Microsoft Student Partners

As I am the newest WA MSP I figured the best place to start is to introduce myself.

My name is Mitchell Sullivan, I am currently studying Information Technology at Curtin University. I work for a web development company called Nutworks. Nutworks is the company behind Loconut, a WA based website which incorporates social networking. Nutworks is also responsible for many external projects as well and our tool of choice is Asp.Net.

I decided to become a MSP after seeing the great work the other WAMSP people did last year and as I am part of the Curtin University computing social club (ComSSA) it would be easier for me to execute events. The fact that there are so many perks also helps greatly but I really was unprepared for all the additional perks introduced for this year’s partners.

That’s a long enough introduction for a person you probably don’t want to know that much about.

These are exciting times for technology, for Microsoft and to be a MSP and I shall be posting here regularly about all of those.

Mitchell
Curtin MSP

DreamSpark is now available to any university student who has an edu.au E-mail address.

DreamSpark is a program that gives university students access to 100% free software, including Window Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008 along with others.

DreamSpark together with the It’s Not Cheating program empowers students to reach their potential with awesome free tools.

Even better, very soon all TAFE students will also have access to DreamSpark. Watch this space!

Luke
Australian MSP Lead
UWA

I blogged recently about an awesome initiative Microsoft has to bring Outlook / Exchange features to students.

Microsoft has now announced some great new features for this service, and is renaming it Outlook Live.

Some major new features are:

• Multiple browser support (IE, Firefox, Safari)
• Instant Messaging within Outlook Live
• Threaded conversations in Conversation View

All the Microsoft Student Partners in Australia are currently on Outlook Live so you should be hearing a lot more about it in the near future.

Checkout the official press release at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2009/feb09/02-1220MLiveEduPR.mspx

Checkout awesome video demo at http://edge.technet.com/Media/Introducing-Outlook-Live/

Luke
WA MSP

As we are gearing up for the new academic year here in Australia, I would like to remind everyone that the It’s Not Cheating Microsoft Office 2007 Ultimate for $75.00 deal is still on.

Here’s how it works:

If you are a university or TAFE student, or staff member, you can use your institution E-mail address to get Microsoft Office 2007 completely legal for $75.00 outright or as a $25/year subscription.

You purchase online, and can download the software instantly or have it sent to you by mail.

Either way, you are up and running quickly, easily and cost effectively, ready to go for the new year.

Click on the banner to get your copy now!

Luke
UWA MSP

When the Windows 7 beta was released last week, MSDN subscribers got to jump the queue, and were given access to Windows 7 two days before the public… and without all the site up-down stuff.

One of the benefits to being a Microsoft Student Partner is you not only get access to a great range of Microsoft resources, but you also get a free subscription to MSDN.

So if you are going to be a University student in 2009 and have a passion for technology, apply to become a Microsoft Student Partner today for the 2009 year.

Luke
UWA MSP 

Being an MSP demands dedication. We encourage every MSP to undertake 4 activities and numerous voluntary activities throughout the year which are designed to suit everyone’s level of ability and creativity. Activities range from giving technical lectures on campus, writing articles for the student newsletter to entering the Imagine Cup or running your own computer society.

BUT… we will recognize and reward each activity you undertake. The more you do, the more chances you’ll have of wining one of our fantastic end-of-year prizes. MSPs get together, share experiences, attend Microsoft training and events and even get together for the odd meal or friendly drink.

In order to be eligible, you must be:

• Over 18
• An undergraduate or post-graduate student at an Australian university
• Studying a full-time technology-related degree or course and able to name a reference from your departments
• Passionate about technology and willing to share your expertise with others at your school
• For more information, please contact Karo Esmaili at: i-karoes@microsoft.com

 Click here to download MSP Application form

Send your completed application form via email to: i-karoes@microsoft.com

For more information about Microsoft Student Partners go to http://www.student-partners.com

In case you missed it, recently I was accepted into a Microsoft Internship for 3 months.

We left Perth, Australia on the 23rd of Nov, travelled for around 30 hours and finally got to our apartment in Redmond late on still, the 23rd!

I started New Employee Orientation (NEO) the next morning at 8am which ran day 1 and till noon day 2 when we received our ID cards.

I got one of the Microsoft Prius Shuttles over to my building and met my Manager and Peer Mentor.

So now I’ve just finished my first day on the job here at the Microsoft HQ in Redmond, WA and it was great.

I am in the Server and Tools business division, working on developer tools for Visual Studio Team System.

After having some good talks with my mentor and manager I was introduced to the rest of the people in my team. I set up my machine and added it to the domain. Attended a SCRUM meeting which was primarily focused on quality control of our product. Discussed and decided on the project I will be working on during my internship and wrote up a small “about me” document for the rest of the team.

And true to the Microsoft free drink thing, I went ahead and drank 3 chocolate milks for the afternoon

So first impressions? The team is awesome, and my manager and mentor are really fun and relaxed who definitely seem to know their stuff. My project looks pretty difficult, but really interesting.

I’ve got high expectations for the rest of the internship.

If you have any questions about Microsoft Internships for Australian students, please leave a comment.

Luke

UWA MSP

PALO ALTO, Calif. — Feb. 18, 2008 — Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates today will unveil a software giveaway that will ultimately provide millions of college and high school students around the world with access to the latest Microsoft developer and designer tools at no charge to unlock their creative potential and set them on the path to academic and career success.

The Microsoft DreamSpark student program (http://channel8.msdn.com) makes available, at no charge, a broad range of development and design software for download. The program is now available to more than 35 million college students in Belgium, China, Finland, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.K. and the U.S. Broad global coverage, as well as an expansion of the program to high school students around the world, potentially reaching up to 1 billion students worldwide, will continue throughout the next year. Gates will share details with students and faculty at Stanford University as part of a U.S. and Canada college tour that kicks off today.

“We want to do everything we can to equip a new generation of technology leaders with the knowledge and tools they need to harness the magic of software to improve lives, solve problems and catalyze economic growth,” Gates said. “Microsoft DreamSpark provides professional-level tools that we hope will inspire students to explore the power of software and encourage them to forge the next wave of software-driven breakthroughs.”

Click here for the entire article.

Unfortunately Australian students won’t have access until around the middle of this year, your local MSP will be able to tell you more closer to the release date. Until then, there have been reports that students with an International Student ID can register and start benefiting from the free software right away.