Imperial Students To Take Part in Summer of Student Innovation competition

Two Imperial teams have entered the Summer of Student Innovation competition. This is a competition to fund ideas that use technology that can improve research and education.

There is currently an online voting process for the ideas that have been submitted. The ideas that reach over 250 votes will be considered for funding.

The first idea is called “Spark – The ‘Why’ to the Internet’s ‘What’.” This project is run by Physics undergraduates from Imperial. They have submitted the idea of an online survey system that considers user experience online and upgrades textboxes and isolated black and white forms. The team have stated that they want to “create a platform that enables balanced online debate, empowering those actively engaging in the discussion and maximizing the ease with which the information can be digested by those passively engaged”

The second idea is called “DeepBrainBoost - a neurofeedback approach for accent-free foreign language learning”. The team have said they hope to “develop a neurofeedback system that can be used by second language learners in order to boost their foreign language speech production up to a native-like performance.”

Lorenz Romy, from DeepBrainBoost commented that: “I am a first year PhD student at Imperial College London. As a current Brain Science & Engineering scholar (a pilot scheme run in advance of the launch of the new Centre for Doctoral Training in Neurotechnology) I am supervised by experts in the field of neuroscience and machine learning. My idea submitted to the Summer of Student Innovation also bridges the gap between these two worlds. By using modern neuroimaging analyses techniques our team wants to train adults to gain control over their own brain activity in deep structures of the brain.

Our vision is to develop a neurofeedback system that can be used by second language learners in order to boost their foreign language speech production up to a native-like performance. Please check out our video on the website and vote for us if you want to support our ambitious idea”.

Further details and voting for both teams can be do online at: http://elevator.jisc.ac.uk/sosi14/