Informatics students’ ‘Energy Challenge’ competes in France

After two IU informatics students’ “Energy Challenge” saved the University money and carbon dioxide emissions in the spring, their creation is now in the competition for the Imagine Cup in Paris.\nGraduate students Will Odom and David Roedl are in Paris until July 8, when the winners in the sixth-annual competition will be announced, according to an IU news release. The Imagine Cup, sponsored by Microsoft, lets students across the world create technology-related projects that can make a difference in the world. \nThe two students make up one of six teams competing in the Imagine Cup’s final round, according to the news release. Throughout each year, online, local and regional competitions take place. The competitions culminate in the World Finals. Last year, 100,000 students participated in the competition, according to the news release.\nOdom and Roedl created the “IU Energy Challenge” through the School of Informatics Sustainable Interaction Design Research Group, which fit in with this year’s Imagine Cup’s environmental theme. In the challenge, residence halls on campus competed to see who could use less water and electricity, according to the news release. Briscoe and Teter quads won the competition, according to the IU Energy Challenge Web site. \nThe competition itself saved IU about $26,000 in utility costs and decreased carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to removing 67 cars from the road for a year, according to the news release.