November 10, 2005 Source: University of Waterloo:
http://newsrelease.uwaterloo.ca/news.php?id=4632 North America's largest student tech conference to attract Canada's 'brightest young minds' WATERLOO, Ont. -- A student technology conference that had its start at the University of Waterloo will again in January bring together the "brightest young minds our country has to offer." "The Canadian Undergraduate Technology Conference (CUTC) is planned for mid-January at the Sheraton Parkway Toronto North," said CUTC's Public Relations Executive Aly Masud, a third-year UW student in Systems Design Engineering. "CUTC is the largest student-organized and student-run conference in North America," he said. From its inception in 2000, as the "brainchild of a few visionary students" at UW, the organization now involves undergraduate students from more than 80 post-secondary institutions across Canada. "After six straight sold-out conferences, CUTC is back for 2006, from Jan. 12 to 14, to stir up a storm in Canada," Masud said. Rahul Bhardwaj, the Chair of CUTC 2006 and a fourth-year UW Electrical Engineering student, has defined the vision of CUTC as "being a platform to bring together bright young minds and create a space for them to exchange ideas, opinions and energy. Through exposure to their peers, as well as the brightest minds in the technology industries and academia, CUTC nurtures the future leaders of Canadian innovation." He added: "The conference attempts to improve the interactivity of learning and give students an experience that will be unparalleled in their educational careers. By providing them the opportunity to meet and interact with some of today's visionaries, CUTC hopes to inspire them to lead the Canadian technology industry in the future." The event is called the "technology showcase of today," where thinkers, innovators and entrepreneurs alike meet and "build bonds that will define the technology of the future." CUTC is not a traditional-style conference, as delegates participate in many special events including the TechExpo, showcasing the developments of leading firms, academia and student organizations. There are also TechShops designed to further the learning experience with a "hands-on approach," with workshops on a variety of topics hosted at an on-site computer laboratory. TechTours give delegates the opportunity to visit one of several industry and research facilities, while the TechShow is an informal comedy talk-show style event that includes one-on-one interviews with industry leaders, demonstrations of the latest tech gadgets and mini-competitions. ThinkTank is where delegates work in small groups with industry mentors to discuss and analyze pertinent technological and societal issues. The annual event is sponsored by numerous leaders in the tech sector, including Research In Motion, Microsoft, ATI, Bell, IBM, GE and Nortel. Rahul said: "This year's conference is set to raise the standard of CUTC to the next level. Our core focus for 2006 has been 'quality’' and we've done a great job so far of following that principle as the basis of which speakers we invite and how we organize our events. With featured keynotes by Yahoo's Director of Technology Development -- Bradley Horowitz; President and Co-CEO of Research In Motion -- Mike Lazaridis, and events like the Microsoft Digital Entertainment Launch Party, CUTC 2006 is one student conference that's definitely high quality." About the Canadian Undergraduate Technology Conference (CUTC) CUTC is non-profit and is organized and run entirely by university students. The conference is Canada's biggest showcase of technological advancement and excellence with an attendance of more than 600 student delegates and some of the biggest names in technology from a myriad of industries. The conference educates undergraduates about current cutting-edge research and technologies present both on the market and in the development laboratories. As a platform, CUTC is developing the community that will help define the path of technology in the future and linking the technological leaders and visionaries of today with those of tomorrow. CUTC was started in 2000 by a few visionary students from the University of Waterloo. Since the beginning, it has had a great deal of support from both industry and academia. It continues to be run exclusively by university students across Canada. For more details, visit www.cutc.ca. Contact:
Aly Masud, CUTC Public Relations Team Lead, (519) 573-5171; aly.masud at cutc.ca
Jim Fox, UW Media Relations, (519) 888-4444; jfox@uwaterloo.ca
Release no. 249 -- November 10, 2005
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