Monday, February 14, 2011

The first-ever Jeopardy! national quiz show "man vs. machine" competition will become a student learning opportunity at the University of North Carolina Wilmington as the Information Systems Association (ISA) student organization hosts a watch party and discussion Feb 15. The event, co-sponsored by IBM, will take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in Room 1008 of the Computer Information Systems building.

Before and after viewing Tuesday night's Jeopardy! broadcast together, students and faculty will discuss the hardware and software systems technology behind Watson, the computer that will compete with two of the most successful Jeopardy! candidates of the last decade. Because it is not connected to the Internet and is able to understand slang, Watson is a qualified contestant for the game show.

In development since 2007, Watson performs millions of tasks in seconds, and its technology will be applicable to solve computing challenges in healthcare, financial services and call center environments. The students will discuss the potential business and societal applications for the technology, and the future of this type of computer analytics.

This event is not open to the public, but media are invited to attend and cover the event. Visual opps include pre- and post-broadcast discussions with students and faculty and group viewing of the Jeopardy! program. Interviews will be available with participating students and faculty.

Media contact:
Dana Fischetti, media relations manager, 910.508.3127 or fischettid@uncw.edu