Team Sparx

This quartet of sophomores and juniors, who are from the Rochester Institute of Technology's computer science, computer engineering and electrical engineering departments, has programmed and configured a network of sensors to take readings of environmental variables such as AC current, temperature, humidity, light, sound, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and motion. Users can capture individual sensor readings by connecting to the appropriate network node; meanwhile, data is stored by a Microsoft SQL Server for eventual study and analysis. The sensors are also programmable and accessible via cellphone. The students will be heading to Paris for the global competition.

Source: Forbes
More: The Power Of Students (Forbes.com)

Three students at the Rochester Institute of Technology took the top software prize this week in a college technology competition sponsored by Microsoft, called Imagine Cup. The students developed a network of sensors that allow people to monitor how much energy their homes or communities consume. The sensors capture readings about temperature, humidity, lights, sound, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and motion — all of which can alert people to appliances and lights they may have left on inadvertently or that don’t work efficiently.

The students who were part of the project are, from left to right: Joe Zhou, a junior, Adam Risi, a sophomore, and Zachery Shivers, a sophomore. The students won a total of $12,000 for their creation and will travel to Paris in July to compete for the Imagine Cup international prize.

The theme for this year’s Imagine Cup was using technology for environmental sustainability. About 16,000 students from more than 125 colleges competed in the event. The finals were held in Los Angeles this week and the winners — a full list of whom is available here — were announced on Tuesday, Earth Day.—Andrea L. Foster

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education