A team of UCLA computer science students will head to Sao Paolo,
Brazil, in July to participate in the world finals of
Microsoft’s Imagine Cup.
The team will be representing the United States with its
creation, PICKS, a software application for cellular phones that
would make it easier for users to find places to eat or shop.
The team, made up of UCLA graduate students Alex Chang, Tree Li
and William So, and fourth-year student Chris To, was awarded first
place at the Imagine Cup Nationals, held at UC San Diego on May
23.
Competitors were asked to develop applications with the theme of
making everyday life easier using Microsoft’s .NET
technology, software designed to connect computer systems and
devices to each other.
Over 10,000 students from approximately 90 countries competed in
their home countries for the Imagine Cup’s four categories:
software design, rendering, algorithm and short film.
The second-place team from Washington University created an
application that would help students and professors by designing
tests accessible to students as a part of student curriculum.
Another team from Arizona State University designed a program to
help the blind and disabled learn more about their
environments.
In addition to going to the finals, the UCLA team was awarded
$8,000 to be shared among the members.
The team’s software application may be useful for those
looking for a place to eat or shop in the urban sprawl of Los
Angeles.
“(PICKS) looks at who you are and what you’re
looking for,” To said.
The cell phone application rates restaurants based on how well
the eateries address a user’s current need.
For example, if a user is looking for a restaurant to go on a
date, a fancy eatery may have high ratings. But the same restaurant
would not score as highly if the user is looking for a place to
hang out with friends, To said.
When originally producing PICKS, the team did not have the prize
in mind, since winning the national title had seemed out of reach,
Chang said.
“Our motivation was in embracing new technology and doing
something useful,” he said. “When they announced we
were the winners, we were like, “˜Wow.'”
Without any guidance from faculty, the team started coding the
PICKS application in January, meeting almost daily to plan and
refine the software.
“There were classes, projects, schoolwork,” Chang
said. “We had to put in our own time.”
Members of the computer science faculty were impressed by the
dedication the PICKS team had for its project.
“That they could do the equivalent of several senior
capstone projects on top of their regular classes is
remarkable,” said David Smallberg, a computer science
lecturer at UCLA who was at UCSD during the competition.
While many other universities have finished school for the
summer, the PICKS team still has three weeks of school left, giving
the members less time to work on their project for the world
finals, Smallberg added.
Creating applications for mobile devices instead of for the
desktop proved to be another challenge, since the team had to work
with new technology and around certain limitations.
“For mobile applications, the tools are not as
rich,” Chang said. “For the desktop, the tools are much
richer.”
Currently, PICKS is able to suggest places to eat and shop, but
the team members hope to expand it to include other services like
entertainment and hotel options.
“We need to create an architecture that’s open
enough for all these people and tie them into the system,” To
said.
Along with victories and achievements, team members are also
receiving widespread recognition for their efforts.
“These students’ achievements are truly inspiring,
and the caliber of competition is high this year,” said
Morris Sim, a senior director at Microsoft, in a press release.
“We wish Team USA well at the worldwide finals next
month.”