far better results once they integrate all the elements into one solid solution that includes a more sophisticated user interface."
Watching CLFS make it to the second round of World Finals with mentor Matsubayashi's support, Jun Onishi (Associate Professor, Electronics and Computer Engineering, Tsuyama National College of Technology) hopes to put together a team from his school to compete at Imagine Cup in the future.
Japanese Students' Next Challenge: Imagine Cup 2011 in New York
| | Look for what was outstanding and what was appealing in the top 3 finalists' presentations. When you realize why they won the awards, your imagination will spark. | | | Nobuhiro Ito
Senior Manager, Academic Evangelism Group, Developer & Platform Evangelism, Microsoft Co., Ltd. Japan
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"I would like to tell you I am so impressed and so inspired by what you are doing. The ideas you are generating and the ways you are turning your ideas into action and into real solutions for real problems. It is truly remarkable. With your ingenuity, you are literally changing the world." (Michelle Obama, First Lady)
A video message from First Lady Michelle Obama, delivered at the World Finals, indicated that the next Imagine Cup would be held in New York. Including PAKEN and CLFS members determined to avenge defeat, all other teams that could not make it to the World Finals and teams from various schools visiting the World Finals are now focused on Imagine Cup 2011.
Microsoft's Academic division meets over 10,000 students every year to provide them with various kinds of support. Fumiko Kusuhara (Group Lead, Academic Evangelism, Academic Evangelism Group, Developer & Platform Evangelism, Microsoft Co., Ltd. Japan), who supports students applying to Imagine Cup, encourage the students to "take the first step forward." With a belief that students with passion can see the world by taking some kind of first step, Kusuhara backs up students' activities.
"Focus on the theme, let go of your ego, have an international viewpoint," suggests Nobuhiro Ito (Senior Manager, Academic Evangelism Group, Developer & Platform Evangelism, Microsoft Co., Ltd. Japan), "and take a bird’s-eye perspective to figure out what you can do with your team members and mentors. Look for what was outstanding and what was appealing in the top 3 finalists' presentations. When you realize why they won the awards, your imagination will spark."
Imagine Cup is not a mere technology contest: It is a great opportunity for the students to acquire know-how for surviving in the professional world. Their experience here will have a lasting impact on their lives.
| Software Design | |
| Embedded Development | |
| Game Design | |
| IT Challenge | |
| Digital Media | |