2023 Innovation Blues Awards Winners named

18 October 2023

An unprecedented number of students from different disciplines have been recognised as outstanding student innovators in the 2023 University of Auckland Blues Awards. Their innovations span everything from solutions to improve brain surgery to interventions to address social isolation in the elderly.

Blues Awards are a university tradition that originated from England. The blue colours of Oxford and Cambridge Universities came to symbolise sporting excellence and the tradition migrated to New Zealand where many universities have adopted the recognition and reward system. At Waipapa Taumata Rau, the University of Auckland, Blues Awards have evolved to recognise excellence in other fields such as Arts and Culture, Service and Leadership, and Innovation.

Innovation Blues Awards applications were reviewed by a panel of senior University of Auckland staff. Finalists were chosen for an outstanding achievement in innovation that had created or enhanced a product, process or system which provides an effective solution to a challenging issue. This could have been in a social, environmental, technological or commercial context. Applications came from students of all study disciplines.

Most Meritorious Innovation award went to Commerce and Laws student Luke Davis, who excelled in three international business case competitions. He secured fourth place at the 2022 Thammasat Undergraduate Business Challenge, third place at the 2023 Champions’ Trophy International Case Competition, and claimed first place, along with the people’s choice award, at the 2023 USC Marshall International Case Competition.

Director of the Business School’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) Darsel Keane says “In today’s fast-paced world characterised by an ever-growing amount of challenges, the University of Auckland is developing and supporting high-potential students out there who are motivated and well-equipped to tackle them. It is wonderful to see the entrepreneurs and innovators of the future and their exceptional achievements recognised through the University of Auckland Blues Awards.”

2023 Innovation Blues recipients

Alex Chenqi Zhuang (Business and Engineering)

Alex and his team achieved top honours in the Australia New Zealand 3M Inspire Challenge. They addressed gender disparity in manufacturing engineering with innovative solutions to empower female students. This accomplishment reflects Alex’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Alireza Sharifzadeh-Kermani (Engineering)

Alireza’s groundbreaking work within the Neurofanos team is transforming tumor resection surgery through AI-driven ‘digital twin’ technology. His advanced image-guided algorithms automatically identify brain structures, a breakthrough that has garnered recognition within the medical community and holds great promise for improving neurosurgical outcomes.

Callum Lee (Business and Engineering)

Callum’s 3rd place finish at the University Technology of Sydney Global Case Competition showcased his prowess in tackling intricate challenges for the Cerebral Palsy Alliance and QBE Insurance. Representing the University of Auckland, his team’s innovative solutions spanned social, environmental, technological, and commercial realms, making a significant impact.

Doris Dong (Business and Law)

Doris and her University of Auckland team achieved 1st place in the National League Business Case Competition, competing against teams from Victoria University of Wellington and the University of Otago. They formulated an innovative strategy for Maestro Pizza, Saudi Arabia’s fastest-growing quick serve restaurant chain, demonstrating their analytical and presentation skills.

Ellie Cammell (Business and Law)

Ellie excelled in case competitions, achieving third place in the University of Auckland’s Champions Trophy and a remarkable first place in the USC Marshall International Case Competition (MICC). She was also recognised as the best speaker, solidifying the University of Auckland’s status as the most successful team in MICC history.

Ellie Xu (Business and Law)

Ellie emerged victorious in the University of New South Wales Trans-Tasman Case Competition 2022, claiming first place for her exceptional strategies in improving the profitability of an Australian instant grocery company, MILKRUN. Her innovative unit economics and automation solutions promise substantial growth and efficiency enhancements for the company.

Emily Hacket Pain (Business and Engineering)

Emily and her team secured first place at the USC Marshall International Case Competition in Los Angeles. Their innovative solution involved a data-sharing platform aimed at democratising and monetising data sharing for Oracle Cerner. Additionally, they took third place in the international Champions Trophy Case Competition in Auckland.

