TechLauncher students from ANU win merit award at ACT iAwards

A group of TechLauncher students from the Australian National University has won a merit award in  the student and education category at the recent ACT iAwards Ceremony, hosted by the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA).

iAwards is a future-focused initiative that brings students alongside industry to celebrate innovation in technology. The merit accolade recognises ‘Shaping Our Future’ outcomes undertaken by a tertiary group of students enrolled with a registered tertiary institution.

As an ANU initiative, TechLauncher brings together groups of students to work collaboratively with industry professionals, technology experts and entrepreneurs to complete projects addressing complex problems in a variety of disciplines and industries, or to create their own startup enterprises.

The class representatives from the TechLauncher program were Nay Chi Than Shwe, final year of study in Master of Computing; Ethan Teber-Rossi, final year in Bachelor of Software Engineering (Honours); Muhammad Hasyim, second year in Bachelor of Computing; and Steven Nguyen, a third year student in Bachelor Information Technology.

The TechLauncher program, with the team including students and ANU staff, was also a finalist in the iAwards Business and Industry category.

Occurring every semester, TechLauncher is an ongoing partnership with ANU Careers and Employability, Tom Worthington and Charles Gretton  from ANU School of Computing, as well as unit conveners and tutors. It aims to provide the ‘Learning to Reflect’ series of workshops as part of a work portfolio package module for students. This module is designed to help students develop capabilities expected of working professionals to identify their development needs, how they will acquire these and to reflect on what they have learned.

ANU Careers and Employability engages the students in career education activities and connects them with employers to increase their understanding of the world of employment and of current and future labour market trends.

The students will proceed to the National iAwards Finals Ceremony, which will take place in Adelaide on 29 August 2024.

For the past 30 years, AIIA has been driving innovation through its iAwards program. The iAwards unearths, recognises and rewards excellence in Australian innovation that is making a difference and has the potential to create positive change for the community, whether this is at home, in the office or on a global scale.