STEM

St Monica’s Students Innovate at GoIT STEM Work Experience

During Term 4, four students from St Monica’s College proudly participated in the Go Innovate (GoIT) STEM Work Experience program hosted by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). This highly selective initiative is designed to inspire girls to explore careers in STEM by offering hands-on experience in digital innovation and real-world problem solving.

Among the participants were Lily Li, Fiona Nelson, Sahasra Dharmavarapu, and Angela James. Angela and Sahasra’s team collaborated with students from other schools to address a challenge presented by Melbourne Water. The task focused on improving communication around service disruptions caused by outages or maintenance issues that often go unnoticed by remote users due to email-only notifications.

Angela’s group, which included Sahasra and Vlada, began by brainstorming ideas before developing a solution called Aqua Alert. This app was designed to provide real-time visibility into service health and ensure that users are promptly informed of disruptions. Key features included a live map, branded notifications, alarm-style alerts with mute and mark-as-read options, and a persistent notification bar. The app would be accessible to authorised users, function both online and offline, and include a history feature for reviewing past alerts. A web version was also proposed.

Sahasra reflected on the collaborative nature of the project, noting how the team overcame initial unfamiliarity to deliver a cohesive pitch. Their group’s final presentation, delivered to a panel including Melbourne Water staff, showcased Aqua Alert as a centralised platform for rapid communication. Additional features included offline notifications via SMS/MMS, synchronised sensors, auditable records, grouped security, and a realistic budget and timeline.

The experience provided both students with valuable skills in teamwork, project design, and public speaking. Sahasra expressed gratitude to the College and TCS for the opportunity to learn and grow in a professional setting.

We acknowledge the support of Ms Carla Papa (Careers), who thoroughly prepared the students for this professional experience. Students interested in future STEM work experience opportunities are encouraged to check the student bulletin for updates and application details.

Mr S Bagh

Senior Teacher (Future Technologies, STEM Education)