Emma Blackwood (Business and Law)

Emma, alongside her team, achieved remarkable success. They secured first place in the Wellington National League Case Competition. In the Australia New Zealand 3M Inspire Challenge, Emma’s team became the regional champion, and later represented the region in the international finals.

Grace Kerr (Business and Engineering)

Grace and her University of Auckland team achieved 1st place in the National League Business Case Competition, competing against teams from Victoria University of Wellington and the University of Otago. They formulated an innovative strategy for Maestro Pizza, Saudi Arabia’s fastest-growing quick serve restaurant chain, demonstrating their analytical and presentation skills.

Helen Lam (Business and Law)

Helen displayed her expertise by winning a national consulting competition against leading New Zealand universities. Her team devised inventive solutions for a challenging business case, showcasing exceptional innovation in addressing complex problems. This victory underscores their applied knowledge and professional skills.

Hongming Chen (Business)

Hongming and his team at PrintGig have made a groundbreaking impact by introducing aerospace polymers and advanced 3D printing to New Zealand. They overcame challenges to secure machinery and optimize it, becoming the country’s first Aerospace Polymer 3D printing startup.

Honor Kathleen Browne (Arts and Medical and Health Sciences)

Honor and her team won the Association of Pacific Rim Universities x United Nations Social Innovation Competition for Sustainable Development Goal 3. Their innovative approach, emphasising equity and accessibility, earned them recognition from the United Nations. As winners, they attended advanced training and UN sessions in Bangkok, Thailand.

Jasmine Gray (Arts)

Jasmine, co-founder of Let’s Talk Consent, is making strides in combating sexual violence in Aotearoa. Their social enterprise, a 2023 International UN Sustainability Impact Forum Finalist, has progressed significantly since winning Velocity’s 2022 100k Challenge. This youth-driven initiative is challenging hegemonic consent culture.”

Jason Peng (Business and Science)

Jason displayed his expertise by winning a national consulting competition against leading New Zealand universities. His team devised inventive solutions for a challenging business case, showcasing exceptional innovation in addressing complex problems. This victory underscores their applied knowledge and professional skills.

Jason Yang (Engineering)

Jason displayed his expertise by winning a prestigious national consulting competition, competing against leading New Zealand universities. His team devised inventive solutions for a challenging business case, showcasing exceptional innovation in addressing complex problems. This victory underscores their applied knowledge and professional skills.

Jiantao Shen (Engineering)

Jiantao’s groundbreaking work within the Neurofanos team is transforming tumour resection surgery through AI-driven ‘digital twin’ technology. His advanced image-guided algorithms automatically identify brain structures, a breakthrough that has garnered recognition within the medical community and holds great promise for improving neurosurgical outcomes.

Katy Qiu (Business)

Katy excelled in consulting case competitions, securing 3rd place and the best speaker award at the UTS Global Consulting Case Competition, competing against teams worldwide. She also claimed 1st place at the UNSW Trans-Tasman Consulting Case Competition.

Tony Cui (Engineering)

Tony’s groundbreaking work within the Neurofanos team is transforming tumor resection surgery through AI-driven ‘digital twin’ technology. His advanced image-guided algorithms automatically identify brain structures, a breakthrough that has garnered recognition within the medical community and holds great promise for improving neurosurgical outcomes.

Travis Palmer (Business and Law)

Travis and his University of Auckland team achieved 1st place in the National League Business Case Competition, competing against teams from Victoria University of Wellington and the University of Otago. They formulated an innovative strategy for Maestro Pizza, Saudi Arabia’s fastest-growing quick serve restaurant chain, demonstrating their analytical and presentation skills.

Trinayan Krishnan (Arts)

Trinayan represented the University of Auckland at the USC Marshall International Case Competition (MICC). His team developed a groundbreaking data-sharing platform for Oracle Cerner, earning them the people’s choice and first place awards. With four wins, this victory established the University of Auckland as the most successful university at MICC.