Double success for Computer Society Cup

Georgia Anderson and Jay Perera of  Albany’s Massey University are the joint recipients of this year’s New Zealand Computer Society Cup.

It is the first time in 13 years that the Cup, awarded to the Information Technology student with the highest grade point average (GPA) from the previous year, has been jointly presented to two students.

“Both Georgia and Jay had fantastically high GPAs, and it is a great pleasure to be able to present them each with a cup and a certificate,” Paul Watters, Professor of Information Technology, says. The Professor, who presented the Cups to the students, says it was impossible to choose between the candidates as their scores were so close.

Anderson is from Albany, and is majoring in Information Technology. She is currently seeking a full time graduate IT position, and is in the process of completing a SQL Server course.

Perera is from Devonport, and is majoring in Software Engineering. He is concurrently studying a Masters of Management at Massey University and a Masters of Software Engineering at Auckland University. He hopes to carry on to complete a PhD in artificial intelligence.

Recipients have their names engraved on the Cup, which is displayed in the engineering building alongside a poster featuring previous winners. Each recipient also receives a smaller replica cup and certificate.

Previous recipients of the Computer Society Cup include Dr Teo Susnjak in 2004, who now lectures in Information Technology at Albany, and Zeald co-founder Brent Kelly in 2000.

Local firms are keen to snap up good IT students, says David Parsons, Associate Professor in Information Technology.  Past graduates will often return to the University to talk to current students about their careers and working environments.

“We give our students a good grounding in information technology — we cover all the important things that stand them in good stead when they go into the workforce — and it’s great to hear when they discover everything slots into place.

“We also keep in contact with them, providing references and get some great feedback on their experience with us. It is also really rewarding to see students carry on with further study as this is such a rapidly changing field.”