This afternoon in Redmond, WA, the nation’s best and brightest tech students gathered for the ninth annual Imagine Cup 2011 U.S. Finals. Starting with a field of more than 74,000 students, the final 12 teams presented their projects to a panel of judges, tackling diverse issues from eliminating malaria to promoting alternative energy. After an intense weekend of presentations and eliminations, the winners were named:
· 1st Place, Software Design: Team Note-Taker, Arizona State University. Project: “Note-Taker” – A portable, assistive technology to help vision-impaired students take notes in class.
· 1st Place, Game Design and 1st Place, People’s Choice Award – Game Design – Windows/Xbox: Team Bloom, Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy. Project: “Spero” – A game focused on alternative energy solutions and educating people on how to live healthier lives.
· 1st Place, Game Design – Mobile: Team Big Impact Bear, University of Houston. Project: “Forest Gun” – A game that aims to prevent and reverse deforestation in the world.
· 1st Place, People’s Choice Award - Software Design: Team BearPaw, Brigham Young University. Project: A mobile and cloud solution for ultrasound images that is cost-effective, widely available and easy to implement.
