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(From left) Computer science graduate student Tree Li, fourth-year computer science student Chris

A team of UCLA computer science students will head to Sao Paolo, Brazil, in July to participate in the world finals of Microsoft’s Imagine Cup.

The team will be representing the United States with its creation, PICKS, a software application for cellular phones that would make it easier for users to find places to eat or shop.

The team, made up of UCLA graduate students Alex Chang, Tree Li and William So, and fourth-year student Chris To, was awarded first place at the Imagine Cup Nationals, held at UC San Diego on May 23.

Competitors were asked to develop applications with the theme of making everyday life easier using Microsoft’s .NET technology, software designed to connect computer systems and devices to each other.

Over 10,000 students from approximately 90 countries competed in their home countries for the Imagine Cup’s four categories: software design, rendering, algorithm and short film.

The second-place team from Washington University created an application that would help students and professors by designing tests accessible to students as a part of student curriculum. Another team from Arizona State University designed a program to help the blind and disabled learn more about their environments.

In addition to going to the finals, the UCLA team was awarded $8,000 to be shared among the members.

The team’s software application may be useful for those looking for a place to eat or shop in the urban sprawl of Los Angeles.

“(PICKS) looks at who you are and what you’re looking for,” To said.

The cell phone application rates restaurants based on how well the eateries address a user’s current need.

For example, if a user is looking for a restaurant to go on a date, a fancy eatery may have high ratings. But the same restaurant would not score as highly if the user is looking for a place to hang out with friends, To said.

When originally producing PICKS, the team did not have the prize in mind, since winning the national title had seemed out of reach, Chang said.

“Our motivation was in embracing new technology and doing something useful,” he said. “When they announced we were the winners, we were like, ‘Wow.’”

Without any guidance from faculty, the team started coding the PICKS application in January, meeting almost daily to plan and refine the software.

“There were classes, projects, schoolwork,” Chang said. “We had to put in our own time.”

Members of the computer science faculty were impressed by the dedication the PICKS team had for its project.

“That they could do the equivalent of several senior capstone projects on top of their regular classes is remarkable,” said David Smallberg, a computer science lecturer at UCLA who was at UCSD during the competition.

While many other universities have finished school for the summer, the PICKS team still has three weeks of school left, giving the members less time to work on their project for the world finals, Smallberg added.

Creating applications for mobile devices instead of for the desktop proved to be another challenge, since the team had to work with new technology and around certain limitations.

“For mobile applications, the tools are not as rich,” Chang said. “For the desktop, the tools are much richer.”

Currently, PICKS is able to suggest places to eat and shop, but the team members hope to expand it to include other services like entertainment and hotel options.

“We need to create an architecture that’s open enough for all these people and tie them into the system,” To said.

Along with victories and achievements, team members are also receiving widespread recognition for their efforts.

“These students’ achievements are truly inspiring, and the caliber of competition is high this year,” said Morris Sim, a senior director at Microsoft, in a press release. “We wish Team USA well at the worldwide finals next month.”