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If there is one thing that GeekDads love to teach their kids it is that ideas are great, but that those ideas are best when they become something real. A pitch for an idea or a startup is only as good as the prototype that can become a thing that makes an impact on the world in which we live. It is with that concept in mind that I was pleased to hear the results of the Imagine Cup Grants announced recently at the Social Innovation Summit.
The Imagine Cup is a three-year, $3 million competitive grants program that provides students with funding and support to help transform their Imagine Cup project into a business or nonprofit that will address a specific social issue. They are part of Microsoft YouthSpark, a companywide initiative designed to create opportunities for hundreds of millions of youth around the world.
Why am I pleased? Well, back in July, after attending the 2012 Imagine Cup held in Australia, GeekDad looked at two of the Imagine Cup entries that didn't make the final six. Two entries that we felt demonstrated perhaps the greatest impact in terms of health and environmental outcomes. We labelled them the "Best of the Rest." Well, I am pleased to announced that GeekDad's "Best of the Rest" received the first and second prize. One of the teams, Germany's Greenway, has since changed its name to Team Graphmasters.
These two teams looked to the use of big data to help solve issues of traffic congestion and carbon emissions (in the case of Team Graphmasters), and pneumonia diagnosis which is responsible for more child deaths than any other disease on the planet (in the case of Team Stethocloud). They delivered fine technical solutions, but they deserve their success in the grants because I believe they demonstrated the greatest capacity to have a positive and lasting impact on the health and well-being of the global community.
The 2012 Microsoft Imagine Cup Grant recipients are listed below:
2012 Imagine Cup Grant Winners
__ __1st Place ($100,000): Team Graphmasters, Germany
Using Windows Azure and Windows Phone, the team created a navigation system that proactively routes city traffic to prevent traffic congestion and help reduce the CO2 emissions of cars.
2nd Place ($75,000): Team StethoCloud, Australia
The team designed a cloud-powered, mobile-hybrid stethoscope using Windows Azure and Windows Phone that detects childhood pneumonia at early stages.
Other Grant Winners ($50,000 each):
Team Vivid,__ Egypt__
The team designed a mobile app using Windows Phone and Windows Azure that helps healthcare providers access patient electronic medical records through a secure cloud-based storage system.
Team Cipher256, Uganda
The team developed a mobile app with Windows Phone and a special listening device to analyze fetal heart rates and record readings to the cloud using Windows Azure.
Team QuadSquad, Ukraine
Using Windows Phone, Microsoft Speech API, and Bing API, the team created a way for disabled individuals with limited communication abilities to communicate more effectively.
