B.C. Students Awarded $7 Thousand for Technology Innovation
Vancouver, BC, May 10, 2010 - BCNET, B.C.'s advanced network for higher education and research, is pleased to announce the winners of the BCNET Broadband Innovation Challenge student competition at the BCNET/CANARIE Conference.
These four winners from universities across B.C., represent some of the best and most innovative student technology applications that rely on BCNET’s dedicated high-speed provincial research network.
BCNET awarded four student projects with an impressive $7 thousand in funding, which was donated by its industry partners: Apple, Microsoft, Shaw Business Solutions and Juniper Networks.
The 2010 BCNET Broadband Challenge Competition Winners are:
First place graduate student: Mahdi Tayarani Najaran, University of British Columbia, Computer Science, Scalable Cloud Based First -Person Shooter Game Server, awarded $1500.
First place undergraduate students: Malcolm Lalkaka, Radu Balan, Jag Sandhar, Simon Fraser University, Computer Science, Virtual Classroom: A Web Application for Hosting Lectures Live On-line, awarded $1500.
Second place undergraduate students: Dan Ballard, Jonathan Tao, University of British Columbia, Computer Science, Cortex, awarded $1000.
Third place undergraduate students: Bo Li, Yi Dong, Xudong Liu, Yangke Xiao, University of Victoria, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Software Defined Radio: Extend Communication Range of Walkie-Talkie, awarded $1000.
The remaining $2 thousand was awarded to four finalist contenders.
The annual Broadband competition looks for innovative student technology projects that have commercial and collaborative potential and rely on BCNET’s dedicated fibre optic high-speed research and education network.
"The Challenge is a great opportunity for our project team to demonstrate our ideas to technology experts and be recognized and rewarded for our efforts," said Jag Sandhar, one of the first place undergraduate winners from Simon Fraser University. “This experience helps us leverage our product and show industry and academics that Virtual Classroom is a potential solution for distant learning.”
"When I heard about the Challenge, I was motivated to learn what I needed, implement what I wanted, and push the project into the extremes," said Mahdi Tayarani Najaran, first place graduate winner from University of British Columbia, "I’m glad I took the challenge.”
The BCNET Broadband Innovation Challenge is open to graduate, undergraduate and diploma students in B.C.
For more information, please contact:
Tamara Klein
Communications Manager
BCNET
(778) 782-7865
Tamara.Klein@bc.net
About BCNET:
BCNET develops and manages an ultra high-speed fibre optic network that is 10,000 times faster than the commercial Internet and facilitates leading-edge research, science and education across the British Columbia and around the world. Over 11 universities and institutes and 19 research organizations use the BCNET network.
BCNET is a not-for-profit organization collectively funded by its members as well as the federal and provincial government.
For more information, please visit our website at www.bc.net