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Belgium Campus is the first higher education institution in the country to offer a dedicated Bachelor’s degree and IT diploma for deaf students. Pictured are the first six deaf students to graduate with their Bachelor of Information Technology degrees. Photo: Supplied Belgium Campus iTversity welcomes recognition of SA Sign Language as 12th official language Belgium Campus iTversity welcomes the recognition of South African Sign Language (SASL) as the 12th official language in the country. Campus’ Chief Executive Education, Dr Jannie Zaaiman explains that Belgium Campus endorses the adoption of the Constitution Eighteenth Amendment Bill (B1 – 2023) to amend section 6 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, to make SASL the 12th official language of the country. “Belgium Campus believes everyone should receive an equal opportunity to pursue their dreams and ambitions. The institution makes these courses accessible to deaf students by providing SASL interpreters throughout each course and limiting the class sizes to ensure each student gets dedicated time and attention,” he says. Deaf students are a focus of Belgium Campus and it recently graduated six deaf students in its Bachelor of Information Technology programme. Zaaiman says that Belgium Campus began work with deaf students some years back to promote the rights of people who are deaf and hard of hearing. “The recognition of the SASL as the 12th official language is a major step forward for deaf students. It implies that for teaching and learning purposes, the language will be allocated equitable resources, thereby levelling the playing field,” Zaaiman says. He notes that Belgium Campus is also currently developing a technical deaf dictionary – which will further open the doors to deaf students entering the IT economy. Belgium Campus iTversity was established in 1999 to address South Africa’s widening skills gap and to ensure that all graduates would be employable in an evolving economic environment, “by nurturing the IT industry’s next great minds”. Its goal is one of ensuring that all graduates – whether with a hearing disability or otherwise – would be employable in an evolving economic environment. The goal was to promote innovation, forward-thinking and aspirations in students to shape the future of society. “We are the first higher education institution in the country to offer a dedicated Bachelor’s degree and IT diploma for deaf students.” For 23 years, Belgium Campus iTversity has contributed to the growth of the South African economy by providing well-rounded graduates whose knowledge, skills and attitudes make them future-fit and immediately employable. It has been affording deaf students the opportunity to pursue IT qualifications since 2015, at which time the institution only had eight deaf students. The institution’s deaf community continues to grow and today it is proud to have more than 30 deaf students pursuing qualifications. “We have also made provision to allow students with other disabilities, long-term medical conditions, or special needs to complete their IT studies with us. This allows us to breathe life into the tremendous talents and business concepts of often marginalised groups within society. “Our success stems from our adoption of a proactive Participative Development Model of Education. It considers the needs of all stakeholders (students, industry, academia, government and society), resulting in demand-driven, student-centred and business-focused higher learning.” About Belgium Campus iTversity NPC Belgium Campus is a South Africa-based pioneering iTversity in South Africa that helps raise the bar in private education in the ICT industry. Its focus is on developing leading qualifications and maintaining impeccable academic standards to provide students with the foundations necessary to excel in the information technology industry.  Brandstories  

Matric 2023 – Does It Position Matriculants For IT Careers? In Thursday’s announcement, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga revealed the 2023 matric results, showcasing an impressive pass rate of 82.9%. This marks a continued upward trend in National Senior Certificate (NSC) pass rates over the past decade, with the percentage increasing from 60% in 2009 to the current 82.9%. Despite facing unprecedented challenges such as COVID-19, the matric class of 2023 demonstrated resilience and determination and is to be resoundingly congratulated. The 2023 pass rate While celebrating the impressive pass rates, it is crucial to conduct further analysis to ensure that the subjects passed equip graduates for careers in emerging fields such as Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence. This positive momentum in South Africa’s education system lays the foundation for a brighter future, emphasising the importance of continued efforts to enhance both access and quality in education. One of the major tools and enablers of adaptation is the ICT, AI, and Big Data complex, the core of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR). This is the driving force behind a lot of new development, decision-making, and economic activities. It is the driver behind the development of the new careers that this generation of matriculants will find opening up, including the culture and entertainment industries. STEM Education In the context of South Africa’s journey towards a modern 4IR economy, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects must assume a central role in