Christopher Thomas, Gleaner Writer

Jamaica's team to the Imagine Cup Competition in South Korea, (from left), Damion Mitchell, team adviser Kenrie Hylton, Ayson Baxter, Conroy Smith and Imran Allie. - Contributed

Our boys have done it! Jamaica's software design team from the Northern Caribbean University (NCU) has advanced to the finals of Microsoft's Imagine Cup Competition taking place in South Korea.

The team of Damion Mitchell, 25; Ayson Baxter, 22; Conroy Smith, 22; and Imran Allie, 21, is the only one from the Western Hemisphere to have made it this far in the competition.

The Imagine Cup Competition was started in 2002 by computer software giant Microsoft, to encourage young technology buffs to use their creativity to make a difference in the world. The contest is held annually in different countries and with different technology-related themes each year. The theme for this year's competition is education, with the slogan, 'Imagine a world where technology enables a better education for all'.

The Jamaican team are all members of NCU's Department of Computer and Information Sciences. The team is led by the Department's Chair, Kenrie Hylton.

Interactive classroom software

Jamaica's entry is a software programme called CADI, an acronym for Computer Aided Distance Instruction. According to the team's Imagine Cup website, CADI was designed and built in order to create "a centralised learning environment that connects teachers, students, and resources." It is an interactive classroom software programme that performs translations using 12 languages and supports long-distance education from any site or location, provided there is steady Internet access.

The Jamaican team has already faced off against countries like China, Greece, the Czech Republic, Russia, the Netherlands, and Ukraine.

Now, they are in the championship round and will go up against Austria, Taiwan, Ireland, Korea and Serbia for cash prizes and the glory associated with coming out on top of such a challenging competition.