Microsoft Innovation Center Sponsors Senior Capstone Project

BELLEVUE, Wash. and PORTLAND, Ore.— July 24, 2007 — In 2006, Ascentium helped Microsoft and two of its other partners launch the Microsoft Innovation Center [MIC] at Portland State University [PSU] to support bringing innovative technology to the Oregon economy. Ascentium and the MIC are proud to announce that a group of senior PSU computer science students chose them to sponsor a spring/summer Capstone project.

Twice a year, senior PSU computer science students take on real-life technology challenges proposed by local companies. The MIC team project sponsors an online portal to help create technological relevance in the classroom for K-12 students in Portland Public Schools. The Software Association of Oregon’s website will host the team’s portal. This will help Oregon educators find classroom speakers by connecting with industry experts who are looking to give back to the Oregon community.

The team is facing the portal challenge with full force. During the first Capstone orientation meeting, the students stated they wanted to receive training on the Microsoft platform as they had none so far. PSU Project Team Leader Mathew Hedman said, “As I’m nearing graduation, I feel it is critical to gain a working knowledge of Microsoft’s technology and I appreciate being given the opportunity.”

Will Strye, Information Architect from Ascentium, is leading the team. “It's been great working with the students. I'm proud to be a part of it and to be setting an example,” he said. “We could easily have done this project in-house, but we are reaching out to work with the next generation of professional developers in a way that mirrors what we want this site to be about: giving something back. Hopefully, we have encouraged the students as they start their careers and have sparked their interest in someday being in a position to pass along an excitement for technology and innovation.”

Everyone working on the project is enthusiastic and optimistic about the great results that lie ahead. Public presentations of the final project will take place on August 17. The location is still to be determined.

About Ascentium
Ascentium Corporation (www.ascentium.com) is an award-winning, integrated marketing and technology consultancy that consistently delivers information-driven business solutions to achieve its clients’ strategic objectives. Ascentium made the Inc. 500 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. for the past two years and continues to see substantial growth in customer relationship management, digital marketing, web initiatives, enterprise content management, systems integration, custom development, and strategic business engagements. The company’s clients include Avista Utilities, Boeing, Dell, Expedia, InfoSpace, Microsoft, Providence Health Systems, Starbucks, and Washington Mutual. Ascentium is headquartered in Bellevue, with offices in Spokane, Los Angeles, Baltimore, and Portland, Oregon.