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Im impressed by the feedback

we have got from

our readers, both

the criticism andthe encouragement

are indications of

a general accep-

tance. For the past

one year that the current editorial board

has been in ofce, ranks have been broken

and links created, Norms ignored and new

rules put in place, all to come up with your

current Student Engineer Journal. As we,

the outgoing editorial board, celebrate our

third and nal edition as a sign of how far

the journal has come, the new team hasno alternative but to focus on the future.

The core function of the journal has remained

linkage between the students, lecturers and

the industrialists. The extent by which this

has been achieved is for you the readership to

decide. Its however with much pleasure that

I wish to inform that our efforts have won

us recognition as not only the best student

journal in Eastern Africa but also among the

Editorin ChiEf

best technological journals in the region.

The student engineer was not the only

good thing happening to the school of

engineering. The fabrication laboratory

also landed. Situated at the ground oorof the mechanical engineering depart-

ment until otherwise decided, Fablab is

expected to offer a great practical learn-

ing experience in engineering fabrica-

tion. Read on about it on our feature story.

I extend my heartfelt appreciation to all

those who have made this edition a suc-

cess; our sponsors for their unwavering

support and members of the editorial

board for their hard work and dedica-

tion. Special thanks to Eng. Archie

McCorkindale and nally congratu-lations to our readers, because with-

out you, it would not have happened.

Enjoy the April-June issue of

the Student Engineer.

Eyinda M. SaMuEl

in this issuE

ProfilE

EditorialBoard

nEwS

fEaturE

Editorial

rEgulars

yourSay

EnginEEring woMan

StudEnt activitiES

artS

Pictorial

Send in feedback via [email protected]

Interview With David Svarre The

C.E.O Of Digital Age Institute

Fablab

Microsoft S2B

Nyao Car, Again?

Ericsson Career Day

Pascal Katana - Inventor

Eyinda SaMuEl

Editorin ChiEf

obiko Edward

Managing dirECtor

SaMo obanda

assoCiatE Editor

angEla HiuHu

assoCiatE Editor

ContriButions BY

MaSika HaMiSi gabriEl

HabwE JoSiaH

bEtt rayMond

vayn

graphiC dEsignEr

3

5

6

8

11

14

10

20

22

25

A journal of the Engineering Stu-

dents Association

c/o The Dean,

School of Engineering,

University of Nairobi

P.O. Box 30197 Nairobi

[email protected]

Feedback and correspondence

should be addressed to the Edito-

rial Board. Views expressed in this

journal are those of the writers and

do not necessarily reect those of

the association.

To Advertise in The Student

Engineer, contact Alphonce on+254726996696.

The Fablab Is To Hard-

ware What Open Source Is

To Software- Neil Gersh-

eneld, Page 13

copyright Student Engineer 2009

Reproduction of any article inpart or in full is strictly prohibited

without permission from from The

Engineering Sudents Association


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aS i lookbacktotHEHuMblEbEginningSoftHiSMagazinE, i MuStaPPrEciatEandcoMMEndtHEStridEStHatHavEbEEnMadEtowardSbringingabouttHEiMProvEMEntStHatHavEbEEnacHiEvEd. SoMEonEMadEaStatEMEnttotHEEf-

fEcttHat ifyouwanttoHidESoMEtHingfroM kEnyanS, PutitinPrint. tHEiMPlicationoftHiSStatEMEntiStHatMany

kEnyanSdonotrEad! i cannotvoucHfortHEtrutHoftHiSStatEMEnt; HowEvEritiSMydESirEandHoPEtHattHiSMag-

azinEwillcarrySucHarticlEStHatwillinSPirEuStokEEPrEadingit. tHiSiSindEEdaSEriouScHallEngEfortHEEdito-

rialboard, butlookingatwHatHaSbEEndonE, i wouldlikEtobEliEvEtHattHEboardiSuPtotHEJob. i wouldlikEto

SEEiSSuESbrougHtuPintHEMagazinEtHatinSPirE uPcoMingEnginEErS totHinkanddrEaMinnovationandEntErPriSE

aSwEfocuSontHE viSion 2030. lEttHiSMagazinEbEtHEMEdiuMtHrougHwHicHtHEaSPirationSfortHEfuturEcan

bEvEntilatEd; wHoknowS, SoME idEaSMaytakErootandbEarfruitfortHEbEttErMEntoftHElivESofwanancHi.

FromTheDean

TheInbox

a Journal of tHE EnginEEring StudEntS aSSociation, univErSity of nairobi

Prof. PattS M. a. odira

Whats up the student engineer? Big up for the good job you have been doing in keeping the students abreast of the industryhappenings. I however wish to take issue with some of your articles. To be particular the article on on Mau Forest and the electric

car in your previous issue. One cant help realizing that this is some bunch of downloaded material from the Internet. My honest

opinion is that you should advise your writers to employ some originality in their writing.

Kelvin Omolo

Mechanical engineering 2nd year.

The excellent job being done by the editorial board of the student engineer journal can not pass unmentioned. I have read your

last two editions and I cant wait to see whats on the pink column of the Engineering woman in your next edition. I suggest that

you go a step further and include female Engineers in your interview section. Keep up the good job!

Victoria Bwatuti

Electrical engineering 4rth year.

I hope your publication is still going strong. Food for thought: How do we use the publication to increase interest in technologyskills among the youth? Hope to read from you.

G.P. Kalerwa, National Council for Science and Technology

I agree that some of the articles you read have partly been phished from the internet. The internet is a vast source of

information through which some of our writers come across this information and interpret it on our journal. We chal-

lenge you to also contribute to the better content to avoid this sort of dilution.

Congratulations the student engineer for being true to the students and always delivering on time your editions of the journal.I however think that your journal does not give a balanced coverage across all the ve departments at the school of engineering.

Massive coverage seems to be awarded to the departments of Electrical and Bio systems while the other departments get not more

than one page. Please look in to that.

Ng'ethe samuel,

Geospatial and Space Technology 5th year.

The issue of balance has bugged us through the last three editions. We wish to call upon the students to help us x thisonce and for all. This is a student journal and 60% of what is published comes from the students. It is your responsibil-

ity as students to send in articles to be featured for your respective departments.

I have been thrilled by the writer of Civil Engineering articles in your last two editions. One gets a feeling that including such anindividual in a policy making position will set things on track for our country. I look forward to his next piece and kudos to the

student engineer journal for providing a platform on which to air these crucial matters.

Ouso J. A.,

Civil Engineering 3rd year.

Thank you for the enquiry Mr. Kalerwa. What we have been doing is highlighting success stories of the few youth

whove gone the technology path. It is our hope and desire that these stories will inspire the youth towards the same

path. We are however open to suggestions from your side.

Send your feedback via [email protected]

4


5/28


ned our time, the peo-

ple who generations af-

ter us will remember all

dropped out of school?

Bill Gates, RichardBranson, Mark Zucker-

berg of Facebook fame.

They have redened our

era, but how? More fun-

damentally, why? Why?

Cue Mutula Ki-

lonzo, former Minister

for Nairobi and The Met-

ropolitan Area, talking

in such verbose about

Electric trains and Har-

rods. Cue The Minister

for Energy hosting a one

week Conference asking for ideas to deal with the then Energy

Crisis. Anyone in the know understands that we dont have the ca-

pacity to run an Electric train, but it makes such imagination full

fodder for all the hapless parrots out there waiting to politicize.

We have KEMRI, KARI and a million others but there doesnt

exist A Research and Development Foundation for Engineering,

so what do we do-lets get ideas from the common mwananchi

and create a committee to deal with it. Yippee! As Mutahi Ngu-

nyi once quipped, a camel is a horse created by a committee. All

we need is one man, just one and yet not a man- An institution.

I am heavily reminded by Thoreaus words, any man who

believes he is more right than his neighbor constitutes a majority

of one. Then the question, did you know Adolf Hitler used the

same words to justify killing the Jews. Then in this moment I am

Adolf Hitler, I think I am more right than the Sesame Street char-

acters we have as leaders. I as Adolf Hitler believe that we are just

too lazy to solve our problems. We need a new class of criminals.

