Student Blog
Google news and updates especially for students
Announcing the Winning Team for the AdMob Student App Challenge
August 30, 2016
We’re excited to announce the winners of the
2016 AdMob Student App Challenge
, an app building competition for students. Over 100 student teams from around the world took on the challenge to build a great app and monetize it using AdMob, with a chance to win awesome prizes.
After reviewing our
4 regional finalists
, our
judges
have selected the global winner who will receive will receive a trip to San Francisco, including a visit to the Googleplex. Chris Akhavnr, a judge for the Challenge and President of Publishing, Glu Mobile, enjoyed reviewing the apps, noting that “After reading the business reports, I was impressed by the amount of thought each team put into their app. I'm sure these finalists will go on to have a big impact in the mobile ecosystem."
Drumroll please…
Global Winner - Turbo Rocket Games
App:
Dragon Sim Online
About the team
Turbo Rocket Games is a team of four: Vladimir, Yaroslava, Illya, and Serhii from Kiev, Ukraine. Vladimir and Serhii are studying informatics at National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. Yaroslava and Illya are studying computer science at Brock University. To build the app effectively, the team divided the work so everyone could focus on the aspect they were best at. As the project lead, Vladimir focused on managing the development process while Yaroslava took charge of game design. As programmers, Illya and Serhii worked in tandem to write the code for the game.
About the app
Dragon Sim Online is a game where you can become a dragon and play online with friends or by yourself. The app provides a true simulation experience by challenging players to maintain their dragons’ health and energy, raise a family of dragons, fight dangerous enemies and explore the massive 3D world. The app has been downloaded over 500K times worldwide with an average review of 4.5 stars.
Congratulations to Turbo Rocket Games and thanks again to every single student who participated!
Henry Wang
Product Marketing, AdMob
Regional Finalists Announced for the AdMob Student Challenge
August 9, 2016
Since January, students from around the world have been submitting entries for the
AdMob Student App Challenge
.
Students around the world were challenged to build an app that that demonstrates their skills and monetize it with AdMob. Today, we are excited to announce the four regional finalists, hand picked based on app quality and traffic.
The regional finalists are made up of the top entry in each of our 4 participating regions -
North America, Europe/Middle East/Africa, Asia/Pacific and Latin America.
Their apps have made a huge splash in the Google Play Store, with over 500,000 downloads and 10,000 reviews combined! Each member of the regional finalist teams will receive brand new Pixel C tablets and advance into the final round where the global winner will receive a seven night trip to San Francisco and a visit to Googleplex.
North America:
Team: Dodo Built
App:
Block Havoc
Average review: 4.6 / 5.0
Block Havoc is North America’s finalist, and deservingly so! The app is an extremely entertaining game with endless modes and patterns that challenges users to improve their reaction time on a beautiful and polished interface.
Latin America:
Team: KUNIC Apps
App:
#booleaning
Average review: 5.0 / 5.0
And, LATAM’s finalist is #booleaning, a handy and well-featured calculator for boolean functions. This productivity application looks professional and is designed to save users’ time with built in logic operators, like NOT, AND, OR.
Asia/Pacific:
Team: Upskew
App:
Encode: Learn to Code
Average review: 4.5 / 5.0
Encode: Learn to Code is APAC’s finalist, differentiating themselves with an extremely straightforward and fun way to teach beginners how to code. The simple and intuitive tutorials and lessons allowed users to immerse themselves to build a quick and strong foundation.
Europe/Middle East/Africa:
Team: Turbo Rocket Games
App:
Dragon Sim Online
Average review: 4.4 / 5.0
Our last finalist is Dragon Sim Online, an addictive game with outstanding graphics. The application provides an epic adventure that allows you to engage and join other online players through beautiful flying and fighting animation to level up in this fantasy world.
Congratulations to the Regional Finalists, and thank you again to everyone who participated. The Global Winner will be announced on August 25, 2016, so stay tuned!
