Mandeville, Jamaica…[Frances Black/NCU/IAD]
The Governor General of Jamaica, His Excellency, the Most Honourable Professor Kenneth Hall, on Thursday September 20, 2007, awarded NCU’s Imagine Cup Team members with Certificates of Excellence for representing Jamaica on the international stage at an exceptionally high level. The certificates were presented at a reception held at King’s House to honor the team which comprises Conroy Smith, Ayson Baxter, Damion Mitchell and Imran Allie. The team placed third in the world in Microsoft’s annual Software Design Competition.
In addressing the team, the Governor General stated that the awards form part of an initiative with The Gleaner and Jamaica National that seeks to identify, motivate and reward young people who are doing “excellent work”. A new category of awards was created to recognize the outstanding achievements of the team. “We in Jamaica owe you a debt and it is this debt that we are paying today”, stated His Excellency. A long-standing educator, His Excellency congratulated the team for having distinguished themselves in the sciences.
Noting that Jamaicans have traditionally excelled in the areas of music and sports, placing third in the world was quite an accomplishment. It is against this background that the Governor General thought it was fitting to “single out” these young men whose work he anticipates, in the very near future, will revolutionize our perspectives on education and teaching.
“single out” these young men whose work he anticipates, in the very near future, will revolutionize our perspectives on education and teaching.
The team is responsible for the development of CADI, an acronym for Computer Aided Distance Instruction, a software program that facilitates simultaneous interaction of students, teachers and resources from various backgrounds and locations. The team is currently working on refining the software before they visit Microsoft in February 2008 to see to its development and marketability.
Dr. Herbert Thompson, President of NCU commented on the sense of pride the University community feels with the “distinction the team members have brought” to the University and Jamaica. He noted that at least one international body is seeking to purchase the software to facilitate training auditors located around the world from its offices in Washington DC.
On behalf of the team and the University, Dr. Thompson thanked the Governor General for recognizing the achievements of the team adding that his continued interest in academia is encouraging and will foster similar developments and innovations that will change the way we live.
To show their appreciation, Damion Mitchell presented a framed collage of photographs and a DVD to the Governor General. Both items capture the team's experiences at the world finals of the software competition in Korea.
