Business Systems and Knowledge Modelling Lab

Media Release

Industry collaboration develops internet technologies for e-commerce

Spend summer in the Park, indulge your passion - and get paid for it! That could be the way of the future for the University's top computer science and computer engineering students.

In a twelve-week pilot project, three computer science students - Richard Jones, Peter Donald and Ender Akay - combined their passion for the application of artificial intelligence to electrronic commerce with employment an La Trobe's Research and Development Park at Bundoora.

They worked with one of the tenant companies, Senate Software, on the University's first 'Industry R&D Electronic Commerce Summer Project'.

Project co-ordinator, Dr Rajiv Khosla, said the aim was enhance student learning through hands-on industry experience. 'We also want to build more teaching and reseatch links between the University academic areas and the R&D Park, and encourage other Park tenants to sponsor teaching and research projects'.

Last year, in collaboration with Senate Software, Dr Khosla designed a student project called 'Intelligent Interactive Multimedia System for Electronic Commerce'. Part of the third-year artificial intelligence course, he said this was so successful it more than doubled enrolments in the course.

With the help of funds from the Australian Research Council (ARC) the collaboration with Senate Software also included 'consumer-centered electronic commerce research projects' to develop on-line shopping software.

The Student projects were assessed as part of the course - and the best four teams made presentations to Senate Software. From these, the company selected the winning team for the summer employment scheme.

Managing Director of Senate Software, Mr Cameron Moore, said for twelve weeks the students helped develop 'search engines' - the technology that drives the internet - and other e-commerce related technologies for platforms ranging from computers and television to mobile phones.

'These cutting edge applications include voice-activated query systems for general users, at home or on the move. They are about connecting people with technology through natural languge based query systems', Mr Moore said. 'In other words: ask your equipment a question and get an answer!' Such 'intelligent multimedia technologies could develop a niche in the internet marketplace for the Australian computer software industry, he added.

Launching the venture, La Trobe Deputy-Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Fred Smith, congratulated the three stuidents on their success. He said it was the sort of initiative that could be developed further, perhaps with the aid of an ARC 'SPIRIT' (Strategic Partnership - Industry Research and Training Scheme) grant.

The hands-on experience gained by students involced in this project could result in a number of applied research projects, at honours and master's level, and commercial opportunities for both students and the University', Professor Smith concluded.

– La Trobe Bulletin, April 2000