Competition opens up young minds to technological careers

Queensland’s youngest and brightest technological minds showcased their innovative projects at The University on Queensland (UQ) this month, wowing judges with their technical ability.

More than 200 primary and secondary school students from 27 schools throughout the state converged at UQ for the annual Young ICT Explorers competition on the 11th of August.

The event showcased more than 92 Information and Communication Technology (ICT) related projects.
UQ’s Head of the School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering (ITEE), Professor Paul Strooper said the competition was a great success.

“Not only is it great for us as academics to connect with the next generation of university students, it is also a great opportunity for primary and secondary school students to learn more about ICT as a professional field,” Professor Strooper said.

“The Young ICT Explorers competition gains more momentum each year, and the students’ projects never fail to impress the judges.”

Young ICT Explorers was established by UQ and business management software company, SAP Australia, in 2010 to encourage students’ interest in the diverse array of opportunities available through ICT.

The programme is supported by Premium Sponsor Accenture and the Co-Sponsors Zero1 and NICTA.

Head of SAP Asia Pacific Region Research, Karsten Schulz congratulated the schools and students on their success.

“Congratulations to the winners of the third annual Young ICT Explorers competition, and all the students who participated in this great event,” Mr Schulz said.

“We are impressed with the popularity this competition is gaining amongst schools and the ability students demonstrated to collaborate, think outside the square, and use their creativity to innovate.”

The students presented their projects to a judging panel of academics, industry partners and ICT professionals.

Each project was assessed on the criteria of creativity, uniqueness, quality, level of difficulty and project documentation.

The winning teams can be found at the Young ICT Explorers’ website.

Media: SAP’s Dee Apostolova (0423015556 or dee.apostolova@sap.com) or Madelene Flanagan (+ 61 7 3365 8525 m.flanagan@uq.edu.au)

Images of the competition and winners are available on request.