Ethan, a recent graduate with Honours in his Bachelor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences from the University of Waikato, has seamlessly transitioned into our team at Veridian Software. With a keen interest in efficient problem-solving through software development, Ethan brings valuable communication skills to our collaborative projects.
What inspired you to pursue a career in software development, and how did that lead you to Veridian Software?
I’ve always been interested in technology and problem solving. I started my studies with a three-year double major in Computer Science and Mathematics. However, I enjoyed the programming side so much that I dropped Mathematics and focused solely on a Computer Science degree with Honours (four years). After I finished studying, I wasn't 100% sure what sort of job I was looking for. However, when I saw that Veridian Software was looking for a junior developer and that they worked with historical newspapers, I thought it would be a great fit, as I’m a fan of history myself.
What has been one of the most interesting or rewarding projects you've recently worked on at Veridian?
Two projects come to mind:
Wehewehe is a collection of around 14 dictionaries that form part of Ulukau, the Hawaiian Electronic Library. This resource provides valuable support for teachers, aids in the revitalization of the Hawaiian language, and deepens the broader understanding of Hawaiʻi. Because of the age, quality, and layout of the original source material, the OCR (Optical Character Recognition) process used to digitally extract terms and definitions can sometimes struggle to accurately capture a section of text and/or its original formatting—such as distinguishing between a word, its definition, and grammatical function.
We’ve previously used a technique called regular expressions to help identify the structure and extract the correct words and definitions. Think of regular expressions as “find and replace” on steroids. If what you’re looking for is always spelled and laid out the same way, it works great. But when the text is inconsistent—or in the case of dictionaries, the definitions flow on to another page—then regular expressions start to miss things.
I had the opportunity to experiment with an AI model to help address these challenges. By leveraging AI, we were able to recognise patterns in the text by context and better match terms and definitions - even when a definition continued over multiple pages in one case. This approach allowed us to significantly improve the quality and reliability of the information available to Ulukau users.
The second one is the integration of Azure OpenID Connect (OIDC) with Veridian, which will improve the ease of access to digital collections and enhance the user experience by enabling secure Single Sign-On (SSO). By implementing Azure OIDC, we are aligning with the access requirements of many digital collections, making it easier for users to log in with their existing credentials. This integration will also streamline access control for administrators, allowing for more efficient and secure management of user permissions across the platform.
Looking ahead, what skills or areas are you aiming to develop further in your career?
I'm interested in more product development—specifically, working on the Veridian platform to improve the user experience, develop new features, that kind of thing—just continuously making it better and more effective.
If you could swap jobs with someone on the team for a day, who would it be and why?
Definitely Michael—he has the opportunity to work on Veridian’s product development roadmap, and getting a deeper understanding of the platform would be both really cool and useful.
If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be and why?
J.R.R. Tolkien—I’m a massive fan of the world he created, and it’s been a major inspiration for one of my main hobbies: roleplaying games like D&D.
What’s a movie or TV show you can watch over and over again?
The Lord of the Rings (Extended Edition)