AITC Update
Published in the RSAA Lunations
Vol1 Issue54 1–31 August 2024
As of 25 July, three Masters' students—Qinqi (Belinda) Gu, Simant Gupta, and Xinyi (Tyra) Xie—have commenced their internships at AITC as part of a pilot collaboration program between AITC and the College of Business and Economics (CBE).
The growing scope of AITC’s business operations underscores the importance of efficient and adaptable management. Instrumentation projects at AITC inherently require close collaboration among astronomers, instrument scientists, and engineers across various disciplines, including optics, mechanics, electronics, software, and systems engineering. However, workload distribution among project team members is often uneven, with individuals experiencing fluctuating demands. Therefore, it is crucial for AITC to effectively manage workloads across all disciplines to ensure the steady progress of all projects.
Over the years, AITC has implemented strategies and mechanisms to address these challenges through daily practices. However, as the number and complexity of projects continue to rise, these systems are increasingly strained. In early 2024, I was fortunate to be matched with Professor Steven Roberts, Dean of CBE, as my mentor through the ANU mentoring program. Our discussions initially focused on the management of technology development, and naturally, the conversation evolved to the management challenges AITC is currently facing. This led to my interest in the CBE Internship Program.
As a pilot initiative, I submitted a project to the program and successfully recruited three outstanding Masters' students: Belinda, Simant, and Tyra. They are currently working closely with AITC’s Technical Director Roger Haynes, Systems Engineering Discipline Lead David Brodrick, and Project Management Lead Jennifer Burgess.
Their task is to map the existing workflows between disciplines, assess the project management practices at AITC, and identify lessons learned. Last week, they submitted their initial task proposals and will spend the next three months consulting staff, analysing outcomes and suggesting improvements. They will be with us until October and will be onsite every Thursday. It is not often we have business students on site, so please say hello when you see them and make them feel welcomed!
Nian Jiang (Jenny)
Image: CBE interns (L-R Tyra, Belinda and Simant)
