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Robotics Training Gives Students Solid Foundation for Future Science Jobs

Evening’s last light got us disembarking from the last taxi that brought us from Gulu, one of the districts in northern Uganda. Then, the next morning’s first light brought a promise of a long day, going from school-to-school. The work awaiting us, robotics training, would prove enlightening to trainees, on the warm Saturday.

For students who study in schools with ill-equipped computer or technology labs- where there are no robotics instructors-salvation depends on enrolling for a free robotics training by Oysters & Pearls-Uganda, even if that means spending an extra hour in class, or having to forego Saturday’s much needed rest.

To Joyce Atim, an A’ Level student of Lira Town College, spending 30 or 60 minutes more in class, is a privilege. Prior to the Robotics training, Joyce struggled to grasp the concepts in ICT. She experienced firsthand, the effects of lack of practicals in that class. She attended it like she would any other Arts subject.

Much as she desired to have a career in ICT, the prospects seemed grim, given the hypothetical conception she was being given by her school.

“Our class is massive. The teacher can’t handle us one-on-one. Besides, students are always distracted; this demotivates the teacher more,” Joyce observed.

However, this year, Oysters &

O&P Uganda’s Makerspace Entices Ugandan Teacher to Prep for Retirement

Today is Cosmas Okumu’s first day for a training in electronics at Oysters & Pearls-Uganda’s Makerspace.

A Physics teacher at Negri College in Gulu, Cosmas says he gets thrilled when he makes anything electronic.

“I made an inverter as part of my research at Kyambogo University last year. My supervisor looked at me with respect. I felt good. Today, the feeling is back,” he said.

Today Cosmas assembled a circuit, and the sweet memory of winning came back.

But now, it is not all about the excitement that comes with invention. Cosmas wants to make good use of the makerspace, to craft his retirement job.

“The training is preparing me for old age,” he said.

“When I retire, I will open a shop where I will repair electronics, and earn a decent income,” he added.

Only today, he was able to assemble a circuit; the achievement made his hope soar. Cosmos is ready to learn more in a few months.

Cosmas’ plan for a retirement job is a wise idea, considering that many on retirement in Uganda face challenges acquiring their most basic needs. Although the government introduced the Social Assistance Grants for Empowerment program in 2012, each beneficiary gets only 25.000 shillings (about US $8) each month, and

Robotics Training Inspires Ugandan Youth

Lack of school fees will not kill Daniel Mwa Okocha’s dream of becoming a technologist. As a teenager, Daniel dropped out of Our Lady of Africa, Mukono, where he was studying Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics.

After dropping out of school, the Makerspace, a technology lab at Oysters & Pearls-Uganda, became a perfect haven for realizing his dream.

Oysters & Pearls-Uganda has been offering the robotics training for communities in Gulu, Northern Uganda since 2013. The Makerspace opened in town in 2016 and offers training to students and interested members of the community, who have a minimum qualification of Ordinary Level and importantly, passion for innovation and technology.

Daniel notes that with knowledge, one can solve any problem.

“I want to make a flying bicycle. Nowadays, transport is a problem, so I want to make my own means of transport.”

At the end of the lesson, Daniel is busy working with a set of wires and batteries. After a short while, the transistor multi-vibrator circuit he has just made, illuminates. He smiles widely at his achievement.

Jude Barnabas Kibwota, is another trainee at Makerspace. To him, the training brings his dream alive. Sitting at a table littered with wires, Jude sees a solution in each of them.

“When I see anything electronic, I want to

Students Trained by Oysters & Pearls Win 2017 National Robotics Competition

Elations, wide smiles, giant hugs and camera flashes, punctuated the final hour of the 2017 robotics competition at Makerere University in Kampala. The winners were from Gulu High School, Bishop Angelo Negri College and Dr. Obote College, all in northern Uganda.

Students of Gulu High School got a trophy for developing the best prototype of an Egg Crack Partition Machine. Reagan Okumu, a student of Gulu High School, is among the students who worked day and night to develop the model. Reagan comes from a poor family in Omoro district, located more than 30 kilometers to the East of Gulu town. Every holiday, he sets up a small business stall and makes chapat and ‘rolex’ ( a snack made of fried eggs, cabbages, green peppers and tomatoes, rolled in a chapat), to raise money for his tuition and scholastic materials.

Reagan has been using a knife to crack eggs; a major ingredient in his chapat and ‘rolex’ business. But using a knife has made him cut himself many times, besides performing under capacity. Being part of the group makes him feel lucky as he has gained skills during the training and the competition. Reagan’s wish is to have the prototype of their egg crack and partition machine developed into

Gulu Annual Tech Camp

Please read the article by Lindsay Craig about the class he taught in Gulu at the annual Oysters & Pearls Technology Camp.

I’m starting a robotics toy company called QuestBotics (which is another story), but in my copious free time every year I go to Uganda, Africa to teach a Technology camp with Oysters & Pearls – Uganda. It’s a two-week event and kids in northern Uganda flock to a school called Gulu High where they get to play with sensors, tiny robot brains (microchips), Legos, video games, motors and virtual reality.

With over 120 students and 50 staff members at the camp in Uganda, we have our hands full just getting the power turned on, but that didn’t stop us – this year, we found the time to add four new subjects for the students–shortwave radio, audio, art and solar energy.

