Comments from Professor Steve Furber.
"Over recent years there has been a significant downturn in Computer Science application numbers. The problem is recognised as a major threat to UK industry and similar trends are evident in other parts of the world, most notably the US. There seems to be a sense among the next generation that most of the exciting things in computing have already been done, but in reality nothing could be further from the truth. Progress in computing is continuing to accelerate, and computing is set to change the world we live in even more over the next 60 years than it has over the last 60. A quick look at the School’s research will illustrate just how rapidly things are moving forward, and why we need to encourage more of the brightest and best of the next generation to engage in the challenges facing computing over the coming decades.
Manchester has a rich history in computing; the first stored programme computer having been designed and built here at the University, but we too have been have been suffering as a result of this downturn. With the 60th anniversary of computing taking place here in Manchester on June 21st 2008 it was obvious that we had to take the opportunity to address this worrying trend.
In November 2007 we launched the UK Schools Computer Animation Competition. The competition, supported by the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council, saw pupils from across the UK develop a short animation using Alice -- a freely available animation system that introduces the basic concepts of programming.
The motivation behind the competition -- to raise the profile of Computer Science to school children -- was shared by a number of industrial partners including IBM, NAVIS, Transitive and the British Computer Society, all of whom offered sponsorship for competition prizes.
The competition proved a great success, with over 230 entries from over 50 schools across the UK, in a variety of age categories. Some sample animations can be seen below.
The competition culminates with Digital 60 Day on Friday 20 June 2008 when we will be joined by prize winners and participants for a day of activities here at the University of Manchester that coincide with a host of other activities to commemorate the 60th anniversary.
Everyone here at Manchester is looking forward to the day, and we plan to build on the success of the competition next year. We hope that even more children will take part and discover for themselves that computing can be interesting, intellectually stimulating and most importantly a lot of fun!"
Professor Steve Furber.
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Watch The Kilburn Lecture 2008 on IET TV Titled "The Relentless March of the Microchip" The 2008 speaker was Professor Steve Furber CBE of The University of Manchester School of Computer Science and holder of the IET Faraday Medal. 2008-06-20 12:00:00.0 IT Channel |
Press media files.
- Movie examples of Schools Animation Competition submissions.
- Screen Shots of Schools Animation Competition submissions (images).
