Last week we reported on Microsoft Corporation'sImagine Cup finals in the United States.Team FlashFood from Arizona State Universitywon top honors at the event.Its mobile application and website lets hotels, restaurants and farmers markets donate food to people who need it.The FlashFood projectgrew out of the Engineering Projectsin Community Service programat Arizona State. The director of the program, Richard Filley, says the project has far-reaching possibilities.Mr. Filley plans to work with the teamto decide what changes are necessaryto make the project successful in other countries.For example, he notes a method of saving uneaten food,commonly called a doggie bag.RICHARD FILLEY: "After you've gone to a restaurant,if you don't eat all the food you take what's left overand put it in what's called a doggie bag.You take it home.You may feed it to the dog or you may eat it.Would those cultures in those different countriesbe open to the idea of taking leftover foodand using FlashFood to connect with people who are hungry?We don't know the answer to that yet."The Microsoft Imagine Cup competitionis now in its tenth year.Mark Hindsbo is a vice president with Microsoft.He says students today have a lot of technology available to help with their projects.MARK HINDSBO: "In the beginning peoplewere building almost everything from scratch.We have built a lot of things in the industryover those ten years."Mr. Hindsbo says many of the software applicationsneeded to complete such projects already exist.He offers Team FlashFood as a good example.MARK HINDSBO: "The fact that they can buildon the assumption that there are smartphonesin the hands of most of the peoplethat they need to coordinate with,there's an online service with mappingand turn by turn direction."The Microsoft official says solving world problemsis a major goal of the Imagine Cup competition.But, he adds, there is another goal that is equally important.MARK HINDSBO: "In the U.S. alone we have probablyaround a million jobs that risk being unfilledover the next five years within the softwareand tech sector because we don't have enough students.So when you look at the pipeline in science,technology engineering and math we come up way short."Mark Hindbro says he welcomes any effortsto increase interest in these areas of study.A team from Drexel University also was a winnerat the Imagine Cup finals in the United States.The Drexel Dragons designed a gameto help students better understand mathematics.The Dr. Fishbowl team from Carnegie Melon Universitydesigned a game that teachesabout sustainability, byproducts and waste.Team FlashFood will represent the United Statesat the Imagine Cup worldwide finals in Sydney, Australia.The event takes place July sixth through the tenth.And that's the VOA Special English Technology Report.