the nation’s public education system. The 2023 matric results, with their commendable pass rates, underscore the importance of fostering a strong foundation in STEM disciplines. As industries evolve and technology becomes increasingly integral to every aspect of our lives, prioritising STEM education becomes synonymous with preparing the youth for the demands of the future workforce. Encouraging a robust emphasis on STEM subjects will not only empower students with the necessary skills for 4IR but also position South Africa as a global contender in the rapidly advancing fields of technology, innovation, and scientific discovery. A strategic focus on STEM education is a crucial step in ensuring the country’s sustained growth and competitiveness in the dynamic global economic landscape. The global ICT talent deficit It’s no secret that there is a global ICT talent deficit that is having a severe impact on the global economy. According to research conducted by global organisational consulting firm Korn Ferry, there will be a global human talent shortage of more than 85 million people by 2030. Unchecked, this talent shortage could result in about US$8.5 trillion in unrealised annual revenue. Looking closer to home, South Africa currently has a skills shortage of between 20,000 and 70,000 high-end ICT professionals. This comes notwithstanding the country’s high unemployment rate, whereby according to Statista, South Africa is expected to register the highest unemployment rate in Africa in 2024, with around 30 percent of the country’s labour force being unemployed. The global skills shortage puts South Africa at further risk of losing skilled professionals to developed countries trying to compensate for their shortfalls, meaning that even more professionals will be required to bridge the gap in the country. With the above in mind, closing the skills gap is the difference between having a recession or a growing economy. We cannot expect to be able to close the skills gap if we are not producing high-school graduates who are meeting the standard necessary to pursue ICT at a higher education level. Reducing the pass rate means that many students will receive a bachelor’s endorsement on paper but still not have the necessary marks to pursue a bachelor’s degree. This is not only a disservice to the country’s youth and what they strive for but also to the future of our country. Belgium Campus is a South Africa-based pioneering ITversity in South Africa that helps raise the bar in private education in the ICT industry. Woman on TopInspiration on the Go

IT Courses with International Collaboration Opportunities Thanks to rapid technological advancement, our world continues to become more and more connected. This growing connectedness has made it necessary for higher education institutions to provide international collaboration opportunities as part of their courses to prepare students to succeed in an increasingly globalised world. In this article, we look at the benefits of international collaboration in IT courses, share which courses at Belgium Campus iTversity provide it, and give examples of recent international projects our IT students have worked on. Benefits of IT Courses with International Collaboration International collaboration enhances all courses but can be especially beneficial for students who are studying IT for several reasons, some of which include: It equips students with the global mindset and cross-cultural communication skills necessary to excel in this global industry. It exposes students to different technologies and their applications in different parts of the world. It gives students a competitive edge when they enter this highly competitive industry – most organisations prefer job applicants with this experience Belgium Campus IT Courses At Belgium Campus iTversity, we understand the importance of international collaboration experience. All our courses allow students to work on real-world IT projects with international peers. These projects range from entirely virtual to hybrid and in-person collaborations where we host students from abroad or our IT students travel abroad to visit our partner institutions. Recent International Projects Offered as Part of Our Courses Penn State Collaboration Earlier this year, some of our IT students partnered with students from Penn State University to build a DIY educational hydroponics kit. The aim of the kit was to educate primary school learners about the importance of sustainable nutrition and how the knowledge gained from engineering courses can be used to promote it. The collaboration started online before the Penn State students joined our students at our Pretoria campus to implement the necessary software and finish constructing the system. At the end of their visit, the prototype was presented to a group of learners at Spa Park Primary School in Bela Bela. The learners showed keen interest in pursuing IT and engineering courses and provided helpful feedback, which helped our students make some final adjustments before their final presentation. International Week We recently held our international week, which is open to students studying any of our IT courses. During this week, we were joined by several students studying IT courses abroad who worked with our IT students to develop innovative solutions to South Africa’s energy crisis. Their solutions ranged from using kinetic energy produced by people in dance clubs to generate electricity to IoT and AI systems that monitor household electricity usage to allow consumers to experience load shedding and get billed based on their household’s consumption. Need More Information About Our IT Courses? Would you like more information about the IT courses we offer or the international collaboration projects you can work on as part of them? Feel free to contact us at [email protected]. -Louise Fuller

