A student at St Andrews University has been named the young software engineer of the year – after bringing computer vision techniques to grassroots rugby.
Verity Powell picked up the 36th annual award, sponsored by Sopra Steria, at the ScotSoft technology conference and awards ceremony yesterday evening in Edinburgh.
The computer science student’s video analytics for rugby skills training programme aims to bridge the gap between professional rugby and the community game.
By using computer vision techniques to automatically analyse conversion kicking attempts, it provides feedback based on their movement and coaching research. It stood out to the judges as a highly innovative approach that brought a niche, complex, expensive product to a broader, less affluent market.
Second prize, sponsored by BCS, was won by Aberdeen University’s Klara Krämer which aimed to address the quality of input data by combining it with human intuition. Third prize, sponsored by Resillion, was won by Zin Lin Htun from Edinburgh Napier University who aimed to construct a multimodal robot that can walk, drive and carry out hybrid operations. Finally, Naomi Silver picked up the Engineering Prize, sponsored by Leidos, for her Novostok, a handheld console for retro game preservation.
Karen Meechan, CEO at ScotlandIS, the event hosts, said: “Every year, the calibre of entries becomes more impressive. This year, we were particularly struck by the level of skill involved in the entries which was far beyond what you might expect of a graduate level developer.
“How closely the entries aligned to the priority needs of today’s tech sector was also impressive, showing a strong understanding of what challenges may lie ahead. Our members often talk about the importance of ensuring education equips graduates with the skills businesses actually need, so it’s encouraging to see such promise coming through in our graduates.”
She said: “Congratulations to all of the winners, and to those who made the shortlist – it’s an incredible achievement and one you’ll carry for the rest of your career. Of course, a special thanks to our sponsors for their generous ongoing support.”
Verity said: “Having played for the University’s Women’s 1XV (first 15) Rugby team, I’ve experienced first-hand how limited funding can hold women’s sport back, preventing them from accessing the most innovative techniques and tools. At the same time, I’ve always been inspired by the power of technology and how it can be used to open new doors.
“Being able to combine my passions for sport and technology to create more accessible resources for community players is a real privilege. I hope my research will be used as a stepping stone towards a greater degree of equality in both education and women’s sport.”
The full list of shortlisted students was:
- Klara Krämer, University of Aberdeen
- Denis Dimitrov, Abertay University
- Naomi Silver, University of Dundee
- Guy Torbet, University of Edinburgh
- Zin Lin Htun, Edinburgh Napier University
- Christopher Eccles, University of Glasgow
- Joanna Hoppe, Glasgow Caledonian University
- Joe Gilligan, Heriot Watt University
- Reece Mackie, Robert Gordon University
- Verity Powell, University of St Andrews
- Suniyah Ansari, University of Stirling
- Callum Sergeant, University of Strathclyde
- James Deas, University of the West of Scotland
