Forty-one competing computer science, business information systems and engineering departments representing 18 of SA`s tertiary institutions will showcase their work at Microsoft`s Project Firefly competition at Port Elizabeth Technikon.
Highlighting the important role of science and technology in SA, minister of science and technology, Mosibudi Mangena, will lend his support to the initiative with the aim of promoting a culture of innovation and research and development.
"The collective skills highlighted by Project Firefly are set to make a significant impact to the future of our country as we consider the benefits brought about by technology in enhancing productivity, facilitating business growth and its overall contribution to improving the quality of life," says Mangena. "Initiatives such as these contribute to developing an even more innovative ICT industry that is globally competitive, vibrant and innovative."
In its second year, Project Firefly is a software development contest that invites students to put programming models or applications developed through the course of the academic year forward for competition in three categories, namely: a development level, a solution level and an architecture level.
"The pioneering spirit of young people is vitally important to the computer science, engineering and business disciplines as well as the information technology industry," says Danny Naidoo, developer and platform director at Microsoft South Africa. "Project Firefly aims to empower students to apply their creativity, knowledge and technical abilities by highlighting those projects, whether community focused or commercial applications, with the intension of showcasing and benchmarking South African students` talent and potential."
The winners of Project Firefly will represent SA on the global stage in Microsoft`s `Imagine Cup` competition. After advancing through regional competitions, student teams will convene at the world championships in Yokohama, Japan in June 2005, to present their entries to a panel of judges from academia and the greater technology industry.
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