Adelaide University Internship Experience - Tien Trang My Au
Welcome Tien!
Tien Trang My Au joined our SAcommunity Data Analytics Team for her University of Adelaide SET (Sciences, Engineering and Technology) Internship for her Bachelor of Information Technology Semester 2, 2024: 13 August 2024 - 2024.
She is completing a 140 hour internship onsite with SAcommunity at the Connecting Up Office, Infoxchange for 2 days (15 hours) a week for ~10 weeks around her classes.
Total Hours 102 Joined 13 August 2024 Last Check-in 11 September 2024
Personal Biography
Tien is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Information Technology at the University of Adelaide. She has gained knowledge in machine learning, web development, self-driving cars, robotic vision, and image recognition. Additionally, she is proficient in using enterprise data and AI tools for advanced data analysis and productivity improvement. Tien also serves as an Academic Integrity Ambassador at the university, where she is actively involved in promoting a culture of academic integrity through peer support, education, and engagement.
She is interning at Connecting Up to gain local, practical experience in data analytics and to apply her skills and talents in a professional office environment by updating organizations and working on the community services data project. Additionally, she aims to further improve her communication skills and expand her professional networks.
Tien plans to pursue a career in the software/technology industry as a data scientist. She is also interested in using artificial intelligence to accurately analyze cancer treatment data in order to determine the effectiveness of treatments based on specific patient cases.
Community Services in Councils Project
Tien has selected The Adelaide Plains Council for her Power BI council report, a database of approximately 104 community service operating in the area for the financial years 2021-2022, 2022-2023, and 2023-2024. Her reports follow previous visualisation report work undertaken by Hang Zhang, Stathis Avramis & Renu Bala, and her completed reports can be found >>here.
There are a number of steps involved once community service information data presentations are created, a summary of data trends prepared, work is attributed and published to the website, and then will be introduced by Tien to council stakeholders by phone and email to be used as a tool to understand community needs in their area.
Discussing the 5-years comparison PowerBi report with Rajkarthick Raju
Work experience - Internal and External Events, Connections and Networks
Volunteers and interns are encouraged to attend monthly SAcommunity Team meetings, Connecting Up staff meetings, as well as quarterly all-staff Infoxchange Town Hall meetings to understand more about the organisation as a whole.
Organisation-wide news, events and projects are communicated through the staff channels, with weekly CEO Updates from David Spriggs. Informal 'Lunch and Learn' educational sessions, and network meetings create connections with staff. Whilst peer-to-peer training or capacity building and telephone techniques training allow for networking with other volunteers. Interns are also given opportunities to attend stakeholder and partner events as they arise.
Relevant meetings and training sessions Tien has attended include:
Telephone Techniques: Alexander Bull practicing in pairs with Tien Trang My Au
Training and Development - Telephone Techniques
Telephone techniques follow on with email and communication techniques, to assist Data Analytics Team members with understanding more about the directory and data collection methods, in data cleaning and updating their individual dataset information, and, in finally introducing and presenting their data reports to council stakeholders. There are several telephone techniques meetings, as with the student's elevator pitches, practice makes perfect.
Connecting Up Monthly Staff Meeting 10 September 2024
The Head of Connecting Up, kicked off the meeting by inviting representatives from each department to provide updates. He encouraged them to share the progress of ongoing projects, outline any challenges they were facing, and highlight any new initiatives. This approach promoted a collaborative atmosphere, fostering open dialogue and giving team members the opportunity to offer insights and propose solutions.
Connecting Up Monthly Staff Meetings
Mentor Meeting
Connecting Up Volunteers and Interns are provided with the opportunity to select staff members from across the wider Infoxchange organisation for an informational mentor meeting. Here they have the opportunity to ask more about staff members job roles and employment journey, and learn about their career and professional development, to gain insights and guidance that can be applied towards their own success.
Volunteers and interns both prepare 5 questions for their mentors and then are encouraged to record 5 aspects they felt were helpful for them to share on their portfolio for both themselves and other volunteers, and Tien shared her experience in meeting Michael Adams, Team Lead - Web Applications at Infoxchange.
Practice is key to enhancing our skills. Michael shared that his curiosity has been a driving force in his 18-year journey in web application development. He emphasized that being curious about how things work and why they function that way has greatly contributed to his growth. Curiosity can inspire exploration and innovation, helping professionals stay ahead in a rapidly evolving field.
In the tech industry, staying updated with the latest trends and tools is crucial. When we find something we are passionate about, we are more willing to learn new languages and technologies. This mindset of continuous inquiry is essential for anyone looking to advance in tech.
In addition to experience, networking plays a vital role in securing a tech job. Moreover, effective communication continues to be essential even after obtaining the position. Michael, a Web Application Team Lead, shared valuable insights on how to communicate effectively within a team and collaborate with colleagues to develop a successful product.
With the rapid development of AI, Michael believes that AI will primarily serve as a tool to enhance developer efficiency rather than replace human roles in web development. According to him, AI can help developers complete tasks more quickly and effectively, but it is unlikely to replace the need for human involvement in the development process. AI is a valuable resource that can assist with repetitive tasks, coding suggestions, and problem-solving, but the creativity, critical thinking, and decision-making required in web development will still rely heavily on human developers.
IX Lunch & Learn Sessions
Launch of the IX Way on 12 August 2024
Jo Davies, Chief Operating Officer & Jenna Bertieri, People and Culture Change Manager presented the launch of the IX Way during a Lunch & Learn session. In the pre-hybrid world of work, our identity and culture were imprinted in our physical offices and presence. The cues for our values, goals, attitudes, and practices came across in everything we did. Hybrid work has made this more challenging, with our culture being harder to define through virtual connection
At Infoxchange they are committed to creating a culture that balances working together with working flexibly. Given the importance of social connection, collaboration, and accountability in the hybrid work world, they consider the needs of our organisation, our customers, our teams and each person. Their ways of working sets the parameters of hybrid work and highlight our common experiences and where they should take place, whilst acknowledging that it may look different for different people.
The key takeaway from IX Way is that it aims to provide a common purpose, approach, and a shared understanding of life at Infoxchange for all employees and people who work on behalf of Infoxchange. It guides our culture, our ways of working, our interactions, and how we live our values.
Innovation at Infoxchange on 25 September 2024
Jo Davies, COO of Infoxchange, gave a presentation on innovation, explaining that it goes beyond creativity and can take many forms, including incremental, disruptive, and radical innovation. She used examples like razor design for incremental innovation, Airbnb and Netflix for disruptive, and smartphones for radical innovation.
Jo highlighted how Andrew Mahar, Infoxchange's founder, innovated in the 1990s by creating the first online crisis accommodation register to help the homeless. Similarly, the SAcommunity directory transitioned from print to online, marking a key innovation.
The most valuable takeaway was the 3 Horizons model, which helps manage innovation in three stages: Now, Near Term, and Future. Jo linked this to the 70/20/10 Principle, advocating for 70% focus on current operations, 20% on growth, and 10% on new ideas. This framework resonated with me as a way to structure my career plans and balance immediate priorities with long-term goals.
Health & Wellbeing Webinar - Foods to Boost Your Mood on 20 August 2024
Elaine Fox, Head of Product and Innovation at Healthworks, shared insights on how diet can influence mood during a recent webinar. She emphasized that a holistic dietary approach can significantly enhance emotional well-being. Elaine recommended a diet rich in plant-based and minimally processed foods, including fruits, vegetables, and moderate amounts of high-quality proteins like seafood, lean meats, and dairy. She also shared practical tips for improving mood, such as eating five servings of vegetables, two servings of fruit, and incorporating Omega-3 fats from fish and nuts.
Elaine discussed the allure of hyper-palatable foods, which are high in calories but low in nutrition. These foods can temporarily boost mood but often lead to a cycle of cravings and overconsumption, negatively impacting long-term health.
The webinar offered valuable insights into how dietary choices affect emotional and physical health, encouraging me to rethink my current diet for improved well-being.
Digital Training & Development
Volunteers and interns have access to the Connecting Up Digital Learning Platform providing live webinars and recorded webinars, workshops and webcons presented by subject-matter experts to understand more about a range of technology topics for the not-for-profit sector.
Relevant training sessions were selected, attended, summarised and assessed by Tien to look at how these sessions can enhance her internship experience have included:
Learn how to build your own custom AI assistant
Tien Au Certificate of Completion
The "Build your own Copilot" webinar highlights the rapid adoption of generative AI technology, with predictions that by 2026, 30% of work activities will be conversationally enabled. The presentation introduces the concept of a copilot as an AI-powered assistant that helps humans with complex cognitive tasks. Microsoft Copilot aims to empower various end users across different roles, from sales and software development to customer service and security operations.
To facilitate the creation of custom copilot experiences, Microsoft introduces Copilot Studio, an end-to-end conversational AI platform. This tool allows users to build, customize, and manage copilots, integrating with various Microsoft AI technologies and the Power Platform suite. The presentation outlines the process of designing copilot experiences, from creation and data integration to publishing and improvement based on telemetry. It also emphasizes the importance of responsible AI principles in copilot development.
My key takeaways from the winclude the transformative potential of AI-powered copilots in various business scenarios, the accessibility of tools like Copilot Studio for building custom AI experiences. The message is clear: organizations have a significant opportunity to lead in AI transformation by leveraging these tools to create tailored, intelligent assistants that can enhance productivity and decision-making across various business functions.
Getting Started with Data: Fundamentals, strategies and setting up quick wins
Tien Au Certificate of Completion
The "Getting Started with Data" webinar aimed to help not-for-profit organizations leverage data to enhance operations, demonstrate impact, and align with their mission. It emphasized that a data strategy must serve the organization’s purpose and integrate with its business goals.
Key takeaways include:
- Align data strategy with organizational goals.
- Gather insights from leadership through stakeholder interviews.
- Analyze findings to identify key themes and data goals.
- Review existing data to assess availability and gaps.
- Use these insights to prioritize data projects and strategies.
The webinar highlighted the value of "quick wins"—simple data projects that deliver immediate benefits—demonstrating the impact of data initiatives. Finally, it stressed the importance of identifying the purpose, audience, and issues for data reports to effectively analyze and present findings.
Coffee break on us! Mental Health Awareness
Yong Kheng Beh Visits Connecting Up with Q&A 16 October 2024
Yong Kheng Beh Visits Connecting Up for Q & A 16 October 2024: Tien, Jason, Yong Kheng, Eily, Todd, Lily, Ivy, Estefania Perez Carvajal, Kurinji Arivazhagan, Shoaib, Aaron
We want to congratulate Yong Kheng Beh on her new job as a Software Developer at YourAnswer! It was great to have her visit Connecting Up on October 16, 2024. During her time with us, she shared the exciting news and answered our questions about her university experiences, industry projects, and AI. As interns, we felt lucky to connect with her and learn from her. Yong Kheng gave us useful insights into both school and work life. Her stories about her previous project with Connecting Up inspired us and showed us how important teamwork and learning from each other are. Her visit left us feeling motivated and eager to use the knowledge she shared.