Cindy Tran
The AdMob Challenge Team
The results are in for the 2016 Google Online Marketing Challenge!
July 27, 2016
The
Google Online Marketing Challenge (GOMC)
provides a hands-on learning platform for students around the world to develop their online marketing skills and gain practical experience working with real businesses and non-profits to solve real problems and produce real results.
Every year Google gives thousands of student teams across the world an AdWords budget of US$250 to spend on a 3-week online marketing campaign for a business or non-profit of their choice. Students also have the option to create and manage a Google+ page for their client to help further boost their online presence and engage the community.
The teams that develop and communicate the most successful campaigns win awesome prizes, including a trip to Google, a donation to their non-profit partner, digital devices and more. This year over 500 professors and 10,000 students from more than 60 countries competed in the Challenge and we are happy to announce the results are in!
Check out the AdWords Business, Social Media Marketing and Social Impact Winners below and the full list of the 2016 Team Results can be found on the
GOMC Past Challenges page
.
AdWords Business Awards
Global Winners
The Global Winning team comes from the
ESG UQAM - School of Management Sciences
in Canada, under Professor
Harold Boeck
. The team of
James Forbes, Nicolas Archambault-Doucet, Esme Fentener Levi
and
Thomas St-Amour
worked with
Alvéole
, a company that helps people and organizations install and care for urban honeybee colonies.
Regional Winners
The Americas Winner comes from
James Madison University
in the United States, under Professor
Theresa B. Clarke
. The team of
Lynn Radocha, Alexander Adley, Maianh Phan, John Thompson
and
Cari Ross
worked with the
Rockingham/Harrisonburg SPCA
, a non-profit animal rescue shelter that provides care for all dogs, cats, and other small animals until they can be adopted into a safe, permanent home.
The Asia & Pacific Winner comes from the
Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies
, under Professor
Shilpa Sawant
in India. The team of
Aniruddha Pandhare, Devarsh Ganatra, Urvi Talaty, Dhananjay Thaker, Akash Pandey
and
Rini Antony
worked with
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Vaidyakiya Pratishthan
, a non-profit Trust that invests in various medical and social welfare initiatives to transform the lives of the poor and needy in the drought prone ‘Marathwada’ region of Maharashtra.
The Europe Winner comes from the
University of Turku
in Finland, under Professor
Joni Salminen
. The team of
Elina Ojala, Miia Bergström, Paula Suominen
and
Emma Jalonen
worked with
ResQ
, a recently founded company with a mission to help consumers “rescue” leftovers from restaurants and acquire quality meals at a cheap price, while restaurants profit from selling food that would have otherwise been wasted.
The Middle East & Africa Winner comes from
Daystar University
in Kenya, under Professor
Maranga
Moriasi
. The team of
Jeffrey Kanae, Moses Njeri Khatiebere, Evelyne Magaju, Sharone Awuori Tindi
and
Roselinda Were
worked with
Youth on the Move
, a non-profit organization whose mission is to empower youth with epilepsy to build their skills, stand up for themselves and transform their desires into realistic plans and actions.
Google+ Social Media Marketing Awards
Global Winners
The Global Winner comes from the
Dwarkadas J. Sanghvi College of Engineering
in India under Professor
Khushali Deulkar
. The team of
Rosanlal Behera, Niki Jain, Harsh Jain, Chandrasekhar Raman, Pratik Bhambhani
and
Aayushi Dholakia
worked with
Kossine, a Neebal initiative
and coaching institute that specializes in teaching Computer Programming and Electronics courses to students.
Regional Winners
The Americas Winner comes from
James Madison University
in the United States, under Professor
Theresa B. Clarke
. The team of
Matt Deters, Molly McDevitt, Caitlin Fikac, Natalie Krewin
and
Claudia Schnorbus
worked with the
Poricy Park Conservancy
, a non-profit that preserves 250 acres of open space, prehistoric fossil beds, and the historic Murray Farmhouse for the surrounding community.
