News Release
April 7, 2016
Contact Lisa Hall 425-352-5461 / lhall7@uw.edu
UW Bothell students to reveal award-winning Internet of Things projects to Microsoft and the community
BOTHELL, WA — Two University of Washington Bothell teams won grants to develop Internet of Things (IoT) applications that could have local and global impact. The teams will present their projects to Microsoft and the community on Thursday April 14, from 4-6 p.m in Discovery Hall Room 464.
The two interdisciplinary student teams received up to $25,000 each from a University-Microsoft partnership. The money covers hardware, sensors and platforms, and stipends for students during their research over this academic year.
“Working with the sponsoring faculty and staff at UW Bothell is delightful,” said Colin Kwong, Microsoft IoT evangelist. “We look forward to the student presentations next week, and hope the event gives students of all disciplines insight into the impact of technology.”
The Campus Award grant went to a team called Campus Innovators, made up of Laura Valiente, Kyle Burney, Frank Kidd and Armin Haghi. Their proposal was initially conceived as a project to set up sensors around parking areas to help solve the campus parking crunch. They realized the same idea – setting up motion and sound sensors – could help students locate places to study. Data could be displayed on a heat map online.
The International Award grant went to a team called Smart Grid, made up of Kiran Gurajala, Molly Herbert, Alex Lee and Justin Diekhans. They proposed a way to reduce the impact of rolling blackouts in developing nations with rationed electricity service. They say the practice known as load shedding tends to black-out larger portions of the grid than necessary and unevenly affects the most impoverished areas. The team hopes to help those communities by making the process more equal.
The Internet of Things refers to the network created when sensors, devices, buildings and vehicles that are connected exchange data and take adaptive actions based on intelligent logic.
About UW Bothell: Ranked No. 1 in the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest on Money magazine’s list of best colleges, UW Bothell provides access to an exceptional University of Washington education for students of tremendous potential. Offering more than 45 undergraduate and graduate degrees, options, certificates and concentrations, UW Bothell builds regional partnerships, inspires change, creates knowledge, shares discoveries and prepares students for leadership in the state of Washington and beyond.