Master UX Design with a Belgium Campus iTversity Course Would you like to create online experiences that leave users in awe and simultaneously make you a hot commodity amongst leading organisations? Study a UX design course! But don’t just choose any course. Becoming a skilled UX design expert requires a course that will give you sound theoretical knowledge and real-world application. Read on to learn what exactly UX design is and how a Belgium Campus iTversity course will help you master it. What is UX Design? In the digital realm, UX design involves understanding user psychology to create a user experience (UX) that best promotes a digital product or service. To achieve this, you must study a course that teaches you to masterfully combine visuals, content, structure, and navigation to create a UX that is intuitive, engaging, and user-friendly. Why is this so important? Well, think about the digital platforms you spend the most time on/ are most likely to make purchases on. Are they difficult to navigate, slow loading, or hard on the eyes? Certainly not! They provide positive and memorable experiences that keep you coming back for more. This effect doesn’t just happen by chance. Skilled UX design professionals are carrying out several interconnected steps which you should learn during a course in this field, including: Product definition: identifying the target audience, understanding business requirements, and establishing the overall vision for the UX. Research: using various research methods, including interviews and surveys, to gather insights about user needs and preferences. Analysis: analysing the data gathered during the research stage to identify patterns, trends, and user insights to inform the decisions made in the design step. Design: performing information architecture, wireframing, and prototyping to craft a user interface and UX that addresses the user needs and business goals identified in the previous stages. Validation and Testing: testing the design with real users to ensure it meets user needs and expectations effectively and refining where necessary based on feedback received. UX Design Course at Belgium Campus iTversity At Belgium Campus, we offer 3 world-class IT qualifications that include UX design as part of the curriculum. These include our 3-year Diploma in Information Technology course, Our 3-year Bachelor of Information Technology course, and our 4-year Bachelor of Computing course. Each course doesn’t just provide sound theoretical knowledge grounded in real-world application but also gives students the incredible opportunity to work on a UX design project for real stakeholders. Below is a brief description of the UX design project our Bachelor of Computing course students recently worked on. Bachelor of Computing Course UX Design Project Our third-year Bachelor of Computing students recently worked on a real-world UX design project as part of their course. Working in groups of 4, they were required to approach a South African business and propose an improved UX design for their website or app, or in cases where the business did not have a functioning website or app, to develop a UX design for one from scratch. Accomplishing this required the meticulous execution of each stage of the UX design process while implementing the best practices they learnt during their course – no easy task! ‘Working on this project greatly enriched my course. I enjoyed learning about different design software, and it was great to be able to implement the principles I learnt during my course to carry out the design process step by step. Receiving feedback directly from a client taught me the great impact small details, like the shape of call-to-action buttons, can have on the overall UX.’– John-Ross Kockott, Bachelor of Computing course student. The businesses our Bachelor of Computing course students worked with included a comic shop in Cape Town CBD, an air conditioning company, a coffee shop in Gansbaai, a construction company, and a music school in Klerksdorp. Their projects ranged from working with existing websites to improve navigation, create a more personalised experience and increase traffic to designing an app for primary and high school learners and designing corporate image and styling – one group even took on improving the Belgium Campus iTversity student portal! They presented their high-fidelity prototypes to their clients, some of whom were so impressed that they asked them to develop their actual website/ app! We look forward to seeing the finished products! Need More Information About UX Design or a Specific Belgium Campus Course? Would you like more information about a specific Belgium Campus course or the UX design module or project offered as part of that course? Send us an email at [email protected] or call us on 010 593 5368, and one of our student advisors will help you take the first step towards choosing a course that will help you master the in-demand and rewarding skill that is UX design.  -Louise Fuller

