OK RDY Wins iAward for Diversity

Timothy McKay from OK  RDY and
Tom Worthington ANU at AIIA iAwards

Greetings from the AIIA awards. Way back in 2017, I had the pleasure of mentoring a team working on the OK RDY mentoring platform in the Innovation ACT competition. Timothy McKay accepted the iAward for diversity tonight. Good to see OK RDY going from strength to strength.

AIIA iAwards

Dr Catherine Galvin & Tom Worthington 
at iAwards in Adelaide. 

Greetings from Adelaide where I am attending the AIIA iAwards. Dr Catherine Galvin has a team competing for an award and I am mentoring a team of ANU Techlauncher students competing in another category. 

The Deputy Premier of DA is giving the keynote. In this she mentioned the merger of Uni SA and Adelaide Uni. It will be interesting to see what effect the Australian Government's decision to limit international enrollments will have on the merged entity.

Building the Australia Tech Industry in Adelaide

Tom Worthington with the student team:
Ethan Teber-Rossi & Steven Nguyen at Deloitte

Greetings from Deloitte in Adelaide, where a team of ANU Techlauncher students is competing in the national AIIA iAwards. It was only yesterday the students were told that I am not doing the presentation, they are. That required changing the outlook of the presentation to a student perspective, which made it much better. It is is difficult as the students have to talk about their own project, as well as the university's way to deliver experiential education. Ethan Teber-Rossi and Steven Nguyen, from the "FireApp" team in Techlauncher are presenting.

So far nothing strange in Adelaide

Greetings from the State Library of South Australia cafe. In Adelaide for the AIIA iAwards. So far nothing odd has happened. Last time I bumped into the now Vice Chancellor of ANU writing a report for the SA government. On a previous visit I bumped into another professor writing a report on tech development for government. 

On the last occasion I was giving a talk on open source software for submarines and before that inspecting a defence company at a tech park. This time I am mentoring students competing in the iAwards.

What is on in Adelaide in late August?

iAward to ANU Techlauncher

What is on in Adelaide, 28 to 30 August 2024? I will be attending the 2024 National iAwards on 29 August, as on of the teaching team fior the Australian National University's Techlauncher Project which is in the running. Are there any computer or education events on, while I am in town? I would be happy to give a talk, if someone has a venue. My next scheduled speaking engagement is on academic integrity in assessment.

ANU Techlauncher Project Wins IT Industry Award for Education

iAward to ANU Techlauncher

The Australian National University's Techlauncher Project received a merit award in the ACT round of the Australian Information Industry (AIIA) 2024 iAwards. I am honored to be part of the team, which provides work integrated learning for computer students, through projects with real clients. We are now in the running for the national award in Adelaide in August.

Global Think Tank Rankings

Greetings from the Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA) in Canberra, where the 2013 Global Go-To Think Tank Report is being launched. This ranks think tanks on their reputation. There were 29 Australian think tanks considered for the report. The one which appared in the top list most often was the "Lowy Institute for International Policy".

During the launch the comment was made that the rankings are a bit like a children’s birthday party, where everyone wins. That said, Australian think tanks have done well. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute rated 2 on the index for "Think Tanks to Watch". The ANU Strategic & Defence Studies Centre (SDSC) ranked 13 on the "Top Think Tanks in South-east Asia and the Pacific" scale. It was commented that SDCS now has the largest concentration of strategic defence thinkers and historians in Australia.

Top Think Tanks Worldwide (Non-U.S.):

 45. Lowy Institute for International Policy (Australia)
101. Centre for Independent Studies (CIS) (Australia)

Top Think Tanks in Asia and the Pacific (Excluding China, India, Japan, and the Republic of Korea):

 3. Lowy Institute (Australia)
 4. Australian Institute for International Affairs (AIIA) (Australia)
 9. The Centre for Independent Studies (Australia)
13. Strategic and Defense Studies Centre (SDSC) (Australia)
17. Australian Strategic Policy Institute (APSI) (Australia)
56. Grattan Institute (Australia)

Top Environment Think Tanks

30. Australia Institute (TAI) (Australia)

Top Foreign Policy and International Affairs Think Tanks

28. Australian Strategic Policy Institute (APSI) (Australia)
80. Lowy Institute (Australia)

Top International Economic Policy Think Tanks

25. Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA) (Australia)
29. Center for Independent Studies (Australia)
44. Lowy Institute (Australia)

Top Social Policy Think Tanks

43. Grattan Institute (Australia)

Top Think Tanks by Special Achievement

Best Advocacy Campaign

58. Refugee Advocacy Network (Australia)

Best Institutional Collaboration Involving Two or More Think Tanks

26. Australian Strategic Policy Institute and the Brenthurst Foundation (South Africa)
79. Institute for Economics and Peace (Australia)

Best Transdisciplinary Research Program at a Think Tank

34. The Sustainable Economy Program, Centre for Policy Development (Australia)

Best University Affiliated Think Tanks

23. Strategic and Defence Studies Centre (SDSC), Australian National University (ANU) (Australia)
26. Centre for International Security Studies (CISS), The University of Sydney (Australia)
38. Globalisation and Development Centre (GDC), Bond University (Australia)

Best Use of Social Networks

26. Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) (Australia)
28. Lowy Institute for Internatioanl Policy (Australia)

Think Tank to Watch

2. Australian Strategic Policy Institute (Australia)
10. Beyond Zero Emissions (Australia)
54. The Centre for Independent Studies (Australia)
79. Institute for Economics and Peace (Australia)

Think Tanks with the Best External Relations/Public Engagement Program

33. Lowy Institute for International Policy (Australia)

Think Tanks with the Best Use of the Internet

28. Lowy Institute for International Policy (Australia)

Think Tanks with the Best Use of the Media (Print or Electronic)

26. Lowy Institute for International Policy (Australia)

Think Tanks with the Most Significant Impact on Public Policy

42. Lowy Institute for International Policy (Australia)

Think Tanks with Outstanding Policy-Oriented Public Programs

26. Lowy Institute for International Policy (Australia).

Top Think Tanks with Annual Operating Budgets of Less Than $5 Million USD

15. Institute for Economics and Peace (Australia)