ULSTEAM (STEAM Ambassadors for AI and Robotics) is the official kick off of Durban-Flood-Guard (DFG), IEEE Young Professionals South Africa & IEEE Durban University of Technology Student Branch's flagship humanitarian engineering initiative, funded principally by EPICS in IEEE with support from IEEE South Africa's chapters and societies (IEEE Education Society, IEEE Vehicular Technology Society, South Africa Section SIGHT Group) and IEEE Young Professionals Region 8. DFG builds a low cost, edge AI powered flood early warning system for informal settlements in eThekwini, following a sense, predict, respond pipeline.
Over five days at the University of Limpopo, participants are trained as STEAM Ambassadors: the first cohort of engineers who will help build, test and extend the DFG sensor network, and who will go on to carry AI, robotics and IoT skills into their own communities and schools.
What this workshop covers:
– Foundations: IEEE membership and orientation, Python for data science, exploratory data analysis on South African flood data
– Predict it: machine learning model training, model evaluation.
– Sense it: edge hardware with ESP32 microcontrollers and environmental sensors (water level, soil moisture, temperature), firmware connectivity
– Respond to it: robotics actuation, motor drivers, sensor triggered response, full system integration
– Mini Makeathon: teams build a complete sense, predict, respond demonstration, plus practice sessions on how to teach these skills forward as STEAM Ambassadors
Who will be attending: pilot cohort of engineering, computer science and related students, together with invited teachers and NGO partners who will help take AI and robotics education into their own communities.
This event is delivered under Durban-Flood-Guard, with EPICS in IEEE as the major funder, and is co-hosted by the IEEE Education Society (South Africa Section Chapter), the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society (South Africa Section Chapter) and South Africa Section SIGHT.
Co-sponsored by: EPICS in IEEE
Agenda:
Day
Date
Theme
Content
1
Mon 21 Sep
Foundations
IEEE orientation and membership drive; Python for data science; exploratory data analysis on South African flood data
2
Tue 22 Sep
Predict it
Machine learning model training; model evaluation
3
Wed 23 Sep
Sense it
ESP32 and environmental sensors (water level, soil moisture, temperature); firmware demonstration
4
Thu 24 Sep
Respond to it
Robot chassis and motor driver; sensor triggered movement; full system integration
5
Fri 25 Sep
Makeathon
Mini Makeathon: sense, predict, respond demo; STEAM teaching practice; awards and closing
University of Limpopo, Polokwane, Limpopo, South Africa, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/578635
This event has passed.