Transforming Young Lives Through STEM Education We all have heaps of potential locked inside of us. Sometimes all it takes is for someone to help us find the key. Belgium Campus iTversity recently hosted a 10-day Winter School programme on behalf of leading technology solutions provider Dimension Data. The programme was attended by 50 Grade 12 public school learners from underserved communities in Gauteng and aimed to help them prepare for their upcoming exams. The learners form part of a larger youth development initiative by Dimension Data, which also includes a Saturday School programme. The initiative aims to rewrite the narrative for high-achieving youth from previously disadvantaged backgrounds by broadening their education and career prospects through supplementary STEM classes. The classes are presented by subject experts and qualified educators and, over the past 28 years, have helped over 2000 high school learners achieve exceptional matric results. The initiative boasts a 90% average annual university entrance rate, and the Johannesburg class of 2022 achieved a 100% matric pass rate! The Winter School programme is usually held at the Dimension Data Head Office in Bryanston, but this year we offered to host the programme at our Kempton Park campus. The intention behind this was not only to provide the learners with a space to attend their classes but also to provide an opportunity for them to get a taste of what studying at Belgium Campus is like. “This is our first time hosting our Winter School at Belgium Campus, but we are hoping it is something we can continue. A number of learners have indicated their interest in studying here, and this experience will help them make a more informed decision next year.” – Shakes Makgalemane, Saturday School Programme Manager. This is not the first collaboration between Belgium Campus iTversity and Dimension Data. In fact, the relationship between our organisations dates back half a decade! Sparked by our mutual investment in the field of information technology, our relationship has grown over the years through our shared mission to change the lives of South African youth through education, job opportunities, and economic growth. A crucial part of achieving this is ensuring that the learners who attend this programme not only have the marks to access higher education but also the knowledge to make an informed educational choice for a promising future. With the high and ever-increasing demand for IT professionals, both locally and globally, there has never been a better time to promote IT education amongst the youth. According to an extensive report by the global organisational consulting firm Korn Ferry, there is projected to be a staggering global IT talent shortage of more than 85 million people by 2030. By promoting IT education among the youth, we can address this talent gap, which holds the potential to not only provide lucrative career opportunities for young individuals but also to play a transformative role in solving our country’s unemployment challenges. To this end, we host Dimension Data’s learners at our Pretoria campus open days – the next of which is on 26 August! During these events, these learners can explore the field of information technology and the diverse career opportunities within this dynamic industry. They also have an opportunity to engage with our student advisors to decide whether this is a field they would like to pursue and what study options are available to them at Belgium Campus iTversity. “The reality is that we have a lot of students who go to uni and come back with no employment, so for us making sure the students we support are employable and can be easily integrated into the business is extremely important. This is one of the key reasons we chose to partner with Belgium Campus, as they have a track record of producing work-ready IT graduates.” – Shakes Makgalemane, Saturday School Programme Manager. Dimension Data provides bursaries to any learners from their programme who would like to pursue higher education in the field of information technology. They are currently sponsoring 30 students pursuing their IT studies at Belgium Campus iTversity, 20 of whom attended their programme and 10 of which are Deaf students in need of financial support. To date, the organisation has provided close to 100 bursaries to Belgium Campus students, many of whom complete their internships at Dimension Data before becoming qualified professionals who make their mark in the IT industry. “I am delighted to share that I am living my passion as a Business Intelligence Developer at Nedbank. However, I must acknowledge that, given my background, my journey wouldn’t have been possible without the invaluable support and opportunities provided by Dimension Data and Belgium Campus. After completing the Dimension Data Saturday School programme and receiving my matric results, Shakes informed me about a scholarship opportunity to study at Belgium Campus. I applied and secured the scholarship, thanks to my matric results. Receiving that scholarship turned my dreams of pursuing higher education into a reality. The practical knowledge and training I gained during my Bachelor of Computing degree and internship at Dimension Data provided the strong foundation I needed to aim for the stars in my career.” – Gladys Dube, BI Developer at Nedbank and Belgium Campus iTversity alumna. Ms Dube’s story is just one of many lives transformed by Dimension Data’s youth development initiative and quality education received from Belgium Campus iTversity. Together, we eagerly look to the future, committed to transforming even more lives through quality STEM education and educational support. -Louise Fuller

