STEAM Ambassadors for AI and Robotics (ULSTEAM), kicking off Durban Flood Guard
IEEE Young Professionals South Africa + IEEE DUT Student Branch | Durban-Flood-Guard ULSTEAM: STEAM Ambassadors for AI and Robotics 21 to 25 September 2026, University of Limpopo (hybrid) Kicking off Durban Flood Guard, funded principally by EPICS in IEEE and IEEE South Africa
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.
Date and Time
Location
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- University of Limpopo
- Polokwane, Limpopo
- South Africa
- Contact Event Hosts
- Co-sponsored by EPICS in IEEE
- Starts 20 September 2026 06:00 AM UTC
- Ends 24 September 2026 10:00 PM UTC
- No Admission Charge
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 |
This event is a pilot with pre-selected participants.
Durban Flood Guard is funded principally by EPICS in IEEE, with additional support from IEEE Young Professionals Region 8 and South Africa Section's societies and chapters; the IEEE Education Society, the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society and South Africa Section SIGHT.