NASA Space Apps Challenge launches in Auckland

NASA Space Apps Challenge launches in Auckland

New Zealand teams will compete in the NASA International Space Apps Challenge for the first time this weekend.

The inaugural event, jointly sponsored by the US Embassy and AUT University, will be one of 83 local challenges running worldwide at the same time. The event will be hosted by AUT University at its Auckland City Campus.

US Ambassador to New Zealand David Huebner said, with participants on all continents including Antarctica and in space, it looked like it would be the largest collaborative global tech challenge ever held.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how the teams tackle some of the fiercely complex problems that NASA has set. The winners will need to be not only clever, but cool-headed, innovative, and capable of applying today’s smartest technology,” he said.

Teams have 48 hours to come up with open-source solutions to challenges that have been identified by NASA as essential to improving life on Earth and in Space.

The Auckland Challenge begins on Saturday 20 April and finishes on Monday 22 April. Five teams made up of undergraduate and postgraduate students, from AUT and beyond, will take part. They come from diverse backgrounds ranging from product design to computing and mathematical sciences.

Judges for the Auckland event are: US Ambassador, David Huebner; CEO of New Zealand ICT Group, Candace Kinser; and Microsoft New Zealand Tertiary Education Sector Manager, Matt Bostwick.

Team presentations and judging will take place at AUT from 9am -11am on Monday 22 April. Media are welcome to attend all or part of the judging ceremony and the reception that follows. For more information or to RSVP please contact Aimee Wilkins (below).

The winning team from the Auckland challenge will present its solution digitally to NASA’s international judging panel in May.

ENDS

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