Software Engineering Course Students Develop Smart Wearable Solutions Software engineering course students from Belgium Campus iTversity partnered with students from UCLL in Belgium to develop smart wearable solutions that promote well-being in the workplace. This entirely virtual collaboration forms part of Belgium Campus iTversity’s larger goal to address the Sustainable Development Goals through cross-cultural collaboration. Research shows that the more diverse a team is, the more likely they are to produce novel solutions because they can draw on multiple perspectives during the ideation process. What Is Workplace Well-Being? Workplace well-being incorporates all aspects of working life that influence an employee’s health and happiness. It includes physical factors, like how safe a work environment is, and emotional factors, like the treatment an employee receives. Most of us spend the bulk of our time at work, and it is not surprising that more and more organisations are realising how crucial workplace well-being is for employee retention and productivity. What Are Smart Wearables? Smart wearables are electronic devices people can wear on their bodies to collect, transmit and process data. Some examples include smart jewellery, smart clothing, smart glasses, and smart watches. The most well-known application of smart wearables is to track goals in the fitness world, but they can be designed to support health and well-being in any industry. The Project Divided into three multicultural and multidisciplinary groups, participating students had to combine their knowledge and skills to develop unified smart wearables solutions. For some students, this meant using their graphic design skills to design posters and logos to promote the solution. For the students from Belgium Campus iTversity, this meant incorporating all the skills they learnt during their software engineering course. “I was able to implement all the modules from my course so far. Software engineering doesn’t just involve coding. You need to be able to go through each step, from coming up with the idea to delivering the finished product. This includes research, planning, testing, and presenting.” – Kingsley Letlotlo Sepeng, Belgium Campus iTversity student. The Solutions Smart Wristband Group This group focussed on improving employee well-being in the mining sector. They designed a smart wristband to monitor employees’ steps and heart rates and to detect harmful gasses in the mine. If an anomaly is detected, for example, a spike in an employee’s heart rate, the wristband transmits this data to a device where a supervisor is notified and can investigate. Smart Chair Group Sitting in a chair all day without maintaining the correct posture can cause back injury. This group decided to solve this problem by designing a mechanical chair programmed to adjust depending on how its user is sitting to improve posture. Well-being App Group As mentioned earlier, employee well-being isn’t just about the physical factors that affect working life. How an employee feels at their workplace also has a significant influence on their well-being. This group developed an app that enables employees to send anonymous messages of encouragement to their colleagues. We are very proud of the solutions our software engineering course students were able to develop in collaboration with their international peers. This year, a new set of students will take on this project, and we will be joined by an additional Belgian institution – Hasselt University!  Would you like to study a software engineering course that will let you work on projects like this? Send us an email at [email protected] or call us on 010 593 5368 to find out about our Bachelor of Computing degree. Our friendly admissions team is ready to give you all the necessary information and will even take you through the application process. -Louise Fuller

The vibrant and inspiring vocal ensemble Mzansi Youth Choir has been making waves in international choral music since 2003, and now they have captured the hearts of the world with their captivating Golden Buzzer-winning performance during the latest season of the America’s Got Talent (AGT) reality show. Of course, students and staff at Belgium Campus ITversity have always been proud fans of the Mzansi Youth Choir because of our institution’s shared connection: Their co-founder and former musical director is none other than Belgium Campus’ Chief Executive for Education & Academic Collaboration, Dr Jannie Zaaiman, who along with wife Marina, took a moment of near-tragedy and turned it into a legacy of musical hope and transformation for the youth of South Africa. The birth of the Mzansi Youth Choir The genesis of the Mzansi Youth Choir began in the early 2000s, when the Zaaiman family was hijacked in Gauteng. An all too common occurrence in the lives of many South Africans, both then and now, but one that gave Dr and Mrs Zaaiman a moment to reflect on how to turn this traumatic event into something more proactive and positive. Instead of looking to punish the young perpetrators of the crime, the couple decided to find out what the societal factors were that drove them to commit the crime in the first place and try to find a way to help solve the problem. “The boys who hijacked us were barely old enough to be driving,” Dr Zaaiman told the Creative Feel arts news website in 2018, “[the family and I] tried to imagine the circumstances that could have led them to this point and decided we needed to make a positive difference.” There had to be a way, Dr Zaaiman thought, to inspire young people growing up surrounded