The University of Guyana Institute for Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (UGIRIE) is hosting its Second Exhibition of Innovations from Thursday to Saturday, at the university’s Turkeyen Campus.
Over 40 innovations and applied research projects are on display, allowing researchers, students, entrepreneurs, and innovators to showcase their work, explore collaborations, and engage with potential sponsors.
Shomari Williams, a technical communications officer, presented UG’s Project Alpha, an initiative that integrates education with cutting-edge technology like virtual reality and augmented reality. Shomari was part of a four-member team that won the first Webby Award for Guyana at the 2022 5G for Change Hackathon Award.
Shomari said Project Alpha can be a game-changer for education as it incorporates AI to ensure that students learn at a pace tailored to them.
“I believe that the more educated people that we have is better for the country as a whole.
“There is a bunch of AI features that is integrated into the experiences and the entire goal with this technology is make sure each student learns at a pace that is designed for them,” Shomari explained, noting that the platform includes experiences like a virtual fighter jet, which is used for military training and aeronautical engineers.
With the system, users can take apart the jet with a click, and every component is meticulously modeled to replicate real-life functionality. A cross-section of a human brain is another feature aimed at the medical field.
“Think about it like this, I don’t think that I want a surgeon who doesn’t have the prerequisites necessary for him to open up my heart, opening my heart. But with a system like this [Project Alpha] he can keep going over and over until he makes it to the prerequisites,” Shomari explained as he further noted that the platform will now allow you to move to the next level until you have completed the current level.
Currently, Shomari said Project Alpha is conducting testing in plumbing but it can be used for any sector.
“The first lesson is basically all the pipes and fitting, you have to be able to identify them correctly before you can move on to the next lesson and the next lesson there is a sink setup and from there, you move on.”
Akeem Williams, a food processing technician at the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA), introduced a bread-making project aimed at reducing Guyana’s import bill, especially on wheat flour.
“We displaying our initiative that we are trying to follow that the president has initiated trying to reduce the use of imported products by 25 per cent by 2025,” Akeem told the News Room.
A team from the Guyana School of Agriculture has created bread using three non-traditional flours – rice, cassava, and sweet potato.
“You can incorporate our locally produced and manufactured products like you can take rice flour, cassava flour which makes a really nice bread, we also have sweet potato bread here,” Akeem stated.
This project started as part of initiatives for Agriculture Month but Akeem hopes it can be sustainable. He said the team is working to have the bread on the shelves of local supermarkets and is pleased with the reaction thus far from the public.
STEM Guyana’s Jaden Deviera also spoke about the importance of such exhibitions, stating that “events like these are amazing, I think they are very critical for Guyana today because we are accelerating at a rapid pace and I think these events really help us to connect not only with young people but general citizens of Guyana to really understand what is happening in Guyana.”
STEM Guyana is a non-profit organization that focuses on cultivating the next generation of engineers and critical thinkers.
UG’s Innovation exhibition will also be taken to other parts of the country like Linden and Berbice.
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