We need individuals who are 2050-compliant, individu-

als like the ones behind The Fuel Documentary who ask the ques-

tion, what if you took a 30 storey building in the Nairobi CBD

and instead planted crops in it. What would happen? How can we

apply the concept of freeism thats behind Google and Facebook

to build our country, individuals who understand that globaliza-

tion is not westernization and that in Tokyo, the hedges are tea not

owers. That we need to embrace Nuclear energy as South Africa

did and went Nuclear in 1958. Individuals who dont only blow

hot air up my backside because they will mess up my autopsy!

Sine qua non-I have no alternative. Ive gone through

a whole set of tantrums as I wrote this article, wasting a min-

ute of my time on politics followed by loathing of myself

and the status quo, having to sit as Adolf Hitler for one para-

graph and then nally resigning to my ultimate fate: futil-

ity. The futility that this is Africa and nothing is ever goingto change, and what do they mean by change-exchange one

bald man for another. I give up, maybe and yet sine qua non.

I have no alternative.

SineQuaNonKierkegaard once noted, If you take

paradox away from a thinker, you will get a professor.

So sine qua non.

A new world order is in the ofng, a new world order.

A world where open is the new safety on the trigger,

a world of enlightenment, and a world akin to Delac-

roixs 1830 masterpiece; liberty leading mankind. Step

aside Napoleon, Hello Revolution and yet sine qua non.

The Curious case of Benjamin within me was

awakened when I came across footage of Sarah Palin Miss

Drill Baby Drill, yes the one who held the trigger nger

last year when it came to Energy issues for The Republi-

can Party giving a speech on how Alaska has been affected

by the rush for oil by Blood Hungry Oil Companies, excuse

the non-existent pun. Politics, people is a fools mouthpiece.

Yet, we politic, its the Unofcial National Sport.

Its like cocaine and we are Coca Cola before it was banned,

it spews forth from our every crevice. We live for it, we

need it, and with some really misplaced logic in play we

think that, that is development. Then a new obsession, this

thing called Vision 2030. A vision led by politicians who

believe Globalization is going Western, introduce Harrods

to Nairobi and alas! We are civilized and yet sine qua non.

Immanuel Kant dened enlightenment as mans emergence

from his self-imposed immaturity. Enlightenment, the sore

ingredient missing, the ability to think for ourselves-withouta Western power dangling AID over our heads, the ability

to choose a Political Brass that is able to quit and go home

because we failed you. Im one of those people who have

given up voting in 2012-just the question of which Mon-

key to back has the more-comic-half-of-me in stitches.

Im worried, terribly worried. Do you feel it?

I feel like a stick in the mud awake to the Circus choir

singing from the green grass justjust inches away. I

can feel it. When they speak about change, I dont be-

lieve it. The longest serving opposition to Govern-

ment rule has always been The Universities. Why?

Not because of numbers, not because of the leader-

ship but because of knowledge. An enlightened bunch we

are, way above the lth that is a game played between the

haves and the have-nots. Or were we? They say we are a

product of our time, higher breaths than I would shiver at

that observation-I mean Mahatma Gandhi grew up in a time

of British Oppression but he didnt make that the status quo.

So status quo ante right?

If so then how is it we are still fed on a curriculum that is so

passed by time, time passed us again. Where are the tools to

make it in this World right now? How is it that our Educationsystem feeds into making us appropriate for only the existing

industries? Hello Safaricom, B.A.T, Zain, EABL. In a 3rd

World Country whose next move is dependent on AID, do

you see the fallacy? Why is it that the people who have de-

SaMo

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Newsa Journal of tHE EnginEEring StudEntS aSSociation, univErSity of nairobi

EriCsson graduatEs

rECruitMEnt,

Ericsson Kenya held theirrst graduate recruitment fair at the

Sarit Centre expo hall on the 14th of

May 2009. This program being held for

the rst time in Kenya but a regular in

other countries where the company is

well established brought together over

1000 graduating students from dif-

ferent colleges and universities in the

Now that the School of Engi-neering is host to the Make AnythingYoy Want outt the Fab Lab- the rst

major undertaking is going to be one to

is thEfuturE

rEallY

hErE

On the 10thof March 2009,

students of the

University of

Nairobi held a

demonstration

across the Central

Business District in protest of themurders of Oscar Kamau Kingara and

John Paul Oulu (GPO, a student) of the

Oscar Foundation that took place right

in the campus grounds. These murders

are alleged to be linked to the Mungiki

Sect and are also alleged to have been

committed by a unit of the police force.

This among many other extra-judicial

country. The students were educated on

various functional units of the Ericsson

company and later given internship ap-

plication forms. The aim was to recruit

15 graduates to join the company. Theevent was ofcially opened by the Min-

ister for Information and Communica-

tion Hon. Samuel Poghisio, who called

upon other companies in the country to

emulate ericssons example and provide

Jobs for the youth.

killings alleged to have been carried

out by this unit motioned the demon-

strators to chanting the now clarion call

that has been echoed by members of

Civil Society, Ali Must Go!.Major General Hussein Ali is

the Police Commissioner of the

Kenya Police.

They took the opportunity to

also voice their protest on the

several issues that have tainted

the 'Grand Coalition's' gover-

nance of the state.

Contrary to the history of

SONU (Students' Organization of Nai-robi University) demonstrations, this

one was a relatively peaceful protest

save for the few incidents by rogue

demonstrators towards the end of the

march.

We -and I believe

I speak with the

majority of the

student population-

are deeply unsatis-

ed by the actions

of our political

leaders under

whose author-

ity we placed our

beloved country only to be damned by

tales of grand corruption, impunity and

even murder!

construct an Electric Vehicle. For

those of you who missed this, De

Uitvinders(The Inventors Foun-

dation Netherlands) in conjuc-

tion with Development Through

Media (DTM) and the University

of Nairobi, among others, are col-

laborationg in the production of a

Film, The Inventors The African

Race (previously aka The Inventors

come to Africa).

Our task as the University of

Nairobi and more specically as theWAZA Platform in this lm is to see

the actualization of the Electric Vehicle

around which the synopsis of the lm

is based. The School of Mechanical

Engineering some years ago wanted to

nYaYo Car? again?

begin the 'ambitious' pro-ject to convert

to an Electric Vehicle, a 1985 Subaru-

Leone 1800 GLF (donated by a spon-

sor- pictured below).

Although this project never

took off, Dr. K. Gachigi, a Lecturer at

the Faculty, has seen this as a provi-

dential opportunity to jump-start it. As

the Patron of the WAZA Platform, he is

key to facilitating the projects' co-ordi-

nation with The University and also the

wondrous facilities of the new FabLab.

You can follow the progress log on

Edward Obiko's Blog at http://omin-

goobiko.blogspot.com

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Newsa Journal of tHE EnginEEring StudEntS aSSociation, univErSity of nairobi

iEK dinnErdanCE

This years IEK annual dinnerdance went down traditionally at the

Intercontinental Hotel with a massivestudent representation from the Univer-

sity of Nairobi, school of engineering.

The event was addressed by among

others the Chairman of the Institution

of Engineers of Kenya, Eng. Francis

Ngokonyo and the Assistant Minister

for Roads, Hon. Lee Kinyanjui. Despite

their massive presence the student fra-

ternity was however left out from the

program. This raised questions on the

connection between student engineers

and the countrys main engineeringbody.

laptop and phonE traCK-

ing dEviCE

A Kenyan company, EastAfrican Data Handlers claims to have

developed software to track a stolen

laptop or mobile phone. The ujanja

tracking technology is installed on a

laptop hard disk or incorporated in a

phone rmware. The new technology

employs GPRS over existing GSMmobile phone service operators. The

lap top tracker is said to indicate the

location of the laptop whenever the

thief connects to the internet. The

phone, on the other side, will notify the

owner (on an alternative line provided

earlier) as soon as the thief changes

their phone no. the information you

get on the alternative line is the new

number inserted in your phone. Several

questions, however, arise such as what

if the chief formatted the hard disk of

the laptop and who pays for the texts

you receive notifying you when a new

line is inserted in your stolen phone.

