Microsoft`s You Make IT Smart campaign shows Swiss students how to be innovative and creative with computer science in the area of robotics. Important parts of the campaign are various competitions and the chance to win a free robot. In addition to this campaign targeted at students, professors and teachers at Swiss educational institutions have the chance to win a free robot to be used in their educational activities.
Up to 100 free LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT available for professors and teachers at Swiss educational institutions
Microsoft Switzerland is awarding up to 60 free LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT for professors and mid-level faculty members of Swiss Universities and Universities of Applied Sciences, and up to 40 free LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT for teachers at Swiss vocational- and high schools to support education and research on embedded development with Microsoft® Robotics Development Studio and robotics hardware. Additional 200 robots will be awarded directly to Swiss students, making a total distribution of 300 LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT!
Professors and faculty members of Swiss Universities or Universities of Applied Sciences
Professors and faculty members of Swiss Universities or Universities of Applied Sciences can win one of the 60 LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT by submitting to us their “winning idea” on how they and their students could benefit from robotics hardware and Microsoft software.
In the format of your choice, send us a short description of how you could be using the free robotics hardware together with Microsoft Robotics Development Studio and Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 in your educational and research activities – for example, could you use these to support your embedded development teaching, do you have a student project that could benefit from these or do you have research ideas relating to embedded development? Please send your idea to swissic@microsoft.com with your full name, postal address and name of the institution at which you are working***.
When meeting Microsoft Academic Team Members (Lead Student Partners or Academic Program Managers), describe to us how you could be using the free robotics hardware together with Microsoft Robotics Development Studio and Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 in educational and research activities. Please feel free to contact us and arrange a meeting on the subject.
Teachers at vocational- and high schools
Teachers at Swiss vocational- and high schools can win one of the 40 LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT for their class by submitting to us their “winning idea” on how you and your students could benefit from robotics hardware and Microsoft software.
In the format of your choice, send us a short description of how you could be using the free robotics hardware together with Microsoft Robotics Development Studio and Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 in your educational activities – for example, could you use these to introduce your students to programming or do you have a specific classroom project that could benefit from these? Please send your idea to cbalocco@microsoft.com with your full name, postal address and name of the institution at which you are working***.
Agree a meeting with Claudia Balocco, Education Programs Manager by contacting her at: cbalocco@microsoft.com. During the meeting you can describe to her how you could be using the free robotics hardware together with Microsoft Robotics Development Studio and Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 in educational activities.
We will evaluate your submitted ideas and award robots for the 60 first “winning ideas” from professors and mid-level faculty members of Swiss Universities and Universities of Applied Sciences, and for the 40 first “winning ideas” from the teachers of Swiss vocational and high schools. Please note that the number of robots is limited and only the first 60 professors/mid-level faculty members and 40 teachers (in order of receipt of the e-mails or descriptions during the meeting, on a “first come first served” basis) submitting a high-quality idea will be awarded with one LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT each.
Submitting an idea does not automatically entitle the person to a robot. Microsoft holds the sole right to judge the submitted ideas and will contact each person receiving an award in person either via e-mail or personally (the decision to award a robot can also be communicated during the meeting in which idea was submitted)**. Submission of a “winning idea” is open to professors and mid-level faculty members working at Swiss Universities of Universities of Applied Sciences and teachers of Swiss vocational- and high schools under public law (employees of Microsoft and their family members excluded). The closing date for submitting ideas will be when we have distributed the 60 LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT or at the latest on 31st May 2009.
Encourage your students to show their talents at the student technology Olympics
Imagine Cup is an annual worldwide student competition with categories ranging from digital arts to software design. As in the Olympics, Imagine Cup finalists compete at the world finals held in Cairo, Egypt in July 2009. For Imagine Cup 2009, programmers, artists and technologists of 16 years of age or older are invited to submit innovative projects with the topic: "Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems facing us today.”
Imagine Cup 2009 is not only a global competition. Microsoft Switzerland, together with the local jury members, will provide prizes for all Swiss Imagine Cup 2009 competitors and organize local Imagine Cup 2009 finals in May 2009. We hope that we can send some young Swiss talents all the way to the world finals in Egypt, so please encourage your students to participate.
***We will process the personal data and/or communication data provided by you within your e-mail submission in order to run and handle the competition and in conformance with our General data privacy rules. Please ensure that any personal data that you provide to us is accurate.
**Microsoft Switzerland has no obligation to disclose any results, reasons, names or any other information connected with the competition (no correspondence). Competitors have no entitlement to reimbursement of any expenses they may have taken in order to take part in the competition or to any remuneration whatsoever against Microsoft.
