Information Technology students at the University of Professional Studies, Accra have extended their IT knowledge outside the lecture rooms by learning to build and programme robots while sharpening their coding, designing, and modelling skills.
This was at a one-day workshop dubbed “Robotics Seminar 2022”, which saw over 150 students building robots from scratch, making use of mechanics, electronics and programming with supervision from renowned robotics experts.
The fun-tech seminar was aimed at inspiring and energizing tertiary students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by adopting the motivational effects of robots to connect theory with practice.
In his welcome address, the Head of the Department of Information Technology, Dr. Godfred Koi-Akrofi, observed that the fast-evolving field of robotics has become an integral part of human life, and it is imperative for students to be equipped with relevant hands-on experience and technological exposure to embrace the future.
He said while it was essential to expand the knowledge of students in the rapidly evolving field of robotics, it was also incumbent on STEM faculties to establish a strong foothold for students to pursue careers of the future.
Jonathan Kennedy Sowah, Facilitator and CEO of InnovTech STEM Center, believes that even though robotics is becoming extremely popular amongst the youth, its full potential is yet to be exploited.
He emphasized that educational institutions must therefore make conscious attempts to include science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) as well as computer science and robotics into their curriculum design while maintaining the instructional focus of their classes.
“Educational robots, for instance, are great for teaching students basic engineering design and programming skills while allowing them to see and analyse code results in real time,” Jonathan Sowah said.
He acknowledged that the future is now, and soon mobile autonomous robots, new technological devices, and artificial intelligence machines geared towards bettering society and assisting humans in their daily tasks will take over the world.
The Robotics Seminar was organised by the Information Technology Students Association (ITSA) of UPSA with support from the InovTech STEM Center under the theme “AI, Robotics and its Impact on Society”.
InnovTech is a leading STEM engagement organisation, offering underserved communities and students high-quality opportunities to exercise their creative muscles and find ways to translate what they learn in the classroom to the IT industry.
The event was graced by the Ag. Vice Dean of the Faculty of IT and Communications Studies, Dr Emmanuel Owusu-Oware; Mr Bob Nakuku Baduon, Faculty Officer; and Mrs Sadia Mahama, Departmental Officer.
