NECA Electrotechnology School Student Awards

Tuesday, 01 December, 2009

Six secondary school students were presented with a cash prize and industry recognition at the NECA 2009 Electrotechnology School Student Awards for their outstanding electrotechnology projects completed during the year.

Open to students enrolled in years 9, 10, 11 and 12 at a secondary school or in a VET program in Australia, the awards recognise students who have excelled in their electrotechnology studies or demonstrated a commitment to the industry.

The awards were sponsored by NHP Electrical Engineering Products with NHP representatives Alastair Dwyer and Wes Cassidy on the award judging panel. They were joined by NECA Victoria President and convenor of the judging panel, Wes McKnight, and Dr Bill Petreski.

James Tinslay, NECA National CEO, said: “It is terrific to see so many young people with exceptional skills and knowledge in the field of electrotechnology coming through our schools. They represent the future of our industry at a time when we are experiencing severe skills shortages. Judging by the quality of their work, there is every possibility that in time they will also become our industry leaders in their own right. Each winner is warmly congratulated and strongly encouraged to pursue their career in the industry.”

The winners and runners-up for this year’s awards are:

Innovation Awards
- Winner: Mark Pagnan, Year 10 at Colo High School, North Richmond NSW for Wireless water trough monitoring system.
- Second place: Meghan Batcheldor, Year 12 at Wagga Christian College, Wagga Wagga NSW for Homemade solar cell.
- Equal third place: Keegan Palverino, Year 10 at Pacific Lutheran College, Meridan Plains Queensland for Sorting blocks on an assembly line testing platform.
- Equal third place: Dominic Zielinski, Year 12 at Catholic Regional College, Sydenham Victoria for Remote control amphibious vehicle
Industry Commitment Awards
- Winner: Callum Stewart, Year 11 at Girton Grammar School, Bendigo Victoria.
- Second place: Adam Baxter, Year 10 at Epping Boys High School, Eastwood NSW.