by crime and poverty, and influence their lives through the healing power of music, which is something close to the Zaaiman family’s heart. Starting with a small group of aspiring Soweto youngsters as the choir’s first members, the Mzansi Youth Choir slowly grew their reputation as one of the country’s most dynamic and versatile singing groups. Twenty years later, the group is a choral force to be reckoned with, performing to standing ovations at choir competitions and events around the world, at some of the greatest venues in the world – including London’s Royal Albert Hall (including a detour for an impromptu performance outside Buckingham Palace) and Soccer City, Soweto during the 2010 World Cup. The choir’s connection with Belgium Campus remains strong, with the choir performing regularly at our Graduation and Academic Opening Ceremonies.   The Mzansi Youth Choir’s triumph on America’s Got Talent Now, with a singing talent pool of over 45 young South Africans and a diverse repertory of classical, jazz, gospel and traditional music, the Mzansi Youth Choir have made fans out of Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel and the other judges of America’s Got Talent, along with millions of American viewers and a huge global online audience with their most recent performance. The audition earned the choir the show’s very first Audience Golden Buzzer accolade for a group, awarded to a performance unanimously loved by the studio audience and all the America’s Got Talent judges. This honour means the Mzansi Youth Choir will be going directly to the show’s semi-finals where their next performance could see them in with a chance to the finals where the choir could win a $1 million grand prize as well as a Las Vegas concert residency.    While the choir’s audition itself is a tour-de-force of emotion and powerful authenticity, the story behind the Mzansi Youth Choir’s version of the song “It’s OK” by the artist Nightbirde is even more poignant. Play Play Previous Next The musical connection between the Mzansi Youth Choir and Nightbirde Nightbirde, also known as Jane Marczewski, was a previous AGT Golden Buzzer winner in 2021, where she not only impressed Simon Cowell enough to use his Golden Buzzer privilege to move her on to that season’s semi-finals, but also brought this notoriously indifferent talent show judge to tears. Sadly, before Marczewski could perform again, she withdrew from the competition due to a worsening cancer diagnosis, and in 2022, sadly passed away at the age of 31. Inspired by Nightbirde’s energy and positivity in the face of adversity and her beautiful song, the Mzansi Youth Choir paid tribute to her legacy with an emotional acapella performance that brought down the AGT house and brought the world to tears. Watch Nightbirde’s America’s Got Talent performance here. “Nightbirde and her music has been such a pillar of strength for our choir through difficult times,” Mzansi members said after their performance, adding “We want to continue her legacy…that’s why we chose this song.” Alfred Phakathi, Mzansi Youth Choir’s artistic director, told the show how proud he was of the performers, praising their hard work and ability to handle the intense pressure of the competition with grace, adding that “it was an immeasurable experience for each of them and also for their proud families at home.” Marczewski’s brother tweeted his thanks to the Mzansi Youth Choir for their emotional tribute, saying “Jane would be so proud. Simply amazing” and wished them luck for the rest of the competition. From a beginning borne out of a moment of near-tragedy to giving life to music on the world’s stage, the Mzansi Youth Choir’s rise to stardom is far from over, with all South Africans and everyone at Belgium Campus cheering for them all the way.     Don’t forget to catch news and videos of the Mzansi Youth Choir’s next highly-anticipated performance in the America’s Got Talent semi-finals, starting on 22 August 2023. Show your support and follow the Mzansi Youth Choir on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Facebook Instagram Youtube -Chris Anderson

Reigning solar racing world champions, the Agoria Solar Team, have requested support from Belgium Campus iTversity for the upcoming Sasol Solar Challenge. About the Team The Agoria Solar Team is a group of engineering students from the renowned Belgian institution, KU Leuven. The team has been building solar cars and participating in international solar challenges for over 16 years! They not only hold the title of solar racing world champion after winning the most recent Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in 2019 but also European champion after winning the iLumen European Solar Challenge in 2020. And while winning is great and something the team is clearly no stranger to; they also race for a more meaningful reason – to showcase the power and importance of renewable energy. About the Upcoming Challenge The Sasol Solar Challenge is a biennial event that challenges solar car teams from across the globe to travel from Johannesburg to Cape Town relying purely on solar energy. This year’s event will take place from 9 to 16 September. The team that covers the greatest distance by the end of the eight-day event is declared the winning team. Known for its difficulty, participating teams must push their engineering skills to new heights to design and build a solar car capable of withstanding the varied weather conditions the Sasol Solar Challenge route presents. Support From Belgium Campus The Agoria Solar