REDMOND, Wash., May 30, 2000 — Numair Faraz was just 5 years old when he began learning the ins and outs of MS-DOS® , and at 10, he started studying the C++ programming language. Now the 15-year-old student from Diamond Bar, Calif., is planning to spend time this summer drafting a book on computational neuroscience for the layperson. In Overland Park, Kan., 17-year-old Ephren Taylor Jr. is using his technology skills to take the concept of an after-school job one step further. Taylor and a classmate have started their own dotcom company – an online job search engine for teen-agers – by raising capital and relocating the business from Taylor’s home to a real office in Kansas City, Kan. Although Faraz and Taylor already have set ambitious schedules for themselves this summer, both plan to take some time off and participate in the Teen TechFest Computer Camp, sponsored by Microsoft and ACEplanet.com.
Microsoft Corp. and ACEplanet.com today announced that 70 students from North America (see attached list for students’ names) have been selected as winners of the Teen TechFest Challenge and will receive a free trip to the Teen TechFest Computer Camp, June 17-21, 2000, in Seattle. In addition, 25 European students have been selected to receive a free trip to the camp and five student counselors will attend. At the Teen TechFest Computer Camp, students will spend four days immersed in intense digital fun at the University of Washington where they will learn about advanced computer programming subjects such as ASP, HTML and the Microsoft Ò Visual Basic Ò and Visual C++ Ò development systems. Campers also will get the chance to tour downtown Seattle and visit Microsoft’s campus in Redmond to try out the latest Microsoft video games, tour the Microsoft Home of the Future, and visit the Microsoft museum and store.
“Microsoft is pleased to team with ACEplanet.com to sponsor the Teen TechFest Computer Camp to give tech-savvy students access to cutting-edge technology and help them build their information technology skills,”
said Amy Stuhlberg, marketing manager of the Developer Group at Microsoft.
“Our goal for the camp is to introduce teen-agers to career opportunities available in the high-tech industry and motivate them to pursue advanced technical degrees after graduating from high school.”
More than 5,000 teens entered the Teen TechFest Challenge to compete for a chance to attend the Teen TechFest Computer Camp. The 70 winners selected from North America to attend the camp represent the top 1.4 percent of those who entered. Students were judged on the results from a timed, multiple-choice quiz and asked to create a Web site for the final round of competition.
“We were overwhelmed by the response from students to the Teen TechFest Challenge and had a difficult time making the final selection. We wish everyone could have been chosen to participate,”
said Douglas Murphy, president of ACEplanet.com.
“In addition to having a lot of fun and meeting great new friends, students attending the Teen TechFest Computer Camp will learn valuable technology skills and develop critical thinking and problem-solving methods that they will be able to use in the classroom and beyond.”
For Taylor, the best part of winning a spot at the Teen TechFest Computer Camp will be having the chance to network with other teen-agers who are equally interested in information technology. In addition, Taylor said he is looking forward to immersing himself in computer programming lessons and visiting Microsoft’s campus, but most of all, he is looking forward to traveling further west than Colorado. While it will mean taking time off from his now full-time, dotcom, The 4Teens Network, Taylor said going to camp was just too good to pass up.
“I’m always interested in competing in entrepreneurial and technology competitions, but I really didn’t think there was any way I was going to win this one,”
Taylor said.
“When I got to the finals and then made the final cut, it was like, ‘oh yea!'”
“Attending the computer camp will be a great way for me to add some skills that I might not already know, such as some of Microsoft’s technologies,”
said Faraz.
“I think it’s necessary for all people dealing with the Internet and programming as a whole to know how to use Microsoft tools. Plus it would be great to see some of the cool products I can expect to see from Microsoft in the future.”
About ACEplanet.com
ACEplanet.com is the nation’s leading provider of technology education for children 7 to 16 years of age. The company has achieved this through its innovative summer computer camp programs and year-round Web-based educational channel. American Computer Experience (ACE) was incorporated in September 1993 for the specific purpose of developing an advanced technology educational platform for children. In 1999, in response to customers’ demands, the company developed a live, online educational platform for children at http://www.aceplanet.com/ . The company is the largest children’s computer camp provider worldwide.
