Microsoft NZ renews partnership with the University

Microsoft™ New Zealand renews its partnership with the University of Canterbury and NZi3 for a second year

Microsoft New Zealand has announced the renewal of its public private partnership with the University of Canterbury and NZi3 (New Zealand ICT Innovation Institute) for a second year and has increased the length and number of Microsoft New Zealand Research Internship Awards on offer at the University.

“We are delighted that Microsoft has renewed its partnership with the University of Canterbury and reinforced its belief in the need for a world-class educational centre of excellence in the region,” said University of Canterbury Vice-Chancellor, Dr Rod Carr. “We are committed to providing UC students with opportunities for work-related experiences as part of their undergraduate degree programme. Successfully participating in internships with companies such as Microsoft is a means by which UC graduates can establish themselves as ready for the global marketplace where they will make their mark as future professionals.”

Paul Muckleston, Managing Director of Microsoft New Zealand, said Microsoft was committed to helping students and education providers reach their full potential. During his visit, Paul also met with Stephen Fitchett, the first recipient of the Microsoft NZ Research Internship Award launched last year.

Stephen spent two and a half months working at the Microsoft Asia Research Labs in Beijing, with Stephen’s research mentor in Beijing describing him as the most capable intern he has worked with during his time at the lab. “Stephen has completed a first-class internship and his two and a half-month project is set to have a great impact,” said Dr Darren Edge of Microsoft Research in Beijing. “Stephen should be proud of the work he has done here and I am confident that Stephen has a very successful research career ahead of him". Stephen travelled to the UIST conference (User Interface Software Technology) in Santa Barbara, California in October 2011 as part of the Microsoft NZ Research Intern Award.

This year the Microsoft NZ Research Internship Award recipients will be hosted in Washington at the Redmond Research Lab. The lab hosts researchers from around the world including Cambridge, England; Beijing, China; and San Francisco, California who come to collaborate closely with teams and other researchers on site. The Microsoft New Zealand Research Internship Awards have been extended to accommodate two successful UC applicants for three to six month internships. Applications for the Microsoft NZ Research Internship Awards open tomorrow (30 November 2011).

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