IEEE TryEngineering funded
IEEE STEAM for Social Good 2022

The forenoon of the training program started with the children playing a VR game where they interacted with a robot to build a 3 dimensional toy.  Then they moved on to learn about sustainability and UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The morning session finished with a thrilling and engaging quiz game on UN SDGs. 

Children were introduced to BBC Micro:Bit and Microsoft Makecode. They programmed the Microbit to display their name as a name badge and program it as a dimmerstat. At the end of the day children had fun playing once again with the VR Headset. 

Day 2 began with children engaging in creative problem-solving. Faced with a mother eagle with a broken wing in a nest high above, they brainstormed solutions using items from their hiking backpacks: hiking boots, a water bottle, a towel, a Leatherman tool, a Swiss Army knife, a first-aid kit, duct tape, and tents with bungee cords and tent pegs. They drew and presented their rescue plans to the class.

Children continued tinkering with BBC Micro:bit. They learnt about event handling with buttons and how accelerometers work. They made a virtual dice and a digital handheld counter to practice by doing. They wrapped up the day by creating an air quality monitoring station using a dust sensor.

Children learnt more about sensors and built applications using them. They built an environmental noise pollution monitor so as to reduce physiological and psychological ill-effects of environmental noise pollution. They built a weather station to monitor the ambient temperature and humidity in real time.

Participants experimented with the STEAM kit and developed an automatic irrigation system. The system could analyze the soil’s moisture quantity and develop a capable system for irrigating the land. 

Day 4 was particularly filled with lessons on radio communication between two Micro bits. Also, as a side quest, the children developed an intruder detection system that could identify intrusion attempts of any type. 

Children learned more about distance sensing using ultrasonic sensors and gained insight into its application. Further, a detailed overview of radio communication was also part of the session that followed.

Day 5 Session

A mock makeathon was conducted as part of the session. During this mock makeathon a demo prototype was developed on various SD Goals. This helped the children to gain hands-on exposure on product development.

Through a series of online sessions, children were given training on IoT Development and App Development. These sessions were curated specifically to ensure maximum output from the students.

IEEE EdSoc Kerala Chapter and Ammachi Lab, in collaboration with Amrita Vidyalayam, Kochi conducted the inaugural ceremony of the STEAM for Social Good Makeathon on 17th September 2022. The event was presided over by Dr. Suresh Nair, Chairperson of IEEE India Council, Dr. Mini Ulanat, Chairperson of IEEE Kerala Section, Prof. Muhammed Kasim S, Vice Chair of IEEE Kerala Section, and Smt. Geetha K P, Vice Principal of Amrita Vidyalayam, Kochi.

Children were given an opportunity to develop projects to address the UN Sustainable Development Goals. For this, a makeathon was arranged with mentors to support the students. A total of 10 teams participated in the makeathon developing innovative products.