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In 2007 Booz Allen Hamilton set out to help small nonprofits in the Washington, D.C. area gain access to expert advice and guidance on management and fundraising that was otherwise unattainable for them due to cost. In the four years since, the Booz Allen Hamilton Nonprofit Development Conference Series has grown exponentially and now successfully serves more than 400 unique nonprofit organizations with top tier guest speakers from around the metropolitan area who provide the sorely needed advice and guidance.
Microsoft helps students imagine a better world
By Tim Wilson, Editor & Writer, Boston College Center
It’s no secret that the world’s future has always been in the hands of our children. Generation after generation passes the torch with the hope they’ve left the world a better place for their children but knowing they’ve also left work to be done.
But why make our children wait when they are already bursting with energy, enthusiasm and ideas to improve the world? Microsoft Corporation recognizes that and is giving thousands of high school and college students across the United States the chance to demonstrate their potential and contribute innovative solutions to the world’s challenges now.
Imagine Cup, now in its eighth year, is the world’s premier student technology competition through which Microsoft empowers young people around the world to use their creative and technical abilities to make a positive impact on society. Imagine Cup encourages young people to use the magic of technology to address problems, fostering the development of the next generation of leaders, entrepreneurs, social activists and humanitarians.
Participants in the competition are assigned the mission of creating real-world software and service applications that use Microsoft technologies to address the U.S. Imagine Cup theme of imagining a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems. For inspiration, students are encouraged to consider the eight United Nations Millennium Development Goals:
- Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
- Achieve universal primary education
- Promote gender equality and empower women
- Reduce child mortality
- Improve maternal health
- Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other disease
- Ensure environmental sustainability
- Develop a global partnership for development
Not too ambitious a list for today’s high school and college students. To accomplish these goals through Imagine Cup, teams of up to four must produce a business plan, working prototype and a three- to five-minute video about their project.
More than 14,000 high school and college students across the United States registered as teams for this year’s US Imagine Cup. From those competitors, 20 teams will be heading to the U.S. finals in Washington, D.C., April 23-26, where they will compete for the opportunity to represent the nation at the world finals in Poland. Besides the prestige of delivering the best world-changing technology application, the teams are also vying for cash prizes and an opportunity to be considered for a Microsoft internship.
Even if you are not a part of the competition it’s not too late to get involved. Members of the public have until April 23 to go online and vote for their favorite project in the People’s Choice Awards portion of the Imagine Cup.
Don’t feel too much pressure to check out Imagine Cup. It’s only about the future of the world.
