(Savannah, GA) May 4, 2007 – Savannah businesses invited to the TechFest event Friday, April 27, to scout local talent pouring out of the area’s colleges and universities were blown away by the caliber of student projects presented at this year’s TechFest. Jacob Buck, in particular, captivated them with an animation tool that allows animators to pose characters. Using a high-end 3D computer graphics and 3D modeling software package called Maya, Buck was able to manipulate illustrations to move, pose and gesture just as a human body would. His presentation looked like the beginnings of a Pixar movie given he executed the very process and technology commonly used in the film and TV industry, as well as for computer and video games.

These student projects were not all fun and games though. Robert Hagedorn, a Computer Science Technology major at Savannah State University, earned second place with his RFID Helps the Blind project. He used an RFID (Radio-frequency identification) reader to effectively allow a blind person to hear what they are about to touch. This identical technology is being installed by The Georgia Ports Authority at the Port of Savannah to track shipments being brought in and out of the port. The RFID technology will help the Port increase safety and improve the visibility of shipments. Hagerdorn graduates this summer and says, “This technology could also be used in books so a blind person could help themselves learn brail, and fine tuned for the medical field helping the blind become more independent.”

From ground-breaking furniture and product designs to intuitive computer programs – like the prototype aiding physical therapy training third place winner Ivan Sopin of Armstrong Atlantic State University presented – students pulled out all the stops to “wow” the judges. Onpoint Digital’s Robert Gadd, CEO of a software development company that helps organizations deliver online courseware and assessments to their employees and customers, said, “We’ve already reached out to one student we met there for possible P/T employment and plan to speak with another one if we’re successful landing a new project we’re now prospecting actively.”

Well over a dozen creative and technical businesses like Gadd’s were in attendance including: Morris Technology, Evoca, Rails Machine, City Trex, Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools, OpenVision, Coastal Now, SavannahJobs, OSIsoft, Color Maria, Chatham Steel, and many more. The overall response from these companies was tremendously positive. “I was impressed by the number of jobs available. Savannah appears to have a favorable job market for programmers and designers,” mentioned Rigel Crockett of brightwhitespace, a local graphic design firm.

Georgia Tech Savannah’s campus served as an excellent facility and host for this exciting event. Dr. Richard Chapman, the Institute’s Director of Student Affairs and Activities, was pleased to have been a part of the event. “TechFest is a wonderful opportunity for local students to meet potential employers in the area, keeping talent in Savannah. We would be more than happy to support the event again next year,” said Dr. Chapman. Dr. Art Gowan, Department Chair of Information Technology at Georgia Southern University, recommends to “Stay the course and try and grow it.”

All in all, TechFest helps keep talented college grads here in the city. Next year, The Creative Coast Initiative plans to even further integrate the event with creative and design students. Chris Miller, Executive Director of TCCi stated, “What makes Savannah special is that we’ve got BOTH technical AND creative students here. Innovation is the intersection of creativity and technology, and the more we can foster both, the better.” TechFest will move to a different institution willing to host in 2008, so every school will get the opportunity.

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