Meet the 2023 Student Innovation Award winners
Each year, the Student Innovation Awards celebrate student-led projects that create positive impact through commercialising research, driving innovation and delivering positive social outcomes to the community.
Algae Tech, a student-led team brought together by the Industry and Community Project Unit (ICPU) with PTW Architects, are among this year's winners.
Jeff Naqvi, Unit Coordinator and ICPU Mentor, reflects on the value of ICPU projects like Algae Tech in bringing together diverse perspectives to tackle complex issues.
"With the group members coming from such diverse disciplines, such as arts, science, commerce, nutrition, and law, I've always believed it's the differences in thinking which create solutions to the world's complex problems," said Jeff.
"These students continuously took a 360-degree approach to the ideation, design, and most importantly, the feedback phases, and I'm very proud to have mentored this group and congratulate them on their success."
From algae that mitigates negative health outcomes caused by poor air quality to technology that uses music to reduce chronic stress on the body, learn about this year's winning ideas and solutions.
Student Innovation Award winners
Award winners
For undergraduate and post-graduate student startup groups of up to four founders.
AgX - Samuel Aubin and Callum Taylor
AgX is building an operating system for agriculture, creating a frictionless experience for ranches to adopt new technology and increase their productivity amidst an increasingly volatile climate. Over the past 9 months, our team built the first three applications (AgStock, AgMesh, AgSat) offering farmers a holistic hardware and software platform. We are currently trialing on some of largest farming operations across Australia and America. AgX is co-founded by Callum Taylor (Harvard 25') and Samuel Aubin (University of Sydney).
Delivering transformative positive social impact to the community for undergraduate and post-graduate student startup groups of up to four founders.
Mii – Ethan Tien and Laura Wegner
Mii is the passport for your health, allowing doctors to access your past and current patient information in our Electronic Health Records (EHR) system and offering you a consolidated view of your medical data. With impeccable interoperability across all healthcare providers and blockchain integration for unparalleled security, we ensure a seamless and secure healthcare experience for all.
For undergraduate and post-graduate student startup groups of two-six founders created as part of a for-credit unit of study undertaken in the last 18 months.
Algae Tech – Valerie Fang, Aminaa Ganbagana, Lily Manning, Isabel Walker and Isabella Meltzer
Our project aims to tackle poor indoor-air quality in Sydney and the negative health outcomes this leads to, with a focus on improving air filtration systems in commercial buildings. We propose the use of algae through a photobioreactor as a natural and sustainable solution to filter and purify air in these spaces due to its remarkable ability to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen. This use of algae reflects a wider goal to encourage and add to the movement of implementing regenerative solutions in built environments.
For current HDR (MPhil or PhD), honours or post-graduate capstone research project student groups of up to four founders.
My Sound Wellbeing Pty Ltd – Angé Weinrabe
Strong evidence shows the relational link between poor sleep quality and depressive disorders in youth under (<22), who are at a three-fold higher risk for developing Depression. This calls for more targeted user-friendly interventions that can address and prevent the onset and progressions of these conditions into adulthood. My Sound Wellbeing delivers personalised ‘music-as-sleep-intervention”’ for anyone with access to a wearable device or smartphone; the technology removes the need for pharmacological interventions for sleep (and anxiety) treatment using tailored sound frequencies that reduce chronic stress on the body, in turn influencing sleep, heart and brain health for people.
People's Choice Prize 1 and 2 are decided by an online public vote
People's Choice First Prize
Mii – Ethan Tien and Laura Wegner
Mii is the passport for your health, allowing doctors to access your past and current patient information in our Electronic Health Records (EHR) system and offering you a consolidated view of your medical data. With impeccable interoperability across all healthcare providers and blockchain integration for unparalleled security, we ensure a seamless and secure healthcare experience for all.
People's Choice Second Prize
Algae Tech – Valerie Fang, Aminaa Ganbagana, Lily Manning, Isabel Walker and Isabella Meltzer
Our project aims to tackle poor indoor-air quality in Sydney and the negative health outcomes this leads to, with a focus on improving air filtration systems in commercial buildings. We propose the use of algae through a photobioreactor as a natural and sustainable solution to filter and purify air in these spaces due to its remarkable ability to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen. This use of algae reflects a wider goal to encourage and add to the movement of implementing regenerative solutions in built environments.