Team will arrive at Belgium Campus on 11 August, where they will prepare for the upcoming event. They will use one of the institution’s aeroplane hangars as their workshop to get their car race ready and the intuition’s research and innovation hub, Botlhale Village, as an office space where they will finalise their race strategy. During their stay, Belgium Campus students and staff will have the incredible opportunity to tour their workshop and learn what it takes to prepare for an event like this. This is not the first collaboration between Belgium Campus and KU Leuven. In fact, the two intuitions have a longstanding relationship, with lecturers from the Belgian institution regularly travelling to the iTversity to present master classes. KU Leuven also helps Belgium Campus maintain an international standard of education by assisting with auditing the institution and its qualifications. The most recent audit found Belgium Campus’ Bachelor of Computing degree more advanced than an academic bachelor programme of European standards! Meet the Agoria Solar Team at Our Open Day You didn’t think we would host the solar racing world champions and not give our prospective students a chance to come and meet them, did you? The Agoria Solar Team will be at our Open Day on Saturday, 20 August. Join us to view the solar car they will be racing and attend the exciting presentation they will be giving. Register to attend We look forward to seeing you there! In the meantime, keep an eye on our social media for regular updates and a sneaky Instagram takeover by the Agoria Solar Team themselves!’ -Louise Fuller

A Penn State Collaboration Sponsored by Lockheed Martin, three Bachelor of Computing students from Belgium Campus iTversity partnered with five mechanical engineering students from Penn State University to develop a power system to extend UAV flight times. “I was very surprised when I found out we would be working with Lockheed Martin. Lockheed Martin is a military and technology industry giant, and having a personal interest in these fields myself, I was very excited for the opportunity.” – Third-year software engineering student at Belgium Campus, Dylan Conradie. What Is a UAV? UAV is short for unmanned aerial vehicle, also known as a drone. It is a type of aircraft that operates without a pilot on board. This is achieved via remote control or by programming the UAV to fly autonomously. Drones are used for a variety of applications in a range of industries. Some of which include: To capture aerial footage in the film industry. To deliver medical supplies to remote areas in the medical industry. To track wildlife in the conservation industry. To monitor crops and collect data in the agriculture industry For space exploration efforts in the aerospace industry. For surveillance, reconnaissance missions, and expeditionary intelligence in the military industry. Lockheed Martin’s sophisticated fleet of UAVs are used for diverse military applications, including those listed above. Ensuring these drones work optimally is often the difference between life and death. One hindrance to the effective application of UAVs is their power supply. The Power Problem Currently, most drones are battery-powered, limiting their maximum flight time to around 30 minutes due to the delicate balance between their weight and the power needed to make them fly. Even more sophisticated drones that use state-of-the-art batteries only have a maximum flight time of around 1 hour – not very much time at all. Keeping the power problem in mind, Lockheed Martin challenged participating students to design, test, and build a hybrid electric power system capable of automatically switching between battery and generator power to increase flight endurance. Project Roles Under the virtual mentorship of representatives from Lockheed Martin, Belgium Campus’ Bachelor of Computing students and Penn State’s mechanical engineering students used the knowledge and skills from their respective disciplines to achieve the following: Penn State The students from Penn State were responsible for the system hardware. This included purchasing all the physical components per weight, space, and budget requirements, setting them up, and testing them to make sure they worked as intended. These components included, amongst other things, a fuel tank, an RC engine, a generator, a battery, and sensors to measure the performance of these components. Belgium Campus The Belgium Campus students were responsible for the software components of the power system. This included writing the code that would allow the system to automatically switch from battery to generator to ensure optimal power usage and the implementation of a kill switch for safety reasons. They were also responsible for developing a system capable of accurately monitoring the various sensor outputs and displaying them in an easy-to-understand way. These outputs included the liquid level and flow of the fuel tank and the voltage, power, current, and temperature of the battery and motor. Achieving this required both front- and back-end development. Arduino programming was used for the back end to allow the hardware to communicate with the monitoring system, and Node-RED was used for the front end to create a user-friendly interface where the sensor readings could be displayed. The finished system was placed on a server where the Penn State students could access it to test their various hardware components. “We didn’t want to limit our system by only making it compatible with drones. The system we