ScotlandIS executive director (left) Polly Purvis said: “Software is ever-present, underpinning much of what we do. It drives the digital economy and transforms industries and societies across the globe." 

The prestigious Award is given to the best undergraduate software projects, drawn from students studying computer science and software engineering across Scotland. Artur collects both a trophy from ScotlandIS and a cheque for £2,500 from Sopra Group UK.

For his winning project, Artur Jonkisz  (right) developed a diagnostic tool, ‘TraVis’ that allows software engineers to see what is happening inside complex software programmes while the programme is running.

In doing so he has solved a significant problem for software developers. Until TraVis was developed, it was not possible to see how monitored programmes behave or how individual how individual components work with each other, while the programme was running. 

Born and growing up in Ośwęicim, Poland (internationally known as Auschwitz) Artur gained a place to study Computer Science at the University of Strathclyde in 2008. In 2010 he survived a serious car accident and was advised not to carry out an internship that he had secured with JPMorgan and to take a break from his studies. He cheerfully ignored the advice, successfully completed his internship and graduated with a First Class Honours Degree. He is now working as a software development engineer with Amazon.

Second prize was awarded to Rami Al-ashqar (left)  from the University of Edinburgh for his project allowing character animations to interact realistically with their environment within 3D scenes, tackling a continuing challenge for the games and animation industry.

Al-ashqar was given a cheque for £2,000, donated by BCS, the Chartered Institue for IT professionals. He hails from Amman, Jordan and just graduated with a First Class Honours in Computer Science at the University of Edinburgh. He is now studying towards a PhD

Third prize went to Tom Grimes (right) from University of St Andrews. His project involved developing a software tool called ‘Class Control’ designed for a classroom environment where students are using computers and that allows the teacher to view a screenshot of each of their screens in the classroom. 

He was presented with a cheque for £1,500 from Lumison, one of the UK’s leading business internet providers. Tom graduated from the University of St Andrews with a 2:1 degree in Computer Scienceand is now studying Digital Forensics at James Madison University’s Graduate School.