Finalists in Juicy Ideas Collegiate Competition announced
Date Posted: 5/21/2010
Six college teams across the US - including one from the AdvantageWest region - advance to final round
Students create software applications in effort to win trip to Google headquarters
Teams from six colleges and universities across the country have qualified as finalists in the 2010 Juicy Ideas Collegiate Competition, a national contest designed to engage young adults in entrepreneurism and encourage innovation and creativity. The competition challenged students to create a software application that uses publicly available data to benefit their community. It was organized by AdvantageWest, the economic development group serving Western North Carolina, with support from Google and in partnership with DigitalChalk, developers of an online software platform for training and continuing education.
Finalists are from the following colleges and universities: Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College in Asheville, N.C.; Cañada College, a community college in Redwood City, Calif.; Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge; Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif.; the University of California, Irvine, and the Unversity of Washington in Seattle. The winning team will be announced on or before June 1.
Schools within 50km of a Google U.S. data center or corporate office were eligible to compete. The Juicy Ideas winning team will be awarded an all-expense-paid trip to Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. In addition, each team member will get an Android-powered phone.
Teams of three to five students researched publicly available data to create their software application. They submitted their entry via a YouTube video, which will be evaluated by a panel of nationally recognized judges based on the following: ability to disseminate public data in a relevant manner; potential for community impact; usability; creativity, innovation, and uniqueness; business potential and scalability; and effectiveness of video demo. (See below for links to applications.) In an effort to protect the integrity of the evaluation process, the identities of the judges will not be revealed until the national winners are announced.
This is the second year for Juicy Ideas, though the contest has changed significantly since its start in 2008. The original competition, which involved several hundred students in five areas across the country, focused on the environmental and entrepreneurial challenge of creating value from a throwaway item. The winning team, from Appalachian State University, in Boone, N.C., crafted a working bicycle from plastic water bottles - an idea that continues to be developed through business connections the students have made as a result of their winning entry.
While the 2010 competition still centers on innovation and creativity - of particular interest to AdvantageWest, for which entrepreneurial development is a programmatic focus - the concentration on software and data aligns well with the core concentrations of DigitalChalk and Google, said Matt Dunne, community affairs manager at Google. "We knew we were significantly raising the bar by piloting a different approach this year. Students not only had to demonstrate their creative spirit, but needed the computer programming know-how as well."
The level of excellence and innovation in the entries received far exceeded expectations of the contest organizers, though there were fewer entries submitted than in the past. "This was a difficult assignment, and we knew there was a risk that some students might be intimidated by its requirements," said Troy Tolle, co-founder and chief technology officer with DigitalChalk. "But we were blown away by the entries we received. Without question, we believe every single idea could be executed as a successful business innovation. Now it will be the judges who have the difficult task."
"This is exactly the outcome we hoped for by starting Juicy Ideas," said Pam Lewis, senior VP for entrepreneurial development at AdvantageWest. "Entrepreneurship and technology continue to play a major role in the global economy. Juicy Ideas helps the next generation of business leaders realize how they can combine the science of technology with the art of innovation to create a successful future for themselves and make a positive impact on the American economy."
For more information about Juicy Ideas, contact Pam Lewis at plewis@awnc.org or call (828) 687-7234.
National Finalists in 2010 Juicy Ideas Collegiate Competition
School: A-B Tech, Asheville, N.C.
Team: AB Techies
Application: Asheville-Outdoors.com provides interactive information on activities available in the Asheville and Western North Carolina area for outdoor adventure seekers
Video here.
School: Cañada College, Redwood City, Calif.
Team: Loop3
Application: IRecycleMyBooks allows students to post and sell textbooks they no longer need
Video here.
School: MIT, Cambridge, Mass.
Team: Jappa
Application: The PoliGraph enables users to visualize, discover, and discuss connections between politicians.
Video here.
School: Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif.
Team: Stanford Steppers
Application: "Truth or Dare" is an entertainment application that enables anyone to discover new content.
Video here.
School: University of California Irvine, Irvine, Calif.
Team: PWNAGE
Application: UCI Dining allows users to locate dining options based on menus, wi-fi availability, hours and other key information
Video here.
School: University of Washington, Seattle, Wash.
Team: Bus Stop Alarm
Application: The Bus Stop Alarm lets users to set a location-based alarm on their phone that will go off when they get close to the preselected bus stop
Video here.
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In an effort to respond to the diverse economic development needs of North Carolina, then State Representative Martin Nesbitt introduced legislation creating the regional economic development partnerships. It was this extraordinary insight that allowed AdvantageWest to become one of the most innovative and nimble economic development programs in the state.
Gordon S. Myers
Founding Chair
AdvantageWest Board of Directors
Amanda Baranski
, Executive Assistant & Assistant Corporate Secretary
AdvantageWest
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