The Imagine Cup Journey - Part 1: "The small IDEA"

The day that I decided to participate in Imagine Cup 2010 is not exactly clear. Having heard of the Imagine Cup Global Competition event through friends and the Microsoft Student Partner Program, I had always thought that maybe it would be fun to give it a try. At the time, we did not know how much of an experience we were going to gain from Imagine Cup but it is definitely more than just fun we had when looking back. Welcome to part one of ‘The Imagine Cup Journey’ blog series, I am reflecting back on my own journey from the start of the project to the emotional rides myself and the team members experienced during the entire process. What we learnt, what we had become, and what we are all doing now has been greatly influenced by the Imagine Cup competition put together by Microsoft. Let the journey begin, again.

The exact turn of events that transitioned into the start of our team’s Imagine Cup project is not entirely defined but the major points are still vivid in my mind. I remember sitting in my Signals and Systems Electrical Engineering class at McGill University and the professor talked about how polarizing lens had changed the way we are able to view images that was once not possible. He mentioned that the theory behind polarizing lens had been around for many years but the application is only now coming into form and that is it is up to us future engineers to turn theories into applications that can advance human life. I recall walking away from that class quite frustrated because I wanted to apply my knowledge in creating something that can help society. I wanted to be part of something special and influential in shaping the future of technology. This was the start of my Imagine Cup path, having the mind set of wanting to create innovative technological applications that may one day change the world.