About Microsoft
Microsoft is committed to providing practical solutions and programs, such as the Teen TechFest Computer Camp, designed to offer valuable information on programming tools and languages and to address topics of interest to students and faculty about information technology education and careers.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software –
any time, any place and on any device.
Microsoft, MS-DOS, Visual Basic and Visual C++ are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages.
Teen TechFest Computer Camp Participants
Richard Wright, Cullman, Ala.
Eric Lund, Calgary, Alberta
Leon Klepfish, Phoenix, Ariz.
Ryan Rondeau, Port Coquitlam, British Columbia
Jon Fairbrother, Victoria, British Columbia
Dmitri Rudnev, Cerritos, Calif.
Asahi Okada, Cypress, Calif.
Numair Faraz, Diamond Bar, Calif.
David Tseng, Fremont, Calif.
Deran Atamian, Fresno, Calif.
Arjun Lall, La Jolla, Calif.
Drew Dara-Abrams, Los Altos, Calif.
Nathan Sunukjian, Pacific Grove, Calif.
Hanibal Sonderegger, San Diego, Calif.
Addison Marchese, Santa Ana, Calif.
Drew Greene, Tarzana, Calif.
Jamie Tsui, Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Michael Aubert, Niceville, Fla.
Allen Evans, Orlando, Fla.
Derek Monaghan, Valkaria, Fla.
Steve Giovenco, Venice, Fla.
Katie Conway, Chicago, Ill.
Michael Lehenbauer, Indianapolis, Ind.
Adam Weinstein, Indianapolis, Ind.
Ephren Taylor Jr., Overland Park, Kan.
Jason Groom, Quinter, Kan.
Dustin Lyons, Georgetown, Ky.
Scott Moore, Louisville, Ky.
Benjamin Prosnitz, Acton, Mass.
Vincent Cheng, Brookline, Mass.
Steve Whittaker, Reading, Mass.
Scott Sideleau, Winchendon, Mass.
Colm Atkins, Rockville, Md.
Gabe Setzler, Detroit, Mich.
Lee Schwingler, Fremont, Mich.
Brittney Moraski, Schaffer, Mich.
Michael Bykow, Eden Prairie, Minn.
Jeff Snyder, Eden Prairie, Minn.
Scott Rysdahl, Tofte, Minn.
Michael Anderson, Greensboro, N.C.
Will Johansson, Lexington, N.C.
Joe Ketterling, Oakes, N.D.
Boris Masis, Durham, N.H.
Chaka Freeman, Neptune, N.J.
Gary Smirny, Township, N.J.
Patrick Garcia, Westwood, N.J.
Justin Lintz, Commack, N.Y.
Hooyoung Chung, Flushing, N.Y.
Matthew Zayatz, New Hyde Park, N.Y.
Matt Chaudhuri, Rochester, N.Y.
Leah Jakaitis, Slingerlands, N.Y.
Steven Janowiecki, Findlay, Ohio
Tom LaPille, Maineville, Ohio
Matthew Davis, Woodward, Okla.
Nikue Harlley, Toronto, Ontario
Charles Prosper, Brampton, Ontario
Ryan Ross, Chester Springs, Pa.
Jennifer Carter, Philadelphia, Pa.
James Fitzgerald, Rhode Island, R.I.
Lucas Deman, Goose Creek, S.C.
Garrett Larson, Greer, S.C.
Andrew Gawronski, Memphis, Tenn.
Mehul Trivedi, Dallas, Texas
Buddy Whittenburg, Snyder, Texas
Adam Fuller, Barre, Vt.
Robert Belcher, Ariel, Wash.
Jakob Perry, Bellingham, Wash.
Eddie Rise, Elmer City, Wash.
Travis McDevitt, Leavenworth, Wash.
Chris Backous, Walla Walla, Wash.
