A Carnegie Mellon University student team has reached the U.S. Finals of the Microsoft Imagine Cup for Game Design. The Imagine Cup, known as the world's premier technology competition, gives students the chance to apply innovation in business, technology and digital media toward real world challenges. The theme for the competition is "Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems."

The students- Chris Reid (DC/CS'12), Wilson Pei (E'13), Yueran Yuan (CS'13) and Steven Blessing (CS'12)- formed a team called "Dr. Fishbowl" and created the game "Redux." Redux involves turning waste products into profitable, usable products.

As U.S. finalists, the students will compete against 11 other teams in Seattle on April 23. In addition to an all-expense paid trip to Microsoft's Seattle headquarters for the finals, the student team is competing for a $6,000 team grand prize and $10,000 prize for the departments of the winning team.

There is also a People's Choice Award that will be granted to the finalist team that receives the most votes by May 19, 2012.

Voters can vote every day through the deadline:

- Via Facebook at http://apps.facebook.com/microsoftimaginecup/
- By texting "Fishbowl" to 45444
- Through Twitter: @mstechstudent I am voting for #Fishbowl in #ICPeoplesChoice

For more information on Microsoft's Imagine Cup, visit http://www.imaginecup.com/. For a video on the Dr. Fishbowl team and the game Redux, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm_92_KRmZw.