Internet contest showcases
student knowledge, talent
By Rachael Conley
Staff
Writer
Creativity, innovation, sleepless hours and virtual
lawn mowers were all part of the first Internet Olympiad this year at
Purdue.
The contest began with 56 teams of three or four
people. In the first round, each team answered questions pertaining
to the Internet. From there, six teams were selected to move to the
second round, in which the objective was to create a "super-duper
lawn mower of the future" in 96 hours, said Aditya Mathur, the
associate head and professor of computer science.
Mathur was the faculty member in charge of the
event and he felt the program allowed students to have a chance to branch
out and show what they could do.
The purpose of this contest was "to provide
an opportunity for (undergraduate) students at Purdue University to
show off their knowledge and talents in regards to Internet related
technologies," said Mathur.
Three teams were chosen to progress to the third
round. The round was composed of a three month period during which an
Internet site, or program, had to be developed to solve a problem or
provide a new service in an innovational and creative way. The competition
throughout this round was tough, and one team dropped out.
One of the remaining two teams made a Web site
called NewWaveDining.com, an innovational Web site that would enable
people to order carryout or add their name to a waiting list at a dine-in
restaurant online. The team's members, David Bowler, a senior in the
School of Technology, Joe Richards, a senior in the Schools of Engineering,
and Tommy Haines, a senior in the School of Science won first place
and $5,000 for their site. They also won $1,000 for surviving the previous
rounds and each team member got to select a hand held machine of his
or her choice.
The other team's Web site won second place and
$3,000. Team members Alex Russell, a sophomore in the School of Science,
Matthew Wirges, a sophomore in the School of Science and Sean Richards,
a junior in the School of Management, designed a site that could be
used to secure data such as credit card numbers and addresses of customers
so a company is not liable.
This team also took home $1,000 for passing the
other rounds and got to choose a hand held machine.
Representatives from companies such as Microsoft,
Intel, Guidant, CTI Group, RealMed and IBM judged both teams. The judges
found the competition to be a great idea for students.
"I thought it was a very fruitful, engaging
competition that fostered teamwork and produced some great results,"
said Jim Mapel from Guidant. "Both teams had obviously worked very
hard."
Bill Miller from CTI Group appreciated that Purdue
students were striving to reach competence in skills other than purely
academics, because things like teamwork are needed in the industry today.
"I thought it was great. It surely shows that
they understand the need," Miller said.
Members from both teams felt the contest was tiring
yet beneficial, and that it was tough.
"It was just like another class; that’s
how we treated it," said Haines. "I think it paid off."
When asked about his feelings on winning, Haines
said, "I was pretty surprised."
Wirges agreed that the competition was a good experience
and that it was tough.
"It was very exciting," said Wirges.
"I learned a lot from it; I can concentrate on my other homework
now."
Russell also felt the competition was a good experience
for him. "The contest was a great place for us to teach ourselves
interesting things," he said.
The participants of the competition were honored
at the annual Computer Science Banquet Monday night.
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