Scholarship students work on exciting real world projects

Under the guidance of mentor, Bryn Lewis (OC 1984), a group of four Year 13 Digital Technology Scholarship students are creating some exciting projects which have the potential to make a positive impact in real world applications.

Two of the students, Grace Kempthorne and Joe Mundy, are building solutions for animal welfare using artificial intelligence, working in conjunction with Livestock Visibility Solutions, a local company which focuses on the use of AI in agriculture.

Grace’s project is aimed at the poultry industry to ensure the well-being of baby chickens, which are unable to regulate their body temperature for the first couple of weeks after they are born. Using a combination of artificial intelligence and mathematics, Grace’s solution aims to detect whether the chickens are cold and clustering together, or hot and sprawling on the floor, allowing farmers to intervene.

Joe’s project is to ensure the well-being of milking cows and staff. His focus is on the use of AI and skeletal models to determine the milkers’ pose, and how this might be potentially putting the milker and cow at risk of injury.

Aaron Moore and James Hart, both strong mathematicians, are working together on the third project, using mathematics and coding to value foreign currency forwards. Their work will be used to validate a possible way to improve the software of Hedgebook, a New Zealand company with global clients, which specialises in managing foreign currency deals.

Bryn has worked in the industry since 1988, and is one of only two people in Australia and New Zealand to be named as a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional who specialises in the Internet of Things. He has mentored at St Andrew’s in various technology roles for several years. Since the start of 2024, he has visited the four Scholarship students a couple of times each week in their Year 13 Digital Technology class with teacher, Phil Adams, and is impressed by their work.

“It’s fantastic to see the students working on real world projects, which are helping them to gain industry connections and experience and will be an impressive addition to their university applications.”

Bryn contracts to both Hedgebook and Livestock Visibility Solutions, where two additional Old Collegians feature prominently – Graham Robertson (OC 1961) the firm’s lead investor, and Bryan Inch (OC 1980) its Chairman of the Board.

“Both Graham and Bryan are keen on getting students involved in the tech side of agriculture, while Hedgebook CTO, Ian Ross, and I would love to see more young women getting involved in the technology sector,” says Bryn.

Livestock Visibility Solutions Board Chair, Bryan Inch, sees a lot of value working with St Andrew’s students on these types of projects, and is keen to continue to foster the relationship. “As a business focused on people and animal welfare, we greatly appreciate the input of the very talented students who are getting a feel for real industry issues facing agricultural production and helping create solutions where computers and cameras are able to do tasks better and more consistently than people. Their work takes lots of skill, patience, and guidance by Bryn.”