developed can be used to test anything with a battery, generator, or fuel tank, and the representatives from Lockheed Martin actually complimented us on its versatility.” – Third-year software engineering student at Belgium Campus, Zandrei Kleynhans. The Outcome The Lockheed Martin representatives were impressed with the progress the students were able to make. Their efforts form part of an ongoing collaboration, where a new set of students from each institution build on the work done by the students before them. The end goal of this project is to develop a prototype that can serve as proof of concept for a power system capable of significantly extending the flight times of various UAVs. The next group of students will improve on the existing system and work to implement the system into an actual drone. We are excited to see what they go on to achieve. -Louise Fuller

Belgium Campus iTversity has partnered with Penn State University to construct a small-scale hydroponic system and automated farming robot. The project aims to ensure food security in urban areas while promoting cultural competence and effective leadership amongst participating students. It forms part of Belgium Campus iTversity’s larger effort to address urbanisation challenges through the ongoing development of smart city solutions. The IT institution is in the process of building an Urbanisation Learning Factory, which will house this solution and serve as an incubation hub for future ones. Why is urbanisation an issue? Urbanisation is the increasing migration of the world’s population from rural to urban areas. There are many reasons people choose to make this move, the majority of which centre on achieving a higher standard of living. After all, urban areas offer increased job opportunities, higher wages, improved amenities, and better healthcare and housing. But while increased urbanisation has its benefits, it is also the cause of serious environmental issues and their resultant health conditions. These issues include land degradation, increased pollution, water shortages, waste mismanagement, overcrowding, and energy over-consumption. The resulting health conditions for which include poor nutrition, the contraction and transmission of diseases, and a general deterioration of health. With the world’s urban population predicted to increase from 4.46 billion as of 2021 to 6.68 billion by 2050, the need for smart city solutions that optimise the use of natural resources and reduce the effect increased urbanisation has on the environment is more urgent than ever! How this project addresses urbanisation challenges   Hydroponic farming is an ancient technique that involves growing plants without the need for soil, using a flow of nutrient-enriched water. The technique itself addresses a number of urbanisation challenges in the following ways: 1) Hydroponic greenhouses allow a constant food supply, regardless of the soil quality, weather conditions, or time of the year. 2) It saves space – an important component in overcrowded areas. Because plants within the system receive nutrients and water directly, they do not need to branch their roots out in search of these things, meaning they can be planted quite close together. 3) It conserves water – a scarce resource in overpopulated areas. Hydroponics conserves up to 90% more water than traditional farming by recirculating the water that is not absorbed by the plants within the system. 4) Because hydroponics allows food to be grown locally, it removes the need for transportation, which reduces carbon emissions and wastage caused by food going off in transit. So, where do our participating students come in? Using their IT and engineering expertise to design the optimal hydroponic system and build a farming robot to automate the agricultural cycle, our students will produce a smart cities solution capable of producing enough food to ensure food security within an urban area. Project Components Working in three teams through virtual collaboration, 15 software engineering students from Belgium Campus and 8 mechanical engineering students from Penn State are working together to design and build the following: Team 1: A single-level hydroponic system. Team 2: An automated farming robot capable of navigating the hydroponic system to allow planting and harvesting. Team 3: A robot arm with the reach, rotate, and clasping capabilities needed to plant and harvest crops. Together, these three innovations will serve as proof of concept for the effective automation of a hydroponic farm within an urban area. “IT makes things more efficient and enhances what already exists, which is the goal of every field – to improve. I got into IT because I want to create things that make people’s lives better, and I feel that this project is a good start.” – 3rd-year software engineering student at Belgium Campus, Sonwabile Balite. The students have completed the ideation and design phase of the project and are in the process of building the prototype. We are eager to see the finished project. Keep an eye on our social media to see what they are able to engineer! By Louise Fuller   Sources: Kuddus, M.A., Tynan, E. & McBryde, E. Urbanization: a problem for the rich and the poor?. Public Health Rev 41, 1 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40985-019-0116-0 UN (World Urbanization Prospects 2018). https://population.un.org/wup/Download/ Schnitzler, W.. (2012). Urban Hydroponics for Green and Clean Cities and for Food Security. Acta horticulturae. 1004. 13-26. 10.17660/ActaHortic.2013.1004.1.