IT Sligo Students Ambassadors for North West |
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A team from the Institute will host a reception at the Irish consulate in New York, on the eve of the finals of the Microsoft Imagine Cup 2011 which takes place from July 8th to 13th. Senior US-based executives from the computing and financial services sectors have been invited to the reception to learn more about the innovative collaboration between local industry and IT Sligo, with its state of the art facilities and research opportunities. The IT Sligo team was one of 600 from universities, institutes of technology and other third level institutions in the Republic and Northern Ireland, who entered the international competition. They won the Irish leg for Hermes, a joint School of Engineering and School of Business project, designed to increase road safety by targeting most at risk drivers. The team developed an in-car road-safety system that communicates data from a device in the car to a mobile phone, which is then uploaded to the internet as an early warning system against erratic driving behaviour. The reception at the Consul General’s office in New York on the evening of July 7th will be an opportunity to showcase not just the talent of students and graduates of IT Sligo, but also the business potential of entire region, according to Professor Terri Scott, president of the college. “We will use this unique opportunity to promote the resources of IT Sligo and the talents of our graduates, directly to key business decision makers in New York,” said Professor Scott. And she welcomed the fact the Equinoxe AIS, the hedge fund administration company, who successfully support a global operation from the Innovation Centre at IT Sligo, would also be attending the reception to support the college. The Imagine Cup is an annual competition sponsored and hosted by Microsoft Corp. which brings together youngtechnologists worldwide to help resolve some of the world's toughest challenges.Given that the World Health Organization has predicted that road accidents will be the 5th leading cause of death by 2030, the IT Sligo project was regarded as a classic response to the Imagine Cup theme: “Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems”. James McNamara IT’s Sligo’s team captain said: “We’re delighted to have been chosen from among our peers to represent Ireland in such a prestigious world competition. “Using this opportunity to promote our region is a fantastic way to build on our success”. The HERMES team members include Aíne Conaghan, Fáilte Ireland Scholarship student (Ballybofey, Donegal), James McNamara (Ballyfarnon, Co Roscommon), Calum Cawley (Castlebaldwin, Co Sligo), and Matthew Padden (Ballina, Co Mayo). |
Four students from IT Sligo who travel to New York next month to represent Ireland in the finals of the world’s premier student technology competition, will use the visit to promote the potential of the north west as a business hub.
