Venture & Coders For Causes lead a Generative AI industry partnership with Microsoft & Wesfarmers!

Venture, the UWA Student Guild’s Student Innovation Centre, has partnered with student club, Coders for Causes, to present WHACK a week-long Hackathon, sponsored by Microsoft and Wesfarmers, that uses Generative AI to solve real-world problems commencing Monday 4th September 2023.

Students will be given exclusive access to cutting-edge Microsoft tools, GitHub Copilot Enterprise and Azure OpenAI, to solve real challenges faced by Wesfarmers Chemicals, Energy & Fertilisers (WesCEF). Over the course of the week, students will work in teams of six to develop their solutions, receiving mentorship and coaching from WesCEF developers and Microsoft technology specialists along the way.

Artificial Intelligence and automation are changing the future of work as we know it and we want to ensure that UWA Students know how to use, implement and understand these tools.

This is the first time an opportunity quite like this has been offered to university students. The UWA Students involved will have access to the newest Generative AI technology, the ability to build industry networks and the opportunity to develop skills, such as analytical thinking, problem solving and creativity, all required for the future of work.

The Hackathon will close with a Pitch Night on Friday, September 8 where students present their solutions to a panel of judges consisting of Microsoft’s CTO (Chief Technology Officer) as well as Directors from other Wesfarmers divisions including Covalent Lithium and Kleenheat. Students will be judged based on the innovation of their idea, technical implementation and the quality of their pitch.

This collaborative hackathon is leading in WA’s Generative AI space and we invite members of the UWA community, whether staff, student or alumni, to attend the Pitch Night and see first hand the solutions teams have generated.

The Pitch Night will be hosted on Friday, September 8 at 6:00pm in EZONE Student Hub: [ 210] Giumelli Learning Studio 4. If you are interested in attending or would like to learn more about the Hackathon, please email venture@guild.uwa.edu.au