Imagine Cup Projects–Making The World Better For Millions

Many of the best projects that are entered in the Imagine Cup are inspired by real people solving problems that have deep meaning for the project team. For some it is a family member or friend who suffered a great loss. For others it is a personal commitment to their local community. For others it is about acting more than just locally. Regardless of the motivation or the type of personal connection the best proejcts are potentially life changing (or saving) for millions of people. Microsoft just released a documentary about one of these projects. This one inspired initially by one person’s very real need for tools to help them succeed in their education but ultimatly about solving the same problems for millions of other people. It’s an inspiring story. More details below.

You’re been inspired by the Microsoft Imagine Cup student competition and watched the amazing stories from the Microsoft Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals in New York City.  We are excited to release the first ever Microsoft Imagine Cup Documentary:Blind Ambitionshowing how society can benefit from the inventions coming out of the Microsoft Imagine Cup.  It gives voice to the struggles that many low-vision students face every day. The video chronicles the stories of two low-vision students – Jeremy, a student athlete, and David, a student technologist and member of Imagine Cup finalist team Note-Taker. The video features each of their struggles with visual impairment, and highlights David’s invention of an assistive technology called the “Note-Taker,” which is designed to help low-vision students be successful in the classroom. David and his team won the Microsoft Imagine Cup US Finals for Software Design and recently competed and placed second in the Microsoft Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals for Software Design competition.  David’s goal is to enhance the lives of the 20 Million low-vision individuals in the US and enable them to engage in the workplace.

Also check out Wilson To and his Imagine Cup team who developed a new malaria test - BusinessWeek covered their project and it’s potential last week.