Pushing the boundaries in Uganda Tech Education
We’re always pushing the boundaries of what we can teach at the Gulu Annual Tech Camp. The second year of its existence we were teaching printed circuit board design as a part of the prototyping course. Students had clamored in the past for the opportunity to work with Bluetooth and other wireless technology. So, we bought a bunch of low-cost short-wave

2016 National Technovation Challenge in Uganda

Please read the article regarding the “2016 National Technovation Challenge in Uganda” in which Oysters & Pearls sponsored the participation of the Gulu High School team.

Innovations May 15 2016.inddClick to read an article about the Gulu Team from New Vision – “Girls Create App for Bodabodas” by Jeff Andrew Lule

 

New Vision – “Uganda will be technology hub for Africa by 2030” by John Agaba, 5th August 2016

The Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, Elioda Tumwesigye said Uganda will be a hub for science and technology in whole of Africa by 2030 during a technovation challenge at the Makerere University School of Public Health-powered ResilientAfrica Network.

It was Tumwesigye’s first day out in the field after he was appointed to the office as inaugural minister by President Yoweri Museveni late June.

During the technovation challenge that attracted teams from over 15 girl secondary schools from across Uganda, the new minister reiterated the need for science and innovations, pledging support to the network. – READ MORE

 

Coverage also included the Resilient Africa Network website: “The 2016 Uganda Technovation Challenge”

This year’s

Open Hardware, Software & Minds

By Linday Craig, Consultant, Educator, Technologist and Artist: questbotics.com

The people who attended the 2016 Annual Gulu Technology Camp found a doorway to future that they had never seen before — who knows where it will lead them?

Imagine a camp for 10 to 18 year-olds that combines robotics, microcomputers, pcDuino, video game design with Unity, self-defense training with an international kickboxer, Samsung’s virtual reality gear, Android app design, musical performances, quadcopters, and Legos. Now imagine this camp took place in previously civil-war-torn northern Uganda.

Just to make things interesting, throw in a small documentary crew and a large group of technically savvy instructors who wandered the grounds amongst the energetic students. Finally, add to all of this the fact that almost half of the camp’s 100+ students were blind. Even if you have an extremely active imagination and you can wrap your head around these foundational facts, I can guarantee that you can’t imagine the amount of sheer joy, inquisitiveness, and boisterous energy that inhabited Gulu High School in the form of children during the 2016 Oysters & Pearl’s Annual Technology Camp.
READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE

Robotics Camp by Oysters & Pearls – Uganda

(this is a reprint from Ntananga Phyllis’s article from her blog: Tech Women Uganda.)

IMAG0218On a very hot Thursday in the first week of January 2016, I hopped on a bus headed for Gulu. I was super excited. It was my first time to go to the North. Naturally, I had all the imaginations anyone could have about an entirely new place. The journey was long but to my surprise I was awake the whole time, thanks to the fear of missing out on the adventure. I saw different things like rare fruits that we barely have in the Central or Western region of the country and the sight of the Karuma Bridge, one of the many beautiful things of nature with which God blessed Uganda. Before sunset, we were in Gulu town for the Robotics Camp.

That evening, the trainers that had arrived for the camp all gathered to be taken through the materials and resources that were going to be used for the next two weeks in the camp. As a software developer without much knowledge in hardware/embedded systems, most of the terms and materials were so new to me – stuff like

2016 Robotics and Animation Training

2016 Robotics and Animation Training

The curriculum for 2016 includes pcDuino, Raspberry Pi, Android Apps, and Animation using several open source software programs. We’ll be using laptops, Samsung Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note 4 smartphones as well.

The program is open to beginners and advanced users. Several vendors have supported the program through donations and discounts. The teachers include Professor Carl Twarog and one of his students from East Carolina University, Linz Craig and 18 experienced programmers and teachers from within Uganda.

The program runs from Sunday Jan 10 until Saturday Jan 23.

Read the post from Lindsay Craig. You will read about half-way down in this article about his involvement with Oysters and Pearls! Thank, Linz!

Holiday Training – January 2015

I arrived in Gulu on a Saturday afternoon, not sure what to expect from the next two weeks. As a volunteer with the Oysters & Pearls holiday training program, I knew about the class materials and basic program setup. As I quickly learned however, there was much more to the program than just the teaching.

Joining Sandra and the instructors, I spent the weekend assisting with logistics — the little details that I had never considered, but had to be completed. Where were all the plates for the dining hall? Could we borrow mattresses for students that didn’t bring their own? Why was the electricity off in the classrooms? These and a hundred other small-but-crucial tasks had to be settled, even as students started arriving on Sunday afternoon.

Classes began immediately on Monday, and continued through the week. Sighted students were sorted into one of three classes — Engineering for the Future, Introduction to Robotics, or Advanced Robotics. As the classes delved into new materials and lessons, I watched the projects grow increasingly complex. Since I constantly moved from room to room, I saw the classes develop in snapshots. What started on day one as a collection of wires and boards became a functioning light display, then a

We would be very grateful to you for your donation to Oysters & Pearls to support our ongoing educational programs for the students in Gulu, Uganda
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