CarEErtalKs

Student associations steppedup their efforts in the linkage of the stu-

dents to the industry. This was evident

from the increased number of career

talks including two mini career days

in the past year. In December 2008,

EIC(Electronics and ICT Club) orga-

nized the rst ever engineering career

day that featured Jamii Telcom, Comtec

Networks, Power Technics and Stan-

dard Chartered Bank. ESA followedsuit organizing a joint career Talk

session in April 2009 that feature Eng.

Wanjohi and the Business incubate pro-

gram. On various occasions the Dean,

School of Engineering has applauded

these efforts acknowledging them as

a means of keeping the students in the

know.

THE CCK PUBLIC LEC-

TURE ON CONSUMER

EDUCATION

The Electronics and ICTClub on 20th may 2009 hosted

the Communications Commission of

Kenya at the Exhibition Hall (JKML)

for a public lecture on consumer pro-

tection in the ICT industry. The event

was open to the general public and

was attended by among other lectur-

ers, Dr. Gakuru Mucemi the Patron of

the Electronics and ICT Club. Before

the start of the talks, interested personshad a chance to be guided through the

application of internships to Microsoft

partners through the WECA portal.

WHY THE FISHERMAN

WILL THANK THE

STUDENT ENGINEER

Pascal katana, a fourth year student

at the department of electrical and

information engineering developed

an electronic trap that lures sh into

there captivity. The trap employs

amplication; amplifying the sound

made by sh while feeding, and GPRS/

GSM signaling; upon the shing nets

weight reaching a set gure, a signal is

triggered automatically through an em-

bedded mobile phone to a designated

number. This alerts the shermen with

the number indicating the positioning

of the sh.Katana, now popularly known as the

inventor presented the project at the na-

tional scientic conference in Nairobis

KICC.

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EngineerProflea Journal of tHE EnginEEring StudEntS aSSociation, univErSity of nairobi

The Japs have an old say-ing, A man is the room he is in.Well,

they never met David Svarre, C.E.O. ofDigital Age institute, co-founder and

Director of Scandinavian Computer

Recruitment. Raison dtre? Read on.

Allow me to digress, theres an

old movie from the early 90s starring

Sean Connery-the epitome of the Bond

Movies and Wesley Snipes, with a huge-

ly Japanese cast. Wesley the resident de-

tective and Sean Connery the detective

brought in by the Japanese Mogul to in-

vestigate a murder in his house. A classic

movie. Hows this relevant you ask and

why am I so Japanese-fascinated you ask?

This is me, walking from

the Alliance Francaise to View Park

Towers, squeezed into an eleva-

tor and out of nervousness or maybe

to calm them, I decide to count the

oors. We stop at the 16th . Im f-

teen minutes late, what an impression!

He walks in: David Svarre.

Easy going, good looking (obviouslyno Sean Connery), with deep-set eyes

an inquisitive natural look and maybe

in a more magical world with bad eye-

sight and rimmed specks he would be

Harry Potter. Now, it wouldnt occur

to you straight off the bat that he has a

First Degree in Electrical Engineering

from Denmark (he is Danish married

to a Kenyan lady) has a second degree

in Technomics, he got into Software at

15 writing programs on his laptop and

has spent his adult life in the softwareindustry. Currently he is C.E.O. of

Digital Age Institute which doubles as

both a B.P.O. (Business Process Out-

sourcing outt) and a college offer-

ing courses in Software Development.

The interview begins; I ask Everyone

here calls you Davie?

D: I believe in equality, whoever you

are...Whether Cleaner or Manager,

fundamentally we are equal and its

that logic that fuels a winning en-

terprise like Digital Age Institute.

S: Philosophical. O.K. Why Ke-

nya? The whole world out

there, why come to Kenya?

D: I rst came to Kenya in 1997, it hap-

pens that in at the turn of the century

Denmark imported expatriates from

Kenya to solve the Y2K crisis in thebanking industry. Why Kenya? Apart

from the fact that Kenya was penned to

be one of the ve countries in Africa

that would be technology hub, there is

the obvious fact that I got married here.

S: I n a 3rd World Country like Ken-

ya, where parts of the country are

famine stricken and we live an a la

tapeworm life-AID. Do you think

its prudent to invest in Software De-

velopment or should we focus more

on the vivid problems around us?

D: The answer to that is simple. Lets

look at the obvious; you have a hand-

set. I have one. Everywhere you look

there is one. Kenya imports millions of

phones every year, that is billions spent

on buying original software. Software on

phones either Samsung Nokia Siemens,

you name it. If on principle we decided toinvest in developing our own software,

Kenya would make more hard currency

and invest it in developing this nation.

S: What do you think of the true Soft-

SaMo

david svarrE

C.E.o.

digital agE insti-

tutE

8


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ware development level in Kenya, and

are companies excited to use Kenyan

Software development companies too?

D: There are roughly 4000 Software de-velopers in Kenya, only 400 know what

they are doing. We need to change that;

we should have at least 16000 Software

developers who know what they are do-

ing. On the second question, Kenyan

companies are some of our biggest cli-

ents. They appreciate and understand

the need for a cohesive relationship.

S: As a B.P.O. Pre-bre optic cable.

How does this affect your companys

revenue margin?

D: Software development is not heavily

or entirely dependent on speeds or band-

width, our business model is such that

whereas call centers are expensive due

to Satellite connectivity, we dont have

such expenses and it gives us a way

out to focus on earning Hard currency.

S: Tell us about Digital Age the college?

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the industry requirements. As a result of this training, graduates are able to focus on their careers, acquire the right entry skills

required by the industry and also have a competitive advantage in job market.

Our staff sourcing service is dedicated to the Engineering industry. We maintain an up to date database of staff with engineering

qualifications and experience. Among others we serve the following industries whose core processes are engineering in nature

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Firms and Employers seeking employees or staff with any Engineering qualifications and experience now have a one stop shop

recruitment firm dedicated for Engineering staff, be it temporary staff for short projects or permanent employment. This service

grants them cost effective recruitment through proprietary recruitment model suitable for the engineering industry, affordable and

with speed.

Professionals & Job seekers who have any Engineering qualification starting from Diploma level upwards, with or without experience

are eligible to join a pool of similar resources in our database. Through our staff sourcing program you have an opportunity to

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D: Originally, we knew we wanted to set

up a Software Development Center in

Kenya. So in 2004 we did the surveys,

in 2005 we had a location that happenedto be View Park Towers. Strategically,

we were condent. We had envisioned a

World Class center that offered Software

creation at the highest International plane

possible and also coupled as a B.P.O.

S: Successes?

D: Digital Age has come a long way but

the most straight forward indicator of our

successes is our students. Once they have

a certicate from Digital Age the marketcant wait to swallow up our students.

S: Software is ever changing, how do you

keep up, how do you make sure your cur-

riculum is relevant and that your students

are at the fore-front of this information?

D: We monitor new technology al-

ways before implementing a curricu-

lum. We dont teach just because it is

new. Our curriculum is revised on av-

erage annually and often pegged on the

City & Guilds curriculum. Also, in this

Global village, any High Educations

Board has a moral obligation to keepan eye out for new technology, those

that succumb to the inertia of not revis-

ing their curriculum will be severely

punished by an ever googling world.

Digital Age makes sure you get the best.

As I conclude and we fade into

important tips on Entrepreneurship and

Davids well calculated look on life, Im

sucked back into passing realms of that

old movie. Call it bad dj vu, but I feel

like Wesley Snipes listening and learning

from the older wiser and graying SeanConnery. From Davids views of busi-

ness, his tech savvy look and the way

he articulates his ideas. His courtesy, in-

sight, smarts, the respect well aligned in

his voice. Core themes to both the mov-

ie and the Japanese way of life. I sud-

denly remember the name of that movie.

