School of ICT Connect & Collaborate Expo 2025 (Semester 2)
The School's second showcase had twice as many projects as the first: 20 student teams, industry panels, a research poster session with quick-fire chats with researchers, and evening lightning talks.
About this event
The University of Tasmania (UTAS) School of ICT hosted its Semester 2 Connect & Collaborate Expo on Tuesday 28 October 2025 at the Studio Theatre and Stanley Burbury Theatre, University Centre, Sandy Bay Campus, Hobart. The event featured a daytime program from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM and an evening session from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM.
Building on the success of the Semester 1 showcase, the expo brought together 20 Bachelor's and Master's student project teams, industry representatives, researchers, university staff, alumni, and current and prospective students. The event showcased student achievements, industry collaboration, and opportunities for research and professional engagement.
Students presented final-semester projects developed in collaboration with industry clients, demonstrating how ICT knowledge and technical skills could be applied to practical challenges. Featured projects included Student Information ChatBot (UTAS ICT CourseMate), an IBM watsonx-powered chatbot designed to assist students with course and enrolment information; Paramedic Insights, a React and .NET visual analytics dashboard for identifying trends in controlled drug records; TechMate TAS, a Flutter and Firebase mobile application connecting students and technology professionals through events, job opportunities, and community information; and Brainy Hacks, a collection of adaptive brain-training games developed for children with learning difficulties.
Alongside the student project demonstrations, the expo featured games, graphics, and mixed reality projects. Strategic panel discussions explored the role of ICT in addressing challenges related to education, climate, and productivity. A research poster session, presented through a speed-dating format, provided opportunities for attendees to engage with ICT researchers and explore potential research collaborations.
The evening program included lightning talks covering artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and gaming. Open to the public, these sessions encouraged knowledge sharing and discussion among students, researchers, industry professionals, and members of Tasmania's wider technology community.
Event organiser Dr Lindsay Wells highlighted the strong participation of industry representatives, alumni, and current and prospective students. His contribution to organising and leading the expo was also recognised through the School's Outstanding Contribution to the School's Reputation award.
For UTAS ICT students, the expo provided opportunities to present their technical achievements, demonstrate teamwork and problem-solving skills, communicate with industry professionals, and explore future career pathways. It also highlighted the importance of industry-connected projects, research engagement, and professional networking in preparing students for careers in the ICT sector.
References
- LinkedIn – Dr Lindsay Wells, School of ICT Connect & Collaborate Expo 2025 www.linkedin.com
- LinkedIn – Dr Lindsay Wells, Expo Preparation www.linkedin.com
- LinkedIn – Dr Lindsay Wells, Expo Reflection www.linkedin.com
- LinkedIn – Yu Wang, UTAS ICT CourseMate Project Experience www.linkedin.com
What students built
Student Information ChatBot (UTAS ICT CourseMate)
An IBM watsonx Orchestrate and Watson Discovery chatbot that helps ICT students explore course outlines, enrolment and unit questions before they enrol.
Ali Raza, Chen Xi, Hoang Giang Nguyen, Roshani Ghimire, Yu Wang, Yihang Cui
Paramedic Insights
A visual analytics dashboard, built with React and .NET, that helps ambulance services spot risky trends in controlled drug records.
Aryan Bhattarai, Chantelle Kapofu, Chengyang Huang, Jackie Koo, Nathan Mullins, Valin Raika
TechMate TAS
A Flutter and Firebase mobile app for ACS Tasmania that connects students and tech professionals with events, jobs and a community noticeboard.
Rakin Ahmad, Prashant Subedi, Yagya Raj Bhatta, Xuanyi Ren, Najmul Udddin, Savani Ravikumar, Md Muakchear Uddin
Brainy Hacks
Brain training mobile games for the Skylight Program that help children with learning difficulties build cerebellar skills through adaptive gameplay.
Sanzida Rahman Athoy, Md Eshtyak Rahman Abir, Kanglin Wang, Jack Luttrell, Donglong Wu, Chen Gao
What students said on LinkedIn
Student reflections and posts from the event.
Lindsay Wells invites everyone to the School of ICT Connect & Collaborate Expo on Tuesday 28 October. After May's success, this one has twice as many student projects plus research posters, lightning talks and panels on education, climate and productivity, and it is a chance to start research or project collaborations. Registration is free.
A look at setting up the day before the Connect & Collaborate Expo, which was shaping up to be much bigger than May's event. Lindsay Wells invites people to drop in between 11am and 2pm at the University Centre; registration is free.
Lindsay Wells thanks everyone who attended the Connect & Collaborate Expo in October, which drew industry members, alumni, and current and future students. The post credits the organising team and Head of School Nicole Herbert, and highlights the graduating students' projects, research from HDR and honours students, and panels on education, climate and productivity.
Yu Wang's team showcased their final-year project, the UTAS ICT CourseMate Chatbot, which helps prospective Bachelor and Master's ICT students explore courses before enrolling. It draws on UTAS FAQs and course content, demonstrates timetable changes with simulated data, and was built in twelve weeks with Scrum using IBM watsonx Orchestrate, IBM Discovery and React.
Photo Booth
"Beyond the final product, this journey taught us how to grow both as a team and as individuals."
— Yu Wang · Master of IT and Systems student