Skip to main content

Site navigation

  • University of Technology Sydney home
  • Home

    Home
  • For students

  • For industry

  • Research

Explore

  • Courses
  • Events
  • News
  • Stories
  • People

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt
  • Study at UTS

    • arrow_right_alt Find a course
    • arrow_right_alt Course areas
    • arrow_right_alt Undergraduate students
    • arrow_right_alt Postgraduate students
    • arrow_right_alt Research Masters and PhD
    • arrow_right_alt Online study and short courses
  • Student information

    • arrow_right_alt Current students
    • arrow_right_alt New UTS students
    • arrow_right_alt Graduates (Alumni)
    • arrow_right_alt High school students
    • arrow_right_alt Indigenous students
    • arrow_right_alt International students
  • Admissions

    • arrow_right_alt How to apply
    • arrow_right_alt Entry pathways
    • arrow_right_alt Eligibility
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for students

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Apply for a coursearrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt
  • Scholarshipsarrow_right_alt
  • Featured industries

    • arrow_right_alt Agriculture and food
    • arrow_right_alt Defence and space
    • arrow_right_alt Energy and transport
    • arrow_right_alt Government and policy
    • arrow_right_alt Health and medical
    • arrow_right_alt Corporate training
  • Explore

    • arrow_right_alt Tech Central
    • arrow_right_alt Case studies
    • arrow_right_alt Research
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for industry

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Find a UTS expertarrow_right_alt
  • Partner with usarrow_right_alt
  • Explore

    • arrow_right_alt Explore our research
    • arrow_right_alt Research centres and institutes
    • arrow_right_alt Graduate research
    • arrow_right_alt Research partnerships
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for research

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Find a UTS expertarrow_right_alt
  • Research centres and institutesarrow_right_alt
  • University of Technology Sydney home
Explore the University of Technology Sydney
Category Filters:
University of Technology Sydney home University of Technology Sydney home
  1. home
  2. arrow_forward_ios ... Newsroom
  3. arrow_forward_ios ... 2017
  4. arrow_forward_ios 03
  5. arrow_forward_ios Tech projects for social good recognised with $1m prizes

Tech projects for social good recognised with $1m prizes

6 March 2017
Clary CastrissionTwo inspiring projects harnessing the power of technology for social good have been awarded ‘Technology Against Poverty’ prizes worth $500,000.

From developing a low-cost, easy-to-operate method to remove arsenic and deliver safe and clean drinking water, to improving learning outcomes for children in India and Cambodia by combining technology and interactive education programs with local facilitators – the inspirational work of two UTS academics and a UTS Law graduate are among four projects that have been recognised by the Technology Against Poverty prize.

The prizes, worth $500,000 each, have been awarded to four local non-profit innovators, recognising their inventive use of technology to solve key social and development problems in the Indo-Pacific region, through a partnership between the Australian Government’s innovationXchange and Google.org, the tech giant’s philanthropic foundation.

Tech for learning

The 40K Foundation, founded by alumnus Clary Castrission OAM (Bachelor of Arts in Communication- (Media Arts and Production) Bachelor of Laws, 2007), was awarded one of the prizes for the organisation’s innovative approach to improving access to quality education in regional and remote schools in India and Cambodia. Through its 40K PLUS program, learning materials are delivered through android tablets by local facilitators who are passionate about helping children to learn.

Castrission established the 40K Foundation in 2005, after “accidently” becoming a social entrepreneur while studying law at UTS, when one of his professors suggested travelling to the developing world to put making a difference into practice.

After a trip to South India, Castrission pledged to build a school for one of the communities he visited, and returned to Sydney to found 40K. Since then, the foundation has expanded into the 40K PLUS pods which offers literacy and numeracy platforms to children in villages, and Castrission has been since honoured with Commonwealth Day Award for Citizenship (2009), the Australia-India Friendship Award (2012) and was one of three Young Australian of the Year State Finalists in 2011. He was also awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2014.

The ‘Technology Against Poverty’ prize will go towards furthering the foundation’s plans to assist thousands of children in India and Cambodia over the next two years, aiming to reach 1.1 million children in 10 years.

  • Read about Clary’s journey from the classroom to creating futures in the Tower Magazine

Clary also stopped by to share his remarkable story with 2SER’s The Chat.

Engineering solutions to improve drinking water from the ground up

Distinguished Professor Saravanamuth Vigneswaran and Dr Tien Vinh Nguyen, both from the UTS Faculty of Engineering and IT were similarly recognised for their project to remove pollutants from groundwater in the Red River Delta of Vietnam.  This densely populated area is beset with serious public health issues caused by high levels of arsenic in the groundwater.

Arsenic poisoning is a slow process, with people often unaware they are being poisoned as they suffer major health problems including cancers, gastrointestinal disorders, muscular weakness, nerve tissue injuries, blackfoot disease and intellectual impairment.

Current systems are neither cost-effective nor efficient at removing arsenic. The UTS team is working with Vietnamese partners on a local solution to a local problem in an area of about 20 million people. Partners include the Vietnam National University (VNU), Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) and local manufacturers.

They are deploying inexpensive technology to provide a model for clean water, which can be adopted worldwide to improve water quality for more than 130 million people in the 70 plus countries worldwide experiencing toxicity from naturally occurring arsenic.

“There are three key components to this system: an organic membrane, a tank/drum in which the membrane is inserted, and an absorptive cartridge made from locally available industrial waste products,” Distinguished Professor Vigneswaran said.

Local manufacturers can produce, install and maintain the membranes and the cartridges, creating local jobs in an area of high population growth.

“The filtration can be powered by gravity or solar or by hand pump. Membranes will last up to three years, while the cartridges absorb the arsenic and are periodically replaced with new ones (every three to six months). The waste cartridges will be turned into safe building materials, so the system safely disposes of arsenic waste.”

The system will also remove bacteria and solids from the contaminated groundwater, delivering water that is clean and safe to drink, and is scalable: for example, a 10-cubic-metre system will provide uncontaminated water for 100 people.

“This sustainable system will both maximise locally sourced resources and minimise arsenic waste and environmental pollution, improving health and quality of life," Distinguished Professor Vigneswaran said.

For the original article published on UTS Alumni website, click here.

Share
Share this on Facebook Share this on Twitter Share this on LinkedIn
Back to News in Faculty of Law

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation and the Boorooberongal People of the Dharug Nation upon whose ancestral lands our campuses now stand. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands. 

University of Technology Sydney

City Campus

15 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007

Get in touch with UTS

Follow us

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Facebook

A member of

  • Australian Technology Network
Use arrow keys to navigate within each column of links. Press Tab to move between columns.

Study

  • Find a course
  • Undergraduate
  • Postgraduate
  • How to apply
  • Scholarships and prizes
  • International students
  • Campus maps
  • Accommodation

Engage

  • Find an expert
  • Industry
  • News
  • Events
  • Experience UTS
  • Research
  • Stories
  • Alumni

About

  • Who we are
  • Faculties
  • Learning and teaching
  • Sustainability
  • Initiatives
  • Equity, diversity and inclusion
  • Campus and locations
  • Awards and rankings
  • UTS governance

Staff and students

  • Current students
  • Help and support
  • Library
  • Policies
  • StaffConnect
  • Working at UTS
  • UTS Handbook
  • Contact us
  • Copyright © 2025
  • ABN: 77 257 686 961
  • CRICOS provider number: 00099F
  • TEQSA provider number: PRV12060
  • TEQSA category: Australian University
  • Privacy
  • Copyright
  • Disclaimer
  • Accessibility