GEC NEWS WIREDell EMC revealed the winners of ‘Envision the Future’, the annual graduation project competition for Turkey, Middle East and Africa region. The competition in its third year witnessed significant growth from the previous editions with over 329 project submissions by more than 1,450 senior undergraduate students, representing more than 70 universities in 18 countries in the region.
In its third edition, ‘Envision the Future’, sponsored by the Egyptian Centre of Excellence (COE), aims to inspire and support technological innovations among youth in the region. Aligned with the Dell 2020 Legacy of Good goal to apply the expertise and technology of Dell EMC to drive human progress in underserved communities, the annual competition provides the opportunity for students to propose creative solutions to urban challenges with advanced technologies.
The competition also saw the participation of seven new countries including Oman, from where the German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech) proceeded to feature among the winners in addition to Princess Noura University from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The winners were selected from a group of 31 shortlisted projects from nine countries, chosen through a blind review process by 25 professors from leading universities, located around the world and outside of the META region, ensuring the fair evaluation of all submitted projects. The winners were judged in the criteria of project idea, implementation, and presentation by technical experts from Dell Technologies.
Participating students from the German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech) demonstrated an automated irrigation system with the Internet of Things (IoT), using different sensors and a mobile application for accurate monitoring of the system. The project from the other winning team, Princess Noura University from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, aims to capitalize on the data collected across time bound events in the region such as hackathons to provide insights through data driven analysis and interactive visualizations. Through the availability of information, effectively classified into different categories, the platform contributes to building the innovation ecosystem in the region.
Mohammed Amin, Senior Vice President, Middle East, Turkey & Africa, Dell EMC said “As a part of our focus on engaging more students and expanding our regional impact, we continue to recognize the talent of youth in the region to use technology to drive human progress through our annual graduate competition. It is truly amazing to see the vision of these future innovators and their ambition to make the best use of our technology and expertise to solve real world problems. The next era of digitization presents immense opportunities in the near future emphasizing the need for skill development among future generations. In line with our 2020 Legacy of Good Plan, we are committed to continue to equip students in the region with the knowledge, tools and networks required to ensure workforce readiness through the development of critical skills and to ultimately realize the digital future of the economy.”
Marwa Zaghow, EMEA Channel Senior Manager –Education, Dell EMC said “The Dell EMC Academic Alliance program collaborates with universities in the region to develop the skills of the future and foster innovation among the next generation of IT professionals. Envision the Future provides the opportunity for hands-on learning and we have witnessed substantial growth in the competition over the years with regards to participation and quality of submissions. In addition to this, the increasing participation of young women paints a bright picture of gender diversity in technology highlighting their interest in careers in the field, a positive indicator for economic growth and cultural change in the region as well.”
