For Immediate Release November 24, 2004

For More Information Contact: Diane Brown, 317-274-7711 habrown@iupui.edu

Competition to Showcase High School Students' Technology Prowess

INDIANAPOLIS - About 100 local high school students will showcase their skills in information technology during a day-long competition on Thursday, Dec. 2 at IUPUI.

Teams from seven schools are to compete in the second annual Marion County Information Technology (IT) Fair from 3 to 8 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 2 in the Lilly Auditorium, located on the bottom level of University Library, 755 W. Michigan St.

Students will submit projects in the areas of Visual Basic programming, computer repair, Web site design, digital media and software engineering. The first-place winners in each category will receive $500 scholarships to IUPUI.

"Our hope is that this annual event will attract more students to the IT field," said IUPUI Computer and Information Technology (CIT) Associate Professor Joy Starks.

The regional board of the Academy of Information Technology (IT) is again sponsoring the fair. The Indiana Department of Education created the Academy as an initiative to improve the IT curriculum at Indiana high schools, the professor said.

Fair judges include representatives from Indiana technology companies, including Eli Lilly, SBC and Thomson Consumer Electronics.

"Having working IT professionals judge the competition provides students valuable feedback about the quality of their projects," said Starks, IUPUI's representative on the Academy board.

McKenzie Career Center , Pike High School and Walker Career Center are among the schools currently operating programs in the Academy of Information Technology . The Academy network is supported by the National Academy Foundation which provides curriculum, linkages to technology companies, as well as professional development for teachers. ###