The Asia & Pacific Winner comes from the
Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies
, under Professor
Shilpa Sawant
in India. The team of
Aniruddha Pandhare, Devarsh Ganatra, Urvi Talaty, Dhananjay Thaker, Akash Pandey
and
Rini Antony
worked with
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Vaidyakiya Pratishthan
, a non-profit Trust that invests in various medical and social welfare initiatives to transform the lives of the poor and needy in the drought prone ‘Marathwada’ region of Maharashtra.
The Europe Winner comes from
Kaunas University of Technology
in Lithuania, under Professor
Elena Vitkauskaitė
. The team of
Mantas Mitrauskas, Merita Simanavičiūtė, Agnė Raulinavičiūtė, Severina Sekrytė
and
Paulina Lazauskaitė
worked with
Dalinuosi.lt
, an online sharing platform that promotes the protection of the environment and stimulates responsible usage by allowing people to lend their goods or borrow them from other consumers.
The Middle East & Africa Winner comes from the
Institute of Management Technology, Dubai
in the United Arab Emirates, under Professor
Ali Zalzala
. The team of
Pratiksha Kumar, Shikhar Ahuja
and
Rahul Jain
worked with
Community Tracks
, a non-profit in California that has a global agenda to provide under-served communities with sustainable technology solutions and associated education services that enhance the quality of life.
AdWords Social Impact Awards
The 1st Place Winner comes from
James Madison University
in the United States, under Professor
Theresa B. Clarke
. The team of
Emily Maynard, Jacob Shibley, Christine Provino, Jacob Brown
and
Amy Goffe
worked with the
Children's Science Center
, a non-profit children’s science museum focused on hands-on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) learning and providing unique opportunities for children to explore, create and be inspired.
The 2nd Place Winner comes from the
Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies
, under Professor
Shilpa Sawant
in India. The team of
Aniruddha Pandhare, Devarsh Ganatra, Urvi Talaty, Dhananjay Thaker, Akash Pandey
and
Rini Antony
worked with
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Vaidyakiya Pratishthan
, a non-profit Trust that invests in various medical and social welfare initiatives to transform the lives of the poor and needy in the drought prone ‘Marathwada’ region of Maharashtra.
The 3rd Place Winner comes from
James Madison University
in the United States, under Professor
Theresa B. Clarke
. The team of
Lynn Radocha, Alexander Adley, Maianh Phan, John Thompson
and
Cari Ross
worked with the
Rockingham/Harrisonburg SPCA
, a non-profit animal rescue shelter that provides care for all dogs, cats, and other small animals until they can be adopted into a safe, permanent home.
Congratulations to the 2016 winners and a big round of applause for all teams that participated in the Google Online Marketing Challenge this year!
To learn more about the Google Online Marketing Challenge and to pre-register for next year’s competition, please watch the
GOMC video
and visit our website:
www.google.com/onlinechallenge
.
Winner Spotlight: “Pay it Forward” Contest Winners Visit Google
July 12, 2016
In honor of Black History Month, we launched our third annual
“Pay It Forward” contest
to find and recognize undergraduate and MBA students positively impacting their local Black communities. After reviewing an incredible range of submissions from undergraduates and business school students, we’re pleased to announce our winners:
Undergraduate winners:
Ariana Brazier (2013 BOLD Immersion participant) is the former President of the Spelman College section of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW). This summer, Ariana will be conducting research on homelessness before starting a Ph.D. program at the University of Pittsburgh.
Rachel McKenzie is the former Vice President of the Spelman College section of NCNW. This summer, Rachel will be joining Teach for America.
MBA winners:
Stephen Worthy is the former co-President of Detroit Revitalization & Business Initiative (Detroit R&B) at the Ross School of Business. This summer, Steve will begin working with J.P. Morgan in New York with hopes of returning to Detroit to continue his commitment to his hometown.