The Rising Sun. It wouldnt be too tacky

to call him The Rising San would it?

(San-Jap for Mr.)

9


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EngineeringWoman


Back in primary school, during

my physical education lesson my class teachertook the liberty of teaching us an iota on selfdefense. Then, I rolled my eyes and in my headI was at loss of words What is he trying out?On retrospect, he must have understood theconsequences of lack of defense. If any womanhas not been hit by the latest moving bugcalled independent craze, there is no need toworry. Sources claim its speed of infection ishigher than that of any Kenyan teenager apinga preferred image of an icon in the music orHollywood industry.

On the ip side, its anti-bug needs nodownload or constant upgrading and as a mat-ter of fact its quite easy to come along. Luck-ily for us we have FIDA that ercely combatsthis anti-bug. In law its said that ignorance isno excuse. FIDA has taken the bulls by its hornand laid it all out for the women to compre-hend their rights as well as empowering themon different ways of defense. By FIDA doingso, they changed the perception of sorting dif-ferences through ghting or verbal exchangeof words.

Everyone agrees with me that the statementeducation is the key to success or anything tothat effect is the most repetitive line in anyfamily as we grew up through our education

period. Then again what is knowledge withoutwisdom?

Each Engineering woman is strivingfor independence as we pursue this course. Inthe heart of it all lets not forget what makesus a woman and not the opposite. We need tolearn where not to cross the line in attempt of

proving our independence. Its not sufcient tobe just independent, we are expected to furtherbalance our emotions and make wise decisionsin all that we do.

As we women take Engineering tohigher levels in the future of no collapsingdams, no evolving of potholes minutes afterre-carpeting roads among other aspects, it willtake more than just being called Doctor Pro-fessor Engineer Angela Hiuhu. Let the futureengineering works always have a ner femi-nine touch from us women and regain the lost

public trust.

We women need to work simultane-ously with the men earning respect from them

based on our efforts and merit. Anyone is

angEla HiuHiu

welcome to hold me on this; in the next two going threeyears we will have a re-engineered female version ofBill Gates or better still a relentless Wangari Maathai.You are probably laughing in contempt thinking thatam being an illusionist. I do realize that this will taketime and if you hold your breathe you might choke butI guarantee you of not having a cardiac arrest.

I urge all engineering women to break allboundaries hindering their success and exploit their tal-ents. We should not be easily contented with raw deals.As we take over the Engineering in future making ittrendy to be no longer considered as a course reserved

for the geeks and nerdy, learning its art and producingcraft that blows the public away beyond measures let it

be done wisely.

Nothing is more hilarious than an intellectwoman who is not wise.Lest its forgotten, we Engineering women are movingat a speed of agitated bulls that just spotted a red cloth!

10


11/28

different materials but also to

invent, design and create whole

machines. One goal of the Fab

Lab is to be able to create an-

other Fab Lab from itself!

Fab labs share core

capabilities so that projects can

be shared across them. This cur-

rently includes:

-A computer-controlled laser-

cutter, for press-t assembly of

3D structures from 2D parts

-A larger (4'x8') numerically-

controlled milling machine, for

making furniture- (and house-)

sized parts

-A signcutter, to produce print-

ing masks, exible circuits, and

antennas-A precision (micron resolution)

milling machine to make three-

dimensional molds and surface-

mount circuit boards

-Programming tools for low-cost

high-speed embedded proces-

sors.

These work with com-

ponents and materials optimized

for use in the eld, and arecontrolled with custom software

for integrated design, manufac-

turing, and project management.

This inventory is continuously

evolving, towards the goal of a

fab lab being able to make a fab

lab.

Fab labs provide wide-

spread access to modern means

for invention. They began as

an outreach project from MIT's

Center for Bits and Atoms

(CBA). CBA assembled mil-

lions of dollars in machines for

research in digital fabrication,

ultimately aiming at develop-

ing programmable molecular

assemblers that will be able to

make almost anything. Fab labs

fall between these extremes,

comprising roughly fty thou-

sand dollars in equipment andmaterials that can be used today

to do what will be possible with

tomorrow's personal fabricators.

Fab labs have spread from

inner-city Boston to rural India,

from South Africa to the North

of Norway, and now Kenya.

Activities in fab labs range from

technological empowerment to

peer-to-peer project-based tech-nical training to local problem-

solving to small-scale high-tech

business incubation to grass-

roots research.

An earlier Princi-

pal Voice, Muhammad Yunus,transformed the economics of

development through micro-

nance, making investment

accessible to grass-roots en-

trepreneurs. Rather than big

businesses arriving top-down

from global corporations or

investors, micronance allows

large numbers of small busi-

nesses to be driven bottom-upby local dreams and demands.

There will not be a better op-

portunity to be at the Faculty

of Engineering, University of

Nairobi, than the one we are

about to realize with the ar-

rival of the much anticipated

Fabrication Laboratory. It is

our chance to literally makealmost anything!

Let me save you the 'pep-

talk' and delve straight into what

you have probably been asking.

What is the Fab Lab?

The Fab Lab is basically

a collection of tools and equip-

ment that leverage the power ofDigital Fabrication Techniques

in the hands of the average inno-

vative mind. They bridge digital

divide that is a gap between

mainstream industrial produc-

tion facilities and the small scale

entrants. Say, for instance, creat-

ing a simple mechanical replace-

ment part for a broken machine

should not cost you the price of

the machine if it were pssible tofabricate a replacement. With the

Fab Lab equipment, it is not only

possible to fabricate parts from

Fab Labarrives...


11


12/28

Projects being developed

and produced in fab labs include

solar and wind-powered tur-

bines, thin-client computers and

wireless data networks, analyti-

cal instrumentation for agri-

culture and healthcare, custom

housing, and rapid-prototypingof rapid-prototyping machines.

Along with sharing tools,

fab labs share rights and respon-

sibilities expressed in the Fab

Charter. The current hardware

specication (~$50k equipment

and ~$10k materials) are freely

available at http://fab.cba.mit.

edu/about/fab/inv.html andsoft-

ware at http://fab.cba.mit.edu/

about/fab/

For assistance with or-

dering, installation, training, and

process and project development

MIT participates in selected part-

nerships. However, to scale sup-

port for these functions fab labs

are increasingly being organized

in regional networks, globallycoordinated by a Fab Foundation

being established in Norway.

Along with the Fab Foundation,

a Fab Fund is being launched to


Illustration 1: Equipment at Fablab in Uon. Clockwise, Laser Cutter, Vynil Cutter, High Intensity Microwave

Oven and Fab Computers

Illustration 2 Modella, a small scale milling machine

Illustration 3, Lego Electronics Kit for WAZA Outreach Program

provide global access to capi-

tal and markets for businesses

incubated in fab labs, and a Fab

Academy is being accredited

for distributed degree programs

taught in the labs.Launching a new fab lab re-

quires assembling enough of the

hardware and software inven-

tory to be able to share people

and projects with other fab labs,

posting the Fab Charter to pro-

vide context for doing that, and

contacting [email protected].

edu to be added to the fab lab

network.

12


13/28


NAME: Neil Gershenfeld

PROFESSION: Director of the Center for Bits and Atoms at the Massachusetts Institute

of Technology (MIT)

Professor Neil Gershenfeld is director of the Center for Bits and Atoms (CBA) at MIT.

CBA pioneered the concept of fab labs: high-tech, low-cost workshops equipped with

the tools to make almost anything.

13

FAB LABS AROUND

THE WORLD

By Mark Jewell, Associated Press

BOSTON When Makeda Ste-

phenson compared ight simu-

lator games sold in computerstores and didn't nd anything

she liked, she didn't stop there.

The 13-year-old used a set of

computer-controlled manufactur-

ing tools at a community center

to make her own simulator

one that lets her "y" an airplane

of her design over an alien planet

born of her imagination.

