Microsoft is announcing the winners of the 2022 Imagine Cup Junior artificial intelligence (AI) for Good Challenge. The competition is an extension of the Microsoft Imagine Cup world championship. Targeting junior and secondary school students aged 13 to 18. It encourages educators to embrace new technologies like AI and machine learning and then provide these experiences to their students. It also seeks to help students develop skills like communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity.
Students learn the fundamentals of AI and Machine Learning as well as the application of AI in real life. They also learn Deep Learning, Neural networks and AI for Good.
Out of thousands of participants from across the globe, ten teams are global winners. Submitting creative ideas that look to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges using the power of AI. Out of thousands of participants from across the globe, ten teams are global winners. Submitting creative ideas that look to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges using the power of artificial intelligence (AI).
“At Microsoft, we’re always impressed by the creativity in the solutions submitted by the future generation of students. Every student who took part brought their heart to their projects, which really came through to all of the judges.”
Rick Herrmann, Vice President Worldwide Public Sector Education
Here are the top 10 global winners and their creative concepts.
2022 Microsoft Imagine Cup Junior AI for Good Challenge winners
ARISE, Nepal. ARISE is an AI-driven interactive application promoting accessibility for chemistry laboratory equipment using motion and augmented reality.
AutoCrab, Hong Kong. AutoCrab is an AI sensor to monitor and regulate water quality in hairy crab aquafarms.
Clean Up Crew, Australia. Clean Up Crew is an all-in-one AI device that collects and sorts waste materials into appropriate categories for proper recycling.
Earthatarian, United Kingdom. Earthatarian is an AI-powered application to reduce food waste by predicting the ‘actual expiry’ of stocked food items and monitoring food consumption.
HACKRR, Philippines. WTFact is a fact-checking browser extension that utilizes AI to detect fake news and make internet users aware of online mis- and dis-information.
NeuSparks, China. NeuSparks uses Azure AI and Machine Learning to transcribe folk music recordings into digital format (MIDI) that can be easily transmitted and assist in sheet music creation and re-composition.
Sea Waste Scavengers, Indonesia. This AI concept is a ship fully powered by electricity from hydro and solar energy that tracks, locates, and captures plastic garbage and delivers it to a recycling plant.
SkyLine Humanitarian, Vietnam. This AI-integrated mobile application connects hospitals and blood donors by blood type while encouraging potential new blood donors by spreading awareness.
Team Sensory Metaverse, India. Sensory Metaverse is a VR concept with a headset and a body suit that helps users not only see but feel virtual reality.
VORA, United States. VORA is a visual object recognition aid for the visually impaired.
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TECNO is announcing the latest Spark model, the Spark 9 Pro which comes with a 32MP HD front camera, MediaTek Helio G85 chipset, a 6.6″ 1080P Full HD large screen and a 5000 mAh battery. The device comes with an upgraded design, a lighter body and an improved photography experience. The Spark 9 series will have three devices, the 9 Pro, 9T(64GB) and 9T(128GB).
It spots a right-angled edge and the 8.42mm lightly slim body which TECNO says makes it pocket friendly. The Spark 9 Pro comes with a 1080P FHD+ 6.6” Ultra HD screen and a 90Hz high refresh rate. This upgrade is expected to make scrolling smoother and touch feedback more sensitive. It will be powered by a MediaTek Helio G85 Chip Engine which comes with an Arm Mali-G52 GPU.
TECNO Spark 9 Pro will be available in Quantum Black, Burano Blue, Holy White and Hacker Storm colors.
No pricing and availability date has been announced but we believe it will be under $180 and will launch before July. It is expected to become available in African markets such as Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Senegal, and Liberia before rolling out globally.
Update: The device is coming to Ghana on June 20th and will retail at the following prices: Spark 9 PRO (128+4GB) – GHS 1,360, Spark 9T (128+4GB) – GHS 1,269, SPARK 9T (64+4GB) – GHS 1,110. In Nigeria, it starts selling at Tecno Spark 9 Pro (128+4GB) – NGN 99,000, Tecno Spark 9T Price – NGN 78,300 (4GB 64GB) and NGN 88,000 (4GB 128GB).
Spark 9 series launches in Kenya and retails at Spark 9 (64+4 GB) – Ksh 15,599, Spark 9T (64+4 GB) – Ksh 17,199 and Spark 9 Pro (64+4 GB) – Ksh 20,899.
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Catherine speaking at a Girls in ICT Kenya event. Image via Twitter: Shikoh Gitau @DrShikoh
Catherine Muraga brings a diverse wealth of experience to Microsoft ADC having worked in a variety of industries such as manufacturing, aviation, and banking. With an expansive 15 years of knowledge of the IT landscape in Kenya and the region.
Prior to joining Microsoft, she led the Engineering team at Stanbic Bank Kenya and South Sudan. Leading all engineering capabilities including information technology, data, AI and Analytics, Cyber Security, Operations & Real estate services. She was also a member of the bank’s Executive Leadership team. She was previously the Director of IT and Operations at Sidian Bank.
I am excited to be joining the ADC at this particular time says Catherine Muraga. “I look forward to continuing the tremendous work that has already begun“, she adds.
