July 4, 2011 01:46AM
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Three final year students of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, at the weekend emerged winners of the Nigerian version of a Microsoft-sponsored software creation competition.

The students are expected to represent Nigeria next week in the United States where they will compete with others from around the globe in the process of using software to solve socio-economic and medical problems.

David Olaniyan of the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering; Taiwo Orogbangba of the Computer Science Department; and Toluwanimi Kolawole of Agriculture Science Department came out tops in the competition tagged "Microsoft Imagine Cup competition", an annual global contest where the best brains from around the world come up with software solutions to real world challenges.

Mr Olaniyan said his team, which was named Nerds Inc. came up with a project called Medicare which involved a blueprint and the supporting software for the management of healthcare delivery in Africa.

He explained that the project also centred on how to make healthcare delivery effective in remote rural settings and use it as a veritable tool for achieving the health component of the Millennium Development Goals.

Solicits for votes

"Our team then came up with a software solution we named Medicare and it is aimed at enabling the provision of accessible, affordable and quality healthcare to all," he said. "Medicare has its primary target as developing and underdeveloped countries where the doctor to patient ratio is alarmingly small. Medicare leverages the efforts and skill of the few available doctors in these countries to reach the millions of rural community dwellers who do not have access to quality and professional healthcare."

Mr Olaniyan also explained that part of the US competition is a Peoples Choice Award, where people across the globe would vote online for a particular team and therefore solicited for votes from Nigerians.

Nchara:

About time that SW represents Nigeria a little. Its being Igbos in everything. Let's share the pains and the gains.
Just let us know the outcome (medals won) when they are done representing Nigeria

Eko Ile:

SW o ni baje o

OAM4J:

@Eko Ile

Did you finish from FUTA?

In a keenly contested Imagine Cup software students competition held last week at the University of Lagos Akoka, four students from the Federal University of Technology Akure, (FUTA) representing team 'Nerds Inc' whose software work is on Medicare that solves the problems of inadequate medical support systems in rural communities have emerged winners of Imagine Cup Nigeria finals 2011.

Running in its 9th year, the Microsoft Imagine Cup, the world's premier student technology competition is focused on finding solutions to real-world issues.
With this development, the wining team comprising David Olaniyan, Taiwo Orogbangba, Toluwani Kolawole and Alaba Oluwafemi of the Federal University of Technology Akure, (FUTA) are expected to represent Nigeria at the world finals slated to hold this July in New York, the United States of America.
Spokesperson of wining team Nerds Inc who will be flying Nigeria flag at the stage this July, Olaniyan David with excitement told IT journalist that it was a dream come true.

"We will do Nigeria proud at the world stage this summer. We will fly the flag well. We hope to beat other students from other countries that will also be participating. We are very happy to be the winner of this contest. Our software application has the capacity to solve health issue which is one of the toughest challenge in the third world countries. We are grateful to Microsoft for this exposure" he said.

Earlier in his remarks, the Country Manager, Microsoft Anglophone West Africa Mr Emmanuel Onyeje had inspired the contesting students to show passion in their software application.

"Each team that competed in yesterday's competition is deserving of the highest recognition for the creativity and imagination applied to some of the world's biggest challenges."

iragbijile:

I wont be surprised if Eko Ile finished from FUTA, a glorified polytechnic that accepts students with D7 in English.


Mu he he he he