In a room lled with computers

and tabletop-sized manufactur-

ing equipment, Stephenson cre-

ated a pilot's control yoke with

motion sensors she fashioned

from a melange of old electronic

toys and parts.

A computer program Stephenson

wrote with help from a Mas-

sachusetts Institute of Technol-

ogy students guides the plane's

movements on her computerscreen.

She did it all through a teen

learning program at one of seven

so-called Fabrication Labs that

MIT has established in places as

distant as Norway and Ghana.

Each lab has tool sets that, cost-

ing about $25,000, would be out

of the reach of most edgling

inventors.Advocates of such

"Fab Labs" think they

have the potential

to vastly expand the

creative powers of

tinkerers and usher in

a revolution in do-it-

yourself design and

manufacturing that can empower

even the smallest of communi-

ties.

"If you give people access and

means to solve their own prob-

lems, it touches something very,

very deep," said Neil Gershen-

feld, an MIT physicist and com-puter scientist whose is among

the movement's chief propo-

nents. "Somehow it goes back to

nest-building, or mastering your

own environment.

"There's sort of this deep thing

inside that most people don't

express that comes tumbling out

when they get access to these

tools," he said.Fab Lab output can be practical,

or whimsical.

Herders in northern Norway

erected a telecommunications

network to track their sheep's

wanderings with radio antennas

and electronic tags.

In India, farmers created mea-

surement tools to ensure a safe

milk supply and measure fat

content, and womenfound a way to scan and

print carved wooden

blocks used for a local

kind of embroidery. In a

separate project, villag-

ers designed small LED

lights for use in areas

lacking electricity.

Villagers in Ghana, meanwhile,

harnessed solar power to makeelectricity and cook food rather

than relying on rewood.

On the fanciful front, a teenage

girl in Boston created a diary

security system that photographs

anyone coming near the owner'sprivate writings say, a nosey

brother. And an MIT student cre-

ated something called "Scream-

Body" a backpack-sized

wearable air chamber into which

someone can voice a mufed

scream in a public place. The

scream is recorded for subse-

quent "release" in private.

MIT's Center for Bits and Atomsbegan setting up Fab Labs three

years ago as free community

resources, using part of a $12.5

million National Science Foun-

dation grant and local nancing.

Open-source software and

MIT-written programs control

the devices, machining parts to

tolerances that once could be

achieved only using equipmentcosting hundreds of thousands of

dollars.

Citizen inventors with only

modest technical expertise swap

ideas with counterparts at other

Fab Labs around the world by

electronically sharing design

blueprints or going to a Fab Lab

website that offers project ideas.

"In a sense, this is like open-source software, but for hard-

ware," Gershenfeld said.


14/28

www.s2bprogram.com/weca

14


15/28

Pic1.Davis&Shirtliff(D&S)GeneralManager,Service,David

BolowithchildrenfromtheKenyayouthforChristinAthiRiver.

KenyaYouthforChristrehabilitatesstreetchildrenandcurrently

theyhave28boys.D&ScommunityAffairsCommitteedonateda

boreholepumptothehome.

Pic3.Davis&Shurtliffs (D&S)SimonWangombewithchildren

fromMaryMagdalenaspecialschoolwhoarephysicallyandmen-

tallydisabledinMunyu,Thika.D&SCommunityAffairsCommittee

donatedaboreholepumptotheschool.

c 4. Davis & Shirtliff Mombasa Sales

anager Linda Wamune with children

om the Association for physically Dis-

led Children of Kenya(APDK) at Port

eitz. Looking on is D&S Staff and the ad-

nistrator of APDK Ms. Leah Mwachira.

od stuffs were donated to the children.

Pic2.Davis&

ShirtliffEldo

ret(D&S)don

ated

foodstuffsand

5,000litrew

atertanktoNe

ema

childrenshom

eanorphanag

eforchildren

with

HIV.Pictured

isD&SEldo

retManagerJ

oyce

Kefa(4thrig

ht)withthec

hildrenandst

affof

Neema.


16/28

GarryKasparov


Forget about them for a second,now-Fibre optics, bre optics, bre optics.

Everyone is yelling out- bre optics!

I mean, last year both Obama and Mc-

Cain in the Primary Debates equated

availability of Bandwidth in the U.S.

to a right. With such verbose, Id think

it was.

What about satellite, what happens

when bre and satellite go head tohead to feed a continent of new applica-

tions, people and Governments hungry

for bandwidth? Youve seen them, out-

side Campus, around the corner, men in

yellow clad digging up the trenches, yes

- ber optic cables and maybe you have

heard of gestation

satellites. Have you?

So what happens

now, that we are

ready for a full out

war, are you aware

of the benets, ofwhich side to be on

or are you waiting

for an ad. Ill prom-

ise you this, they

are coming a dime a

dozen. So, welcome

to Fibre vs. Satellite.

We know this for a

fact, - after staring

at your e-mail for

the last ve minutes

as you wait for it toload-that the effec-

tive high speed inter-

net service required

for critical business-

es, government and

consumer applications have remained

either unavailable or very expensive.

That Governments aware-

ness of this situation and the per-

ceived commercial attractiveness of

the opportunity to close this gap, has

given rise to the current frenetic ac-

tivity for construction of submarine

bre cables on the continent This is

according to BMI TechKnowledge.

Cost effective communication is spurring

growth in Africa, companies in Kenya,

South Africa, Nigeria and to a lesser ex-

tent Tanzania, are hard at work investing

in the new technology. Lets play some

chess Garry Kasparov (satellite)-the

worlds leading chess player for the last

21 years to-lets call him Vladimir Putin

(Fibre), the new kid on the block. Game?

FIBRES MOVE:

If the hype in the literacy cor-

ridors, the constant talk of B.P.Os and

the question mark in our eyes when Na-

kumatt went 24 hours are anything to

write home about, then the public is ful-

ly aware of the potential of Fibre Optics.

It is common knowledge that Alcatel Lucent has deployed various subma-

rine cables throughout the world, two of

which are in South America and Asia.

It can also be seen that with broadband

in particular, bre is the more popular

solution. Entrepreneurs are making the

decision to replace existing satellite

lines by submarine bres. This is hap-

pening in Islands and small territories

where they are being connected via sub-

marine bre. A case in point is Rwanda.

Why?

Well, since telecom`munication

was previously heavily reliant on expen-

sive satellite systems. Kenyan B.P.O.s

like Kencall were incurring huge expens-

es for having to deal with Satellite com-

munication, downsizing their revenues

and what everyone thought would be a

huge splash in the sea, left a lot of inves-

tors in the red. It is obviously expected

that satellite will change their strategy,

from currently switching African trafc

out of Europe to moving their teleports

to Africa, where their will act as a back-

haul for inter country and rural connec-

tivity, utilizing the submarine cables for

their long - haul international capacity.

SATELLITES MOVE:

Despite this, satellite corpo-

rations do not seem to be fazed by the

potential threat brought on by cables.

This is highly reminiscent of whenRichard Bransons Virgin tried to start

a soft drink Company in Coca Colas

backyard-The US. They had the same

reaction till Virgin started making

some real gains and Coca Cola set up

a SWAT team to deal with them. R.I.P.

Is it the same for the Satellite Cor-

porations or what is their logic?

Satellite Corporations say that although

bre can provide cheaper band width,

its limitations are the same of conven-

tional infrastructure in the rough ter-

rains and deserts of Africa. So whilecable can provide an effective solu-

tion for Africans coastal countries,

it is still unlikely to provide these be-

nets to regions that lie further inland.

Now, lets take the case of International

SaMo

16


17/28

VladmirPutin


Organizations such as those involved

in the raw materials industries for ex-

ample it can be argued that the only

way for them to achieve a seamless and

cost effective ICT application solu-

tion is to use satellite. Only satellite

can reach everywhere, linking the only

exploration site ofce with corporate

HQ on the other side of the world and

corporate petrol stations countrywide

or internationally. Therefore, satellite is

more than essential. More than essential.

