Computing students win national competition
Posted on Friday 4 December 2009
E-identity presentation at Bletchley Park declared outright winner.
Students' presentation to judges declared outright winner
Ten A level computing students from Farnborough Sixth Form College have won first prize in a national competition based on Biometrics and E-Identity, organised by the University of Kent, The UK Biometrics Institute and the Identity and Passport Service of the Home Office.
The students were delegates at a conference on the challenges of e-identity in the 21st Century, held at Bletchley Park National Codes Centre. Computing Curriculum Manager at the College, Lalin Pethiyagoda, arranged for them to attend to enhance their understanding of the applications of computing in a changing world.
Mr Pethiyagoda said, “As biometric identity cards are being trialled in Manchester this week, the applications of computing in the field of personal identity is becoming increasingly important. Students heard from experts in the field of facial recognition, iris recognition and fingerprint recognition, as well as being introduced to the issues surrounding social networking technologies and their impact on identity.”
The students were then required to make a presentation to an expert panel on a previously prepared topic: How can I survive the next 20 years with my identity intact? Led by 16 year old Joshua Lambert of Spencers Wood, the Farnborough students produced a convincing video presentation warning of the impact that public access to social networking sites might have on future employment prospects.
Josh said, “We had worked hard on the presentation and we were the only team to include a video but all the presentations were excellent. We were speechless when we were announced as the overall winners.”
The judges from the University of Kent, the Passport Office and the UK Biometrics Institute told the students that their presentation was the clear, outright winner and presented the team with certificates and a cheque for £300.
Mr Pethiyagoda said, “I was very proud of the team who demonstrated their understanding in a field of knowledge at the cutting edge of modern technology. They were magnificent ambassadors of the College.”