Catherine is an alumnus of Columbia Business School Digital Strategies for Business, Oxford University Fintech Programme and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science from Africa Nazarene University.
Microsoft says the ADC engineering hub has grown to over 450 full-time employees.
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AFS Intercultural Programs launches the AFS Global STEM Accelerator: a full-scholarship, virtual exchange program designed to empower 150 young women worldwide with access to education in sustainability, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), and social impact.
Through immersive learning experiences, AFS Global STEM Accelerator scholars will develop critical technical competencies, like digital skills, design thinking, and data literacy, paired with global competencies, such as emotional intelligence, intercultural awareness, and teamwork – valuable skills that are increasingly necessary for the global economy and vital to contribute to a sustainable future.
Over the course of twelve weeks, scholars will develop social impact prototypes and capstone presentations that offer potential solutions to real-world challenges, with an emphasis on sustainability. Upon completion, scholars earn the Advanced Certificate on Global Competence for Social Impact, awarded by AFS and the University of Pennsylvania, along with official feedback and validation from Penn’s Center for Social Impact Strategy. In addition, scholars will be invited to join AFS’ global alumni community, which offers diverse mentoring opportunities and networking resources.
Applications are open to young women (ages 15-17.5) worldwide, with a keen interest in becoming changemakers in their communities. In addition, AFS will allocate scholarships specifically to refugees and girls from displaced populations worldwide.
The Accelerator program is part of the broader AFS Global STEM Changemakers Initiative, a five-year grant which aims to provide 5,000 young people worldwide with immersive learning experiences through STEM, global competence, and sustainability-focused intercultural exchange programs. The initiative is administered by AFS and funded by bp, a globally integrated energy company. bp supports initiatives such as this to help build the STEM talent that the world needs to create sustainable solutions and improve the diversity of talent in the STEM fields.
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Iristick is announcing the launch of Microsoft Teams video conferencing solution on their Iristick.H1 and Iristick.G2 PRO smart glasses. Fully optimized for use with voice commands, see-what-I-see function, screen, and file-sharing capabilities. Providing a completely hands-free option for remote assistance and collaboration.
The ‘Microsoft Teams on Iristick’ solution allows users to start a call or share files without having to use their hands. During a call, they can livestream, take and share pictures, control the camera view and zoom in for details using voice commands. This way, the solution offers hands-free information exchange, remote assistance and troubleshooting options. The result: better diagnosis of maintenance issues, faster and improved technical assistance, reduced downtime and costs.
”Extended Reality and smart glasses are an undeniable part of Industry 4.0, the smart factories of tomorrow and digital health. Leveraging these technologies and their remote assistance solutions will help companies gain competitive advantages and provide them with a better chance to position themselves at the forefront of their respective industries. With Microsoft Azure we significantly simplify the integration of intelligent technology at scale and reduce the time to market for companies like Iristick.” said Joris Aeles, Azure Business Group Lead, Microsoft.
”Since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been a significant, 44% increase in the number of professionals using collaboration tools1,” said Johan De Geyter, CEO at Iristick. ”Iristick supports this increased demand by launching a widely used videoconferencing solution on our smart glasses. ‘Microsoft Teams on Iristick’ is an application that connects frontline professionals in every industry to empower them in a digitized future.”
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I’ve always wanted to improve my skills as a developer. I knew that the best people are at companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Facebook. I’ve always wanted the kinds of challenges they represent. I always wanted to work with people who would wow me and teach me at the same time. When I heard that Microsoft had come to Kenya, I knew that “this is my chance”.
This is the story of George Maina, a Software Engineer at the Microsoft Africa Development Center (ADC-East) located in Nairobi, Kenya. He is one of the first hires of Microsoft and works on the Identity and Network Access team in Kenya.
Even though the ADC was an experiment the success of George’s team in the early days will go on to help Microsoft make investing more in the ADC an easy decision. The ADC has grown from 21 employees in three teams to over 400 in more than eight teams in three years. With Microsoft launching a 27 million dollar office facility to house the software engineers.
Geroge works for the Microsoft Graph onboarding team, which is the third team to be formed at the ADC. “Right now, we’re four people, we help teams within Microsoft to onboard onto Graph and to manage their Graph deployments. … My role is to develop tooling to make sure we can automatically link their API when they publish it to our repo.”
I think we were the very first team to join Identity here, and we all came on the same day. There were then three teams at Microsoft’s Africa Development Center (ADC) in Nairobi. Each team had around seven people, making a total of 21. One team came aboard just a week before my team. At that time, it was not really clear where ADC was going. But it turned out really well. We’ve gotten our footing and have developed specialized areas. Several teams are now owners of certain operations within Microsoft. ADC has grown to around 400 just here in Kenya alone. That’s a testament to how well ADC has performed.
I remember when you came to visit, Igor, you said that you’d evaluate the operation after a few years, that it was an experiment. I remember going home that night thinking, wow, what happens if this fails?
I’ve learned so much. The last two years have blown my mind. I love working here and really love Microsoft. Microsoft offers so many opportunities everywhere.
George Maina
Igor Sakhnov, Microsoft Corporate vice president of Identity and Network Access Engineering, talks with software engineer George Maina about his entrepreneurial journey and the beginnings of the Microsoft ADC. Click to read the full conversation.
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