According to BMI Techknowledges

study, although countries on the African

west and southern coasts have access to

bre connectivity an estimated 80 per cent

of the continents international voice and

data trafcs is still carried via satellite.

The contribution of the technol-

ogy to carrying IP based applications

trafc is not only limited to parts of the

world, like the African continent, where

there have been long standing limitations

on the availability of bandwidth and ca-

pacity over alternative platforms such as

international bre, it also applies in the

most highly bred market in the world.

Im talking about the United States, one

of the most bred regions and yet home

to the largest population of VSATs.

Why?

Global connectivity is driv-

ing the market and with regard to

VSAT networks it is abut access.The proposed African bre rollout

will not end the VSAT market be-

cause it cannot adequately fulll

the VSAT users aim requirement

point to multipoint connectivity.

Satellite clearly has benets especial-

ly when it comes to remote and rural

connectivity. But bre offers plenty

of bandwidth at a cheaper price. Cansatellite match these offering? Satel-

lite can do literally anything that bre

can but with the availability to pro-

vide it anywhere, on reliable basis

with the best capacity solutions to sup-

port video, network and voice require-

ments. Satellite has offered distance

learning and telemedicine extending

cellular networks into remote areas.

Satellite based communication has

caught up with todays high band width

demands and satellite is now broadband.

IP over DVB is the de facto standard for

broadband communications over satel-

lite and such systems clearly demon-

strate their greatest cost effectiveness

by matching the Asymetrix nature of

internet trafc. Broadband connectivity

via satellite provides for business the en-

tire range of complex and bandwidth

hungry applications with internet back-

bone connections exceeding 45 Mbps.

CHECKMATE?

The vulner-

ability of the technology.

Last year, a ship sailed into a bre optic

cable resulting in the loss of connec-

tion for much of Asia and Africa. This

provides that undersea cables are not

foolproof and also highlights the fact

that we are not quite ready to abandonsatellite completely. It is worth noting

that the deployment of the cables is not

cheap or easy. The installation of un-

dersea cables needs to be well planned

and often classied as a mega proj-

ect. A map of the ocean for where the

cable will be laid is obtained through

surveying work which includes ob-

stacles and activities that might inter-

fere or cause problems to the cables.

Specialized ships carry out the installa-

tion of cables and some even have remote

operated vehicle (ROV) capability suit-

able for deep sea operations. These ships

can lay cables at speeds of about 15kmph

in deep oceans at depths down to 7,000m.

A ZOGS WONG? Neither so-

lution is providing

the perfect answer

as yet. For exam-

ple, while cheaper

bre networks will

lead to the use of

higher band width

applications and

improve connec-

tivity along the

African coast it is

predicted to lead to

higher expectations

from corporate cus-

tomers. It can beexpected as seen

from other coun-

tries like South Af-

rica, that the arrival of bre to a country

often results in an increased demand to

satellite capacity and also signicant

economies growth. This in turn drives

demand for additional satellite services

as businesses expand into the interiors of

the country, where bre has yet to reach.

Now technology giants are nowexperimenting with a combination of the

two technologies more proactively. It

seems that connectivity in Africa has nev-

er been about bre, its actually all about

using the best blend of satellite, wireless

and bre technologies to create secure,

reliable high quality connectivity so-

lutions that give customers a commer-

cial advantage in their choice industry.

Only time will tell if bre will live up to

the expectations but it has not knocked

satellite out of the sky just yet nor is it

likely to anytime soon. Whether Garry

Kasparov will be kicked on his butt or

we will have a new reigning champion

is an issue of time. Time wins this bout.

Talk about relativity. Einstein wins!

s

17


18/28


While I agree that Romewas never built in one day its impor-

tant to realize that Rome started oneday. In that line, I could share a lot

on roads on the platform of the Ke-

nya we want. As a critical stimulus

of growth roads in Kenya should be

upgraded. From the few highways

we have (class A roads) we should

create autobahns.

Autobahn is a Germany

word used to refer to what other

countries call expressway. Express-ways are also known as freeways

or motorways. These types of roads

are designed to offer highest level of

service. With these kinds of roads in

Kenya one can work in Nairobi and

join the family for supper in Mom-

basa. This way family members with

non-formal employment can engage

in farming activities in the coun-

tryside without missing their loved

ones.

Trafc mobility is made

easy by this kind of facilities. These

roads are not present in Kenya but

the government is doing a lot to im-

prove existing highways. Thika road

for example, is being expanded into

multi-lane dual carriageway withmulti-grade interchanges to replace

roundabouts.

The case of Germany pres-

ents the best example we can learn

from. Good planning is a necessity

for us to achieve this kind of infra-

structure. The total Autobahn net-

work was at 11,712 km in 2001 and

12,044 km in 2004. This makes the

Autobahn network the world's thirdlargest superhighway system after

the United States and China.

The designThe general rule for design is to provide

for unimpeded, high-speed trafc

ow. Unimproved older segments

aside, most Autobahns feature the

following design elements:

-Two, three, or occasion-

ally four lanes per direction. Lanes

on rural sections are generally 3.75

meters wide except the left lane of

newer three lane segments-- it's 3.5

meters wide. On urban sections, all

lanes are 3.5 meters

wide.

-A landscaped "green"

median 3.5 or 4 meterswide (3 meters in ur-

ban areas).

-A double-sided guard-

rail runs down the

middle. Blinders are

often used on curves.

Some newer sections

have concrete barriers

instead of green medi-

ans.

- Outside emergencyshoulders and long ac-

celeration and decel-

eration lanes.

- Full grade-separa-

tion and access con-

trol, generally provid-

ed by half cloverleaf

interchanges at exits

and full clover leafs or directional

interchanges at Autobahn crossings.

Interchanges are generally well

spaced, sometimes exceeding 30 km

between.

-Grades of 4% or less. Climbing

lanes are provided on most steep

grades.

-Gentle and well-banked curves.

-Freeze-resistant concrete or bitumi-

nous surface.

-Roadbed and surface measuring

about 68 cm (27 inches) in thick-

ness.

-Frequent parking areas, oftenequipped with toilet facilities.

-Extensive and ample service areas

featuring lling stations, restaurants,

and hotels.

-Automated trafc and weather

monitoring and electronic signs pro-

viding dynamic speed limits and/or

advance warning of congestion, ac-

cidents, construction, and fog.

-Emergency telephones at 2 km in-

tervals.-Wildlife protection fencing, cross-

over tunnels and "green bridges".

HaMiSi gabriElRome

18


19/28


Trafc regulations

-Bicycles, mopeds, and pe-destrians are specically prohibited

from using the Autobahn, as are

any other vehicles with a maximum

speed rating of less than 60 km/h (36

mph).

-Passing on the right is strictly pro-

hibited! Slower vehicles must move

to the right to allow faster trafc to

pass, and drivers should stay in the

right lane except to pass. You are,

however, allowed to pass on the

right in heavy trafc when vehicles

have started queuing, but only at a

slow speed.

-Stopping, parking, U-turns, and

backing-up are strictly verboten, in-

cluding on shoulders and ramps (ex-

cept for emergencies, of course.)

-Entering and exiting is per-

mitted only at marked inter-changes.

- Trafc entering the

autobahn must yield to trafc

already on the autobahn.

-During trafc jams, motor-

ists in the left lane are re-

quired to move as far to the

left as possible and those in

the adjacent center or right

lane must move as far to the

right in their lane as possible,thus creating a gap between

the lanes for emergency ve-

hicles to pass through.

-If you have a breakdown

or accident, you must move to the

shoulder if possible and place a

warning triangle 200 meters behind

the scene. You must report the in-

cident to the authorities using the

nearest emergency phone.

-It is illegal to run out of fuel on the

Autobahn because such an occur-

rence is deemed to be preventable.

AdvantagesSome of the benets that are

accrued from these roads include:

-Due to the improved mobility, driv-

ers can cover long distances without

fatigue

-Reduced Journey times and costs

-Good maintenance reduces vehicle

damages

-Reduced damage to the road pave-

ment by vehicles due to high speeds

-Tourism attraction for people

who would enjoy spinning at good

speeds.

