The APIE (Asia Pacific Internet Engineering) Core Course Batch 9 concluded its e-Workshop series on October 31, 2026, with a session featuring APIE alumni Aashish Karki and Daffa Putra Narendra. Their participation brought the series back to an important part of the APIE experience: connecting learning with professional pathways and a community that continues beyond the course.
Batch 9 attracted more than 820 registrations from 18 partner institutions across 11 economies, making it APIE’s largest cohort to date. Six e-Workshops, held from August 22 to October 31, complemented the course with opportunities to meet peers, engage with Internet professionals, and connect technical learning with the people behind the Internet.
Connecting learners with alumni
The closing session continued the alumni engagement introduced in Batch 8’s final e-Workshop, welcoming two guests whose work illustrates different directions that learners can explore.
Aashish Karki, a Computer Engineering graduate of Tribhuvan University in Nepal, works as a Security Operations Engineer at Guardsix, formerly Logpoint. His experience spans artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, including AI-driven automation for security operations. He also remains actively involved in the APIE community through multiple engagements.
Daffa Putra Narendra, whose background includes studies at Brawijaya University in Indonesia, works as a Software Engineer. His interests include systems design, cloud scalability, and how applications communicate over networks.
Bringing alumni into the e-Workshop series creates opportunities for current learners to meet people who have moved from university studies into professional practice. It also gives alumni a way to contribute to the learning community as their own careers develop.
Meeting the people behind the Internet
The series opened on August 22 with “Meet the people,” introducing the community dimension of the course. A September 5 session with Noriatsu Kudo followed, focusing on the virtual lab.
The subsequent guest sessions brought together experience from different parts of the Internet ecosystem:
- September 19 — Kanagaraj “Kana” Krishna, APNIC Foundation. Kana’s background spans Internet and telecommunications, technical and business development roles, and digital transformation. As a co-founder of the Malaysia Network Operators Group (MYNOG), his experience also connects technical work with community building and knowledge sharing.
- October 3 — Akinori Maemura. With an Internet career beginning in network engineering in 1994, Maemura brought a background in Internet coordination and governance, including service on the APNIC Executive Council and ICANN Board of Directors.
- October 17 — Shin Shirahata. A director at BBIX Singapore and researcher at Keio University’s Global Research Institute, Shirahata’s experience spans network engineering, Internet exchanges, data centers, and the development of Internet infrastructure.
Together with the alumni closing session, these guests connected the Core Course with a broad range of professional experience, from infrastructure and security to coordination and community development.
A community beyond the course
Batch 9 was supported by 14 alumni teaching assistants, continuing the cycle of learners returning to help others. Alongside the guest speakers and partner institutions, their involvement reflects the collaborative approach at the heart of APIE and its wider SOI Asia community.
As Batch 9 concludes, APIE thanks the learners, teaching assistants, guest speakers, and partner institutions who contributed to the course. The connections built through the program provide a foundation for continued learning, peer support, and future participation in the Internet community.
