By Violeta Ivanova, Instructor and IT Consultant, OEIT violeta@mit.edu

The Office of Educational Innovation and Technology (OEIT) and the MIT Council on Educational Technology (MITCET) are pleased to announce the annual Microsoft Research iCampus Technology Innovation Student (MRiTIS) Prize. Made possible by a generous endowment by Microsoft Research following the completion of the iCampus initiative, the MRiTIS Prize recognizes innovative applications of information technology to enhance education and/or improve student life.

On September 12, 2008 MITCET and OEIT hosted the 2008 Award and 2009 Launch Celebration for the MRiTIS Prize during Innovation Night at the MIT Museum. Prof. Hal Abelson and Dr. Jennifer Chayes, Managing Director of the Microsoft Research New England lab, presented the 2008 award to the winners. David Huynh PhD’07 and undergraduates Margaret Leibovic, Gabriel Durazo, Mason Tang, and Nina Guo shared the award in recognition of their contribution as student members of the CSAIL team led by Prof. David Karger that created the MIT Course Picker. Concluding the ceremony, OEIT Director Dr. M. S. Vijay Kumar and Mr. Paul Oka of Microsoft Research launched the 2009 process of applications and nominations for the MRiTIS Prize.