However these roads have got their

disadvantages

-Increased speeds will increase acci-

dents in a country like Kenya where

drivers are not satisfactorily trained.

In Germany these instances are re-

markably low due to extensive train-

ing and re-training of drivers.

-High construction and maintenance

costs

In Germany it is hard to tell which

came rst between good cars and

good roads. Germany prides itself

for producing high quality vehicles

in the world. The Mercedes, Volk-

swagen, BMW and the likes needs

good roads. This has earned her

fame worldwide with tourists troop-

ing in to enjoy free-ow driving. In

Kenya we drive and pride ourselvesin anything we can afford. I am

made to believe that by the time we

manage to build these autobahns we

shall have commenced producing

our own cars. The Nyayo car spirit,

now under the Numerical Machines

is far from dying. We shall come up

with perhaps the best makes in the

world with good barabaras.

19


20/28


E.S.A.MESSagE froM tHE cHairMan.

As in the manufacture and maturity of wine,time is always the best healer and at all times denes the crown

and crest of any activity undertaken. Engineers have always

been known to be the people who walk the talk. This in effect

makes us precise logical thinkers in all areas we indulge our-

selves in both physically and mentally with everything geared

to nding solutions.

The last one year of my administration in one scope can

be characterized by solely making objectives a reality. The essence of having a per-

fectly working machine is at all times having each single component of the machine in

top notch condition as anyone would agree a chain is just as strong as its weakest link.From career talks, exchange programs, study tours to the journal, invaluable effort has

been put to make them a reality. The quest, thirst and never ending pursuit for knowl-

edge and venturing into the unknown will never be a walk in the park but always a strug-

gle where only the t will live to see dawn. My advice to student engineers is keep t.

My appreciation goes to all those who joined hands during my administration. I would

wish to send my strongest gratitude to the editorial board for making this journal a suc-

cess, Eng. McCorkindale for his continual assistance. Id also like to thank Prof. B.N.K

Njoroge :the principal College of Architecture and Engineering, Prof Odira :Dean School

of Engineering, the entire outgoing ESA secretariat, Mrs. Hannah Mukuah Senior admin-

istrator School of Engineering and not to forget Mrs. Mumera for her unwavering support.

Finally I heart-fully extend my gratitude and utter respect to the Engineering Students for

having faith in me and allowing me to serve them. God bless you all in your endeavors.

ENGINEERING STUDENTS AS-

SOCIATION

With its main aim being linkage ofthe students to the industrialists, the

outgoing ESA executive employed a

different way of carrying out its busi-

ness. With the increasing attempt to

incorporate the students in the run-

ning of the association affairs ESA

brought on board all the departmental

associations at the school of engineer-ing. This includes the Environmental

and bio-systems engineering students'

associations(EBESA), Association of

Civil Engineering Students(ACES),

Association of students in Electrical

and Electronics Engineering(ASEEE),

Students Association of Mechani-

cal Engineering(SAME) and the

Geo-spatial Engineering Students

Association(GESA). ESA also had

a close working relations with the

Electronics and ICT Club(EIC) of theuniversity of Nairobi whose major-

ity members are students undertaking

Electrical and information engineering

at the school of engineering.

THE ELECTRONICS AND ICT

CLUB(EIC)

Initially for students at the departmentof electrical and information engineer-

ing, university of Nairobi, EIC has

opened up its membership to all inter-

ested individuals. The clubs outreach to

students has been boosted by its func-

tional mailing list through which mem-

bers get updates. Membership to this

club is free of charge. All one has to dois to send an e-mail to electronicsict@

ymail.com with relevant details I.e full

names, daytime phone contacts, course

undertaking and registration number.

Largely accredited for actualizing the

rst ever Engineering career day at the

university of Nairobi in 2008, the club

plans an even bigger event on Thursday

10th December 2009. The club has also

opened talks with the management of

Digital Age Institute with an aim of

facilitating software development train-ing for her membership.

EBESA

In the previous Issue of the StudentEngineer, I wrote about the department

getting twenty new branded computers

from two companies. With a sigh I beg

for temporary amnesia because it never

was and as the students hope turns to

frail, we only pray and hope that its

just a matter of time.

In the meanwhile, the department has

organized a clean up of the Nairobiriver and everyone is invited. Although

the date is vague the ofcials of EBE-

SA have directed all efforts in actual-

izing the idea. I love the gesture of the

department but to what end? Its just

a matter of time before the river gets

back to its old self. The environment

has proved that its not to be ignored

and rarely forgives. Unless we show

some sensitivity to the earth and treat it

as it own we will remain forever bound

to outstretching hands for aid.The unfolding of Environmental and

Bio systems Engineering is set to take

place soon. All will be laid bare as

the students get to ask any questions

pertaining to the course. Its meant to

Esa EXECutivE 2008-2009

cHairMan

obonyo cEdric

vicE cHairMan

iSMaEl bEtt

SEcrEtary gEnEral

Mbai MucHiri

trEaSury

lilian kaManJa

Publicity SEcrEtary

nyakiongora gEorgE

acadEMic affairS

nJuguna JaMES

vicE acadEMic affairS SEc.

abira nancy

Social affairS

EStHErndEti

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thE CataloguE

DATE: 11TH OCTOBER 2008

New members trip to hells gate, mainly newly

joined rst years

Organized by ESA

DATE: 10TH DECEMBER 2008

Engineering Career Day, SPEAKERS:-

Mr. Daniel Kibe, Comtec services Limited,

Mr. John Kamau, Jamii Telcom Limited,

Mr. Geoffrey Githinji, Standard Chartered Bank,

Mr. Nanji Dhitar, Power Technics Company

Limited.

At the CELT

Organized by EIC

DATE 23RD JANUARY 2009Career Talk- Mr. Benson Muiru, SITA.

AW201

Organized by EIC

DATE: 26TH 30TH JANUARY 2009

Hosting visiting students from Makerere univer-

sity,

Interactive session held at the nuclear science

board room.

ESA

DATE: 28th MARCH 2009,

Imagine cup presentation by Edward Obiko

10.30AM- 12.00PM

Organised by MSP

DATE: 10TH APRIL 2009

ROBOTICS WORKSHOP

Speaker; Mr. Wilfred Mworia of Microsoft,

4.00PM-6.00PM

CB232

Organized by MSP & EIC

DATE: 15TH -17TH April 2009

Exchange program to Makerere university,ESA

DATE; 29TH APRIL 2009,

JOINT CAREER TALK(four speakers)

2.00-5.30PM

CELT

ESA

DATE: 20TH MAY 2009

Public lecture on consumer education by CCK

2.00-5.00PM

EXHIBITION HALL (JKML)EIC

EIC- Electronics and ICT Club, ESA Engi-

neering Students Association, MSP- Microsoft

Student Partnership

be an interactive session with

the students, lectures and

professionals in a conducive

environment. On a different

note we recognize the re-ap-

pointment of the EBE chair-

man we look forward to more

achievements than his previ-

ous regime.

studEnts havE thEirsaY

Who does not loveMicrosofts dening OS, win-

dows 7? In Windows 7, users

can control what programs put

icons in the "tray". Windows

7 also revises Vista's, User

Account Control feature. It

allows the user to select fourlevels of system oversight,

with the default bringing

up this continue-or-cancel

dialog when programs try to

change Windows settings but

not when you do the same

yourself. Music and video

playback in Windows 7 seems

to borrow a little more from

Apple: Its Windows Media

Player 12 program presents

music libraries shared on oth-

er copies of WMP on the same

local network, and a "Play To"

command sends an item to

another device on thesame network. Another Win-

dows 7 component, the "de-

vice stage" module, aims to

improve working with devices

like phones. When they're up-

dated to provide the right data

to the system, Windows 7 will

read their capabilities when

you plug them in, then pres-

ent the appropriate options,

such as offering to sync your

calendars or contacts or copy

over your music. Microsoft

says the version of Windows 7

available now is "feature com-

plete," which means that the

functionality of the OS will

not change much, if at all. PCs

that run Windows Vista shouldbe able to run Windows 7,

avoiding some of the compat-

ibility issues that plagued the

introduction of that operating

system. The minimum system

requirements Microsoft sug-

gests for beta testers include a

1GHz processor, 1GB of main

memory, 16GB of available

disk space, and support forDX9 graphics.BETT RAYMOND

4TH YEAR ELECTRICAL ENGI-

NEERING.


