Education the winner as NICTA and ACS award national ICT student prize

Education the winner as NICTA and ACS award national ICT student prize

NICTA and the Australian Computer Society (ACS) have awarded the inaugural Young Aus-Innovators National ICT Prize to a team of high school students from Newington College in New South Wales. The winning team of Harrison Collin, Brenton Curko, Shannon Kwan and Chao Man will receive a cash prize of $2,500 and a two-week internship at NICTA during the school holidays.

The team’s project proposal focused on improving household security standards. The students now have the opportunity to further improve their project at NICTA where a mentor will oversee their next steps.

The second prize of $1,500 was won by a team of students from Caroline Chisholm Catholic College in Victoria. The third prize of $1,000 was won by a team of students from Patrician Brothers College Blacktown in New South Wales. A team of students from North Sydney Girls High School in New South Wales was also recognised with a Highly Commended award.

“The standard of entries was very high,” said NICTA’s Director of Education, Dr Tim Hesketh. “I was encouraged by the variety of concepts the students presented, from sophisticated animation proposals and online games based on Arduino board programming, to the Bluetooth communications proposal that won first place.”

Bruce Lakin, ACS Chief Executive Officer said: “We are proud to be associated with NICTA on the Young Aus-Innovators National ICT Prize to help nurture the next generation of ICT professionals. It is great that we have the support of leading schools to promote the prize to their students. ICT offers a diverse range of career opportunities for young people.”

“This is a fantastic achievement for Harrison, Shannon, Brenton and Chao and one that they should be very proud of. It is extremely pleasing to see that the boys are able to demonstrate some of the key principles taught within the classroom and apply these to the design and construction of their project. Computing at Newington College places a focus on innovation and using the computer as a problem solving tool. The boys’ project demonstrates this philosophy, for which they are to be commended,” said Mr Rodney Wood, Head of Computing Studies, Newington College.

The Young Aus-Innovators National ICT Prize, an initiative of the ACS and NICTA, was launched last year during the National ICT Careers Week. It aims to encourage high school students to consider careers in ICT. Now ubiquitous in our society, ICT careers can be tremendously rewarding, providing solutions to some of the most pressing problems of our time in areas such as communications, education, infrastructure, water resources, energy, sustainability and transport. NICTA is also involved in summer schools, both for students learning about research and for high school students determining their interests in ICT.

 --- ends ---

About NICTA

National ICT Australia Ltd (NICTA), Australia’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Research Centre of Excellence, is developing technologies which will meet the current and future needs of the community in fields which will lead to large economic, social and environmental benefits for Australia. NICTA has five laboratories around the country. Since NICTA was founded in 2002, it has created four new companies, developed a substantial technology portfolio of patent applications and continues to supply new talent to the ICT industry through the NICTA-enhanced PhD program.

NICTA is funded by the Australian Government as represented by the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy and the Australian Research Council through the ICT Centre of Excellence program. In addition to federal funding NICTA is also funded and supported by the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland and Victorian Governments, The Australian National University, Griffith University, University of Melbourne, University of New South Wales, University of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology and The University of Sydney.

About the ACS:

The ACS (Australian Computer Society) is the recognised professional association for those working in Information and Communications Technology, seeking to raise the standing of ICT professionals and represent their views to government, industry and the community. A member of the Australian Council of Professions, the ACS is the guardian of professional ethics and standards in the ICT sector, committed to ensuring the beneficial use of ICT for all Australians. It provides both members and non-members with opportunities for professional education, networking and certification, as well as enabling them to contribute to the development of their profession. Visit www.acs.org.au for more.

For further information:

Dorothy Kennedy

Communications Specialist, NICTA

Ph: 02 9376 2098 or 0488 229 687

Seni Murni

PR & Special Projects, ACS
Ph: 02 9299 3666 or 0410 029 706