Benjamin Stickel is the former co-President of Detroit R&B. He will be returning to Detroit to continue his impact within his community while working at the Boston Consulting Group.
Both teams were awarded
an all-expense paid trip to Google’s Headquarters and here’s a photo recap of their experience:
They had a front row seat to experience Google’s campus and culture.
They connected with Googlers through coffee chats, resume workshops with Google recruiters and as they walked around campus.
They had an inside look at Google’s products.
“It was really cool to see that innovative side of Google that you always hear about” commented Ben Stickel (pictured far left) after an inside look at Google Cardboard virtual reality.
They presented their work to Googlers.
Pictured below: Steve Worthy and Benjamin Stickel speaking about their work with the Detroit Revitalization & Business Initiative. Together, they pioneered Minds of Business (MoB), a mentorship program that mobilizes MBAs to serve as mentors to Detroit youth. To date, they have partnered with two Detroit public schools and covered topics such as Accounting, Entrepreneurship, and Marketing.
They inspired Googlers to step out of their comfort zones and continue striving to be agents of change in their communities.
Pictured below: Ariana and Rachel leading an ice-breaker used by the Spelman College section of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW). Ariana and Rachel, during their tenure as President and Vice President, respectively, have placed great emphasis on their general body meetings because of the opportunities that they provide for “members to fellowship and empower themselves through constructive and reflective activities.”
Join us in congratulating NCNW, R&B and all the incredible student organizations that entered the
Pay it Forward contest
. Please consider entering the contest next February!
We have your ticket to travel back in time to Google Games 2016!
July 7, 2016
We just wrapped up five weeks of epic adventure during Google Games, and this is your golden ticket to experience all the fun! Google Games is an annual event that allows us to bring Google’s culture, a lot of entertainment, and some friendly competition to computer science students across North America. This year, the games were hosted in 14 different cities, and we were introduced to nearly 2,000 challenge-seeking undergraduate students from 60 different universities.
From the patio on Google’s campus in Sunnyvale to a rooftop in Chicago, there were 17 events in 14 different cities across North America.
Participants, encouraged to dress up in costume, encountered different challenges including Trivia, Building, Puzzles, Word Association and Coding. We awarded prizes to the top three teams at each location who had the most points at the end of the day. The Spirit Award was presented to the teams with a contagious energy or who got creative with this year’s theme - time travel!
Teams went head to head competing in five different challenge categories, and the winners were able to take home some well deserved Google SWAG.
Team “Liveware Problem” in Waterloo was the only team to solve every single coding question - 18 problems in 75 minutes. In Cambridge, team “Benevolent Bodacious Barbarians Plus Plus” finished the puzzle challenge with a top score across all locations. A huge congratulations to all the teams who were crowned the winners at each site.
Giant Hand from the University of Texas at Austin
); DROP TABLE teams; -- from Princeton University
Liveware Problem from the University Of Waterloo
We're Bad At This from Carnegie Mellon University
UNO CS Squad from the University Of New Orleans
Thyme Lords from New York University
Volcano Volcanoes from the University Of Washington, Seattle
Chrono Crew from the University Of Maryland College Park
Shuai's Guys from Northwestern University Illinois
Jumping Jalapeños from Georgia Institute Of Technology
nibbles ᕕ( ՞ ᗜ ՞ )ᕗ from Stanford University
EPOCH FAIL from the Massachusetts Institute Of Technology (MIT)
Team Avocado from San Jose State University
Tyrannosaurus Rekt from WPI Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Doctor Poo from the California Institute Of Technology
Ultimate Norf from Harvey Mudd College
Team a4c1bed85s0365c from the University Of British Columbia
The Building challenge at Google Games involved some creative thinking and many straws.
Add
Google Students
to your circles on Google+ to learn more about next year’s competition. We hope to see you there and uncover your passion for computer science.
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