21


22/28


2008 was a tricky year for movies. The Hollywood writers had been on strike earlier,the nancial meltdown the world over, but yet one movie stood out for brilliant acting, editing and

technology. The Dark Knight. Based on the dc comic book, director Christopher Nolan brought to

life-a-many-science ction comic book lovers tale of The Joker played by Oscar Award winning

actor for the role, Heath Ledger and Batman played by Christian Bale.

Dark knight is an epic tale of good versus evil in an adopted city called Gotham. A rst

rate script which brought to the fore the all time villain, The Joker.The theme of this movie being

the purpose of disobedience, that we are all schemers in the futile attempt to write the scripts of our

life and The Joker works hard to show us how pathetic our efforts are.

From a psychological point of view, The Dark Knight does what Basic Instinct 2

accomplishes but without an air of sex. It is the basic human tendency pitted against itself from the

opening scene as The Joker robs a bank by himself up to the nal scene in the ght for Gothams

soul.

This movie does what it should; it keeps you on the edge.

The Dark Knight also raised eyebrows in the technology front since M.I.T. and other Colleges around the world tried to come up

in the real world with the gadgets used in the movie. For example, an incredible one is the use of sonar to direct all the phone calls

in the area to a super computer that Batman uses to pin point the jokers whereabouts.

The Batmobile in itself was impressive and the use of the sonar technology also to animate /visualize how many people

are lurking in a dark room with walls was highly impressive.

Its an engineers movie and helps us ask ourselves if it is wrong to be imaginative, to be creative for we are walking into a worldthat requires engineers to be ahead of the pack a la creative .To be The Joker.

Its out on D.V.D.

BACK IN BLACK.

BATMAN RETURNS AND IN TOW THE VILLAIN OF ALL TIME-THE EVIL SADIST BUT

BRILLIANT JOKER AND A WHITE KNIGHT-HARVEY DENT

GRRR!

Meet Cyborg Man. There he is in his slick new suit, hand outstretched. As soon as you shake it you know his name, hisaddress and who he works for. And he's yet to speak. He ushers you to the door of the ofce which unlocks as soon as he touches

the handle. As you enter he lifts the phone, his touch immediately downloading the day's

messages. Smart stuff. And the secret lies in the clothes he is wearing.

For in this remarkable new book Gershenfeld, a director at the Massachusetts Institute of

Technology, presents a fascinating look at the future of computers, including carrying them

round in jackets and shoes.

It's possible because of fabric circuits powered through the human body. And it gives today

what Arthur C Clarke predicted for the next millennium. Gershenfeld presents an insight of

a wired future that is staggering in its ingenuity.

The paperless newspaper. The book without printed pages that can allow you to read any

volume ever produced, the electronics that enable you to see in all directions as you walk,

sensors that measure bodily functions--and display your condition on a "dashboard of the

body" as you move around. This is the stuff of the 21st Century. The incredible thing is that

it is already here.

Gershfeld maintains we have had the digital revolution, now it's time for the evolution in

which the people not the machines come to the fore. He makes a convincing case.

22


23/28

aJournaloftHEEnginEEringStudEntSaSSociation,univErSityofnairobi

aruSHa Its really hard to come across a voice that rings reminiscent of true jewels like Ayo and Asa.Hello Arusha.

She is a cabbage: dad is French & Italian; mom is Indian, born in Germany and bred in Paris. In

Arusha-speak, cabbage refers to any child of mixed race and heritage!

Arusha is a journey. A journey brought to life by meeting Vayn, local producer. They met around a sad and

melancholy song: VIDA, an existential hip-hop track that has been played on radios in Kenya and across

the globe, and which you can hear on:

www.reverbnation.com/vayin.

The same song happens to be the soundtrack chosen by a movie company in France called Es-

sentiel.

Meeting Vayn was a turning point for Arusha: with this encounter she understood that songwriting was her

life and hearts desire, a soul-fulllment, she says:

After years of wandering and wondering, I nally found my calling and my direction..

Arusha writes and sings in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. She sings about love in all its manifestations and

shapes, and once in a while, an outburst of anger: against Europes immigration laws (MEDITERRANEE) ,against children hav-

ing to grow up in conict zones (TEARS OF GAZA)

Arusha is currently recording her rst album, Small Lovingan album which will span the globe, from Colombia to

India via Kigali and Nairobi- where she has worked with local artists like Pentamony, Estelle Lannoy of Yunasi and Bizimana

Ntwali(song called NAKUGUNDA) and playing on radios in the U.S., N.Zealand, Spain and Austria-to be released on itunes.

www.myspace.com/arushatopazzini

www.reverbnation.com/arushawww.reverbnation.com/bizi

EnginEEras dEsignErofthE huMan BodY

Three engineering students were gathered together discussing the possible designers of the human body.

One said, ``It was a mechanical engineer. Just look at all the joints.''

Another said, ``No, it was an electrical engineer. The nervous systems many thousands of electrical connections.''

The last said, ``Actually it was a civil engineer. Who else would run a toxic waste pipeline through a recreational area?''

WifEorMistrEss

An architect, an artist and an engineer were discussing whether it was better to spend time with the wife or a mistress. The

architect said he enjoyed time with his wife, building a solid foundation for an enduring relationship.

The artist said he enjoyed time with his mistress, because of the passion and mystery he found there. The engineer said, "I like

both." "Both?" Engineer: "Yeah. If you have a wife and a mistress, they will each assume you are spending time with the other woman,and you can go to the lab and get some work done."

Quoted

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

CAPTAIN KIRK

To boldly go where no chicken has gone before.

FOX MULDER

You saw it cross the road with your own eyes! How many more

chickens have to cross before you believe it?

BILL GATES

I have just released eChicken 2003, which will not only cross roads,

but will lay eggs, le your important documents, and balance yourcheckbook - and Internet Explorer is an inextricable part of eChick-

en.

ALBERT EINSTEIN

Did the chicken really cross the road or did the road move beneath

the chicken?

COLIN POWELL

Now at the left of the screen, you clearly see the satellite image of the

chicken crossing the road.

SIGMUND FREUD

The fact that you are at all concerned that the chicken crossed the road

reveals your underlying sexual insecurity.

VOLTAIRE

I may not agree with what the chicken did, but I will defend to the death

its right to do it.

GRANDPA

In my day, we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Someonetold us that the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough for

us.

OBIKO

I want to live in a free world where chicken can cross roads without be-

ing questioned about their motives

23


24/28

introduCingthE BaraCKBErrY

It looks like the National Security Agency added some security software to a BlackBerry phone to satisfy President

Barack Obamas need for his Research in Motion smartphone. This

means Obama can continue emailing routine and personal messages

that will become part of the public record. However, some of the

more fun functions of a smartphone, such as IM and those requir-

ing GPS functionality, wont be available for his use. So far no data

channels appear to be secure enough for Top Secret emails.

An alternative device that was speculated to be the replace-

ment for Obamas BlackBerry is the Sectera Edge, designed by L3

and General Dynamics to act as a classied-information-friendly

replacement for a BlackBerry. However, it only allows for classied

voice calls on any network and data while on a classied network.

Check it out: http://tinyurl.com/2q322l

flip digital vidEo CaMEra rEviEW

For the average internet enthusiast, your social netwoks have become an irresistable pass-time and these can be noth-

ing but boring if not for the capability to share experiences through digital media.

I happened to meet John Kinyanjui of internews.org at a skunkworks