‘Future Cities India 2020’ Competition
India’s Ministry of Science & Technology and Bentley Systems announced that the project designed by students of Team 1 at the Apeejay School, Sheikh Sarai, Delhi, has won top honors in the inaugural Future Cities India 2020 competition. Second place honors went to Team 1, Apeejay School, Saket.
The program, which was launched last year by the Ministry of Science and Technology and Bentley, is a partnership among government, universities and the business community. It encourages students to use their design skills — along with Bentley’s software for the world’s infrastructure — to help prepare India’s cities for the year 2020.
Commenting on the team’s win and his experiences during the six-month competition, Ish Goel, Team Leader, Team 1, Apeejay School, Sheikh Sarai, said: “To tackle a real-life problem was not easy. Apart from technical knowledge, this project has taught us teamwork and dedication. Working with world-class software like MXROAD and MicroStation was a tremendous experience. We have already started feeling like engineers and architects.”
Fifteen student teams representing eight high schools participated in the competition. Their challenge was to design a roadway between the Lakshmi Nagar and Noida Turning rail stations capable of accommodating the extremely heavy traffic expected during the Commonwealth Games 2010. The students were guided by teachers and industry mentors, and all of the projects were designed using advanced software provided by Bentley. The students’ project presentations were judged by a panel of distinguished experts from the infrastructure community.
The student team from Apeejay School, Sheikh Sarai, will take its winning project to the next level of the competition for validation and refinement by college teams. These college teams will develop more detailed simulated models of the winning solution, which also will be judged. Future Cities India 2020 was inspired by the US-based National Engineers Week Future City Competition, which is now in its 15th year and reaches more than 30,000 students annually. The winning Future Cities India 2020 team will receive an all-expense-paid trip to this year’s Future City Competition finals in Washington, D.C.
UNICEF Launches Video Contest
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called on young people under 25 to submit a one-minute video highlighting such issues as protecting children against abuse and promoting healthy lives, for its “Media Magic Make a Difference ” video contest. The winning entry will be made available to broadcasters worldwide. All entries must be received by March 30. For information on acceptable formats and how to submit a video, click to www.unicef.org/voy.
The contest’s theme, “A World Fit for Children,” was chosen in honor of the fifth anniversary of the UN General Assembly’s Special Session for Children in 2002 and its adopted agenda “Building a World Fit for Children.” UNICEF is asking youth videomakers to look at the four priorities of the agenda — Promoting Healthy Lives; Providing Quality Education; Protecting Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Violence; and Combating HIV/AIDS — and to demonstrate how one or more of the goals have affected their lives.
No Arab Companies in 2007 Tech Pioneers
Despite much talk about the importance of increasing R&D in the Arab and Islamic world, one measure of innovation shows that not enough is being done on the R&D front. No company from an Arab or Islamic country was among the World Economic Forum’s list of Technology Pioneers 2007. The 47 visionary companies selected as the Technology Pioneers 2007 produced innovations in Biotech, Energy and IT. The companies’ products include microscopic pill cameras, bio sensors that localize land mines and implantable medical devices for the treatment of brain tumors.
The Technology Pioneers 2007 were nominated by the world’s leading venture capital and technology companies. The final selection from 225 nominees was made by a panel of leading technology experts appointed by the World Economic Forum. Most of the winning companies were based in the US, but it was of interest that two were from India and two were from Israel, as well as a few others from Europe and Asia.
To be selected as a technology pioneer, a company must be involved in the development of life-changing technology innovation that has the potential for long-term impact on business and society. In addition, it must demonstrate visionary leadership, show the signs of being a longstanding market leader — and its technology must be proven.
