Imagine Cup finals
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Imagine Cup finals
TEXT OF STORY
MARK AUSTIN THOMAS: Today’s the big day for one group of students involved in a special competition. Microsoft will announce the winners of its annual “Imagine Cup” finals, a student technology contest. This year 200 finalists from more than 40 countries came to India to show off their software design skills. Miranda Kennedy has more from New Delhi.
MIRANDA KENNEDY: The Microsoft competition tries to encourage students to use technology to solve the problems of the real world.
This year the theme is health. So kids as young as 16 have come up with ways that IT could help improve healthcare.
Sheila Gulati with Microsoft says that’s especially relevant for India.
SHEILA GULATI: We obviously have seen a lot of momentum in the IT ecosystem in India, tons of new developers. So we wanted to be able to one, celebrate India’s IT momentum and success, and then two bring the students here to meet and understand a bit more of the Indian culture.
This year the Indian team designed low-cost software using sensors so that blind people can use computers and move around without a cane or a guide dog.
The team didn’t make it to the final round, but they say they’re going to improve their design and try again next year.
In New Delhi, I’m Miranda Kennedy for Marketplace.
THOMAS: And the winner of that competition was a team from Turin, Italy.
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