Final-year Capstone team wins 2020 iAwards

A group of final-year students from the School of Information Technology applied for and won the 2020 iAwards in Victoria for Education and Students Solutions of the year. They were recognised with this prestigious technology award for their hard and innovative work as part of their final-year Capstone unit.

For nearly 30 years, the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) has been driving innovation through its iAwards program. It is Australia's longest running innovation recognition program, promoting excellence in the Australian digital technology ecosystem. Its aim is to recognise public and private sector organisations and its contributors who have achieved business excellence through the application of information technology.

Students are encouraged to submit projects for the iAwards competition each year. Student projects in previous years have been finalists for the award, but this is the first time Deakin students in the School of Information Technology have taken home the prize.

Criteria for the award includes submitting a pitch presentation on a proof of concept of understanding a problem to be solved, uniqueness on the technology innovation, and the quality and application of the technology solution.

This year students submitted The Globe Grocery Tracker.

For two trimesters, final-year students in Deakin Industry Student Capstone (DISC) program, developed a Grocery Tracker in partnership with the Global Obesity Centre (GLOBE). GLOBE is undertaking a new study, with the need to understand the correlation between grocery purchasing habits and the prevalence of adult obesity. Prior to this project there was no regular, reliable, and comprehensive method for monitoring food purchases in major Australian supermarkets (where over 60% of food spending occurs). The aim is to collect food and beverage purchasing data at scale, test new interventions to improve the healthiness of food and beverage purchases, and improve the data available for public.

The DISC program is a great opportunity for Deakin’s final-year IT students to work in multidisciplinary teams and partner with industry to develop IT solutions to real-world problems.

Steve Crossin is the GLOBE Grocery Tracker team leader, in the School of Information Technology.

‘The opportunity to utilise the skills I developed through my major in Application Development to take a concept and create a full-fledged solution that will potentially benefit the lives of millions was very rewarding for me.’ Mr Crossin says.

‘Collaborating on this idea with GLOBE to understand the technological problem they needed us to solve, and stretching our personal knowledge as students to overcome it was a very challenging and rewarding experience for myself, and for this hard work to be recognised out of all the nominees with the Victorian iAward for Education was a very humbling experience, and goes to show that students that put in hard work and apply themselves can achieve.’

Learn more about the awards.