Thursday, 31 July 2014

Team Monash wins Telstra M2M Challenge 2014









Tuesday the 29th of July. We went to the awards ceremony this day knowing we (Team Monash) were in the top 3 from 16 other teams that participated in the University challenge this year. The day entailed quite a lot of sight seeing of Telstra's facilities. 

We started the day with breakfast catered for. Then we headed to the GOC (Global Operations Centre) which was a 20min bus ride from Telstra's main office on Exhibition street in Melbourne CBD to Clayton.

The centre was very impressive. And showed really how big the network is that services Australia. We watched a video and then the surrounding windows went from a tinted state to a clear state one by one. Next the view was of the main operations room with a huge wall of monitors showing statistics and details of the network. Very cool to see that in motion.

The rest of the day included lunch and then some more talks about Telstra's projects and investments in the industry. It was great to meet the other University team members and reflect on the 10 week project, which most of us did outside our existing work load at University. 



Unusual sight of students in suits? Lunch time!




TOP 3



Team: Queensland University of Technology

 ATOM – A multifaceted M2M delivery platform which combines independent M2M components (e.g. a smart screen, temperature alert and electricity alert) to be implemented in the same environment as a ‘bundle’ to provide SMEs with functionality that enables them to better conduct and understand their business.

Team: RMIT #2

 Ember – A Haystack Temperature Monitoring and Alert System that provides a mechanism to measure and track the temperature inside haystacks and sends warnings when temperatures exceed a certain threshold.

Team: Monash University

 On Track – A mobile application that allows customers to view up-to-date information about their train service, including its location and how full each carriage is.


 

Drum Roll


The award ceremony finally started around 4:30 in the afternoon. The top three team members were present along with Telstra employees, graduates, university coordinators and M2M organisers. Other teams in the top 8 that were outside the top 3 were allowed 2 members to be present at the event. 


To our delight, we were awarded first place for our project. Whilst RMIT came second with their project Ember. And Queensland University of Tech came third with their Atom Project. 




Shark Fin for Dinner!




Teams Monash, RMIT & La Trobe hanging out in Chinatown


 

Thursday, 17 July 2014

Melbourne Fringe Furniture 2014 - Registrations Open










The Melbourne Fringe is in its 29th year running! This just shows how strong the performing arts, music, art and design are in Melbourne. 


This year the Fringe Furniture Exhibitions theme is :


The story of human life is told by the traces of our journey through it.
Every object we create is a time capsule to be rediscovered, a monument with fascinating stories to tell.
From ancient times to the present, the artefacts we design are used by coming generations to understand us. They act as coded messages, showing how we lived, worked and came together, how we created and what we valued.

Design also informs the future, evolving as we do. The movement of ideas from generation to generation inspires new forms and icons. A chair was once a stone or a branch, and through a process of evolution it became something else. What could it be next?


In 2014, Fringe Furniture invites artists and designers to respond to these ideas and create ‘living traces’ of our world, constructing artefacts from the now that acknowledge both our history and the future to come.




Where : Sacred Heart Chapel and surrounds at the Abbotsford Convent

When : 17 September and run until 5 October 2014


Calls for entry close 26 June – 21 July 2014.