Van Lang and Tasmanian students (Australia) conquered the "Hackathon for Sustainable Development" competition

Continuing the Uniconnect SDGs Hackathon series of activities, on the morning of January 23, 2023, the Faculty of Environment collaborated with the University of Tasmania (Australia) to organize the final round of "Hackathon for Sustainable Development"- a competition to seek for students' innovative ideas about sustainable development.

Within the framework of the competition, students from the two parties teamed up to develop project ideas based on practical experiences gained during their tours and travels through Vietnam. Each team gradually formed its own story when researching and interviewing small businesses, tourists, and shoppers at Ben Thanh Market, Tan Dinh Market, and other locations to generate ideas for competition projects.

Selecting a variety of topics and proposing many creative and practical solutions, for example, replacing plastic bags with paper bags made from banana stems and seaweed or developing education projects for the community, etc.

Associate Professor Dr. Tran Thi My Dieu, President of Van Lang University, shared: "We are witnessing a journey that connects students from two universities, allowing them to learn from and inspire one another. The contest is a practical program allowing young people to present creative and competitive sustainable development proposals and providing many valuable lessons for them."

Ms. Sarah Hooper, Australian Consul General, declared: “Sustainable development has always been a global concern. I am honored to stand here and observe your academic accomplishments, contribution to community involvement, and personal development. Hopefully, after receiving feedback from the Organizing Committee, students will have more opportunities to develop themself.”

Going through the idea presentation round with excellent answers to challenging questions from the committees, student group including Le Thi Thanh Nhi, Course 28, Faculty of Public Relations - Communications; Ngo Hoang Dung, Course 27, Faculty of Fine Arts & Design; Collins, Matthias Griffin; Harrison, Kai Salem; Stern, Silke Annette, University of Tasmania students, won the competition's highest prize.

The remaining awards went to the following student teams:

Second prize: Team 5 (Lo Thi Nhu Thuy, Nguyen Thuy Quynh, Course 29, Faculty of Public Relations - Communications; Nguyen Le Anh Tuan, Course 27, Faculty of Public Relations - Communications; McNee, Callum Robert; Richman, Chloe Elizabeth – student at the University of Tasmania)

Third prize: Team 12 (Nguyen Duc Hong An, Course 28, Faculty of Public Relations - Communications; Nguyen Ngoc Tue Giang, Course 27, Faculty of Architecture; Davies, Amber Elle; Everett, Samantha Jane; Shannon, Isabella May, students University of Tasmania)

Consolation prize: Team 10 (Ho My Uyen, Course 27, Faculty of Commerce; Nguyen Minh Chinh - Course 27, Faculty of Information Technology; McRobbie, Isabella Mae; Phelps, Noah Jack; Rollinson, Henry Lucien - University of Tasmania students) and Team 13 (Nguyen Dinh Khang, Course 28, Faculty of Public Relations - Communications; Nguyen Le Van Khanh, Course 26, Faculty of Fine Arts & Design; Smith, Casey Elizabeth; White, Spencer Alexander; O'Donnell, Sharon Michelle; Price, Harry Lincoln Arthur – student at University of Tasmania)

Following this result, the University of Tasmania will select three candidates from Van Lang University to participate in a 12-day short-term exchange course in Australia, with full scholarships sponsored by the University of Tasmania.

The University of Tasmania is the 4th oldest university in Australia, welcoming more than 38,000 students, including about 6,500 international students from 100 different countries around the world. The University of Tasmania ranked 251-300th according to THE WUR rankings 2024 and 5th according to THE Impact Rankings 2023.

News: Thanh Tam
Photos: Khanh Ho – Trung Tin