Launch Pad welcomes students to its new campus for Welcome Week
Launch Pad Welcomes Students to its New Campus for Welcome Week
Launch Pad welcomed hundreds of students on campus earlier this month as part of Western’s new ‘Welcome Week’ event, connecting students to a solid support network and assisting them in navigating university life. It was amazing to see everyone get their Western pride on, listen to live music and explore the various support services, academic information sessions, and campus groups available here at Western Sydney University.
Despite the rain and crazy weather, it was delightful to have students and staff learn about what we do at Launch Pad, the programs we offer, give out freebies and have students partake in our Holo Lens and VR challenges happening upstairs on Level 1 – Launch Pad’s home base.
Students also learned about the Venture Makers program, which provides a series of premium quality innovation challenges and training opportunities. Co-designed and co-delivered through our industry partners, Venture Makers assists students’ work readiness and entrepreneurial skills such as design thinking as they engage in trans-disciplinary experiences during their studies.
Don Wright, Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Western Sydney University, said the vibrant, activity-packed event allowed new and returning domestic and international students at the university to get to know one another before the semester began.
“Launch Pad offers opportunities for all Western students to learn about entrepreneurship and how they can apply that knowledge to build their own side-hustle or start-up,” said Mr Wright.
Welcome week is the first time students have been able to return to campus in full swing, explore the new campus at the Parramatta Engineering Innovation Hub, and learn about the onsite facilities such as our Makerspace, which enable students to access rapid fabrication equipment to produce their own prototypes and design projects.
“After the year we’ve had so far, it’s been really amazing to see the building filled with students wanting to explore our new campus where they’ll be studying for the next few years. And at the same time showcasing the Launch Pad Incubator on level 1. We hope to see more students engaging with Launch Pad in 2022,” said Mabel Joe, Community and Operations Officer at Launch Pad.
James said He was “happy, eager, and ready for a fresh start” after attending Welcome Week and Orientation to kick off his university journey. Other students were just happy to be back on campus in person.
“It was great to see so many students eager to participate in the AR and VR activities we set up for Welcome Week. It seemed to be a fun way for new students to bond and get to know each other whilst experimenting with awesome technology that most had never used before,” said Amy Wright, Media Production Assistant at Launch Pad.
Launch Pad looks forward to seeing students activate the space this month alongside Engineers without Borders, Solar Car and the Women in STEM Education (WiSE) Program.