I have been asked to be one of the judges for Microsoft’s 10th Imagine Cup software competition. This brings together students in high school and colleges from around the world to compete in several different categories, including best software for mobile phones, Xbox games, and general IT apps. You can see a full list of the finalists here.

Some of the code is pretty, well, imaginative. Team FlashFood from the United States created a real-time food recovery solution for families in need, using web-applications and smart phones to coordinate same day food donation deliveries. This year, many of the teams have created prototypes addressing health issues. For example, the Australian team developed a cloud-powered, mobile-hybrid stethoscope (pictured) for early detection of pneumonia, the #1 early childhood killer. Other teams, such as the Software Design team from Canada, were passionate about addressing environmental concerns; this team created a sensor system that will determine when to turn fans and lights on and off. Controlled by sensor or by voice this system is already proven to save electricity in their lab at school and the voice control also makes it suitable for someone with a disability to control their environment.

If you are going to be part of the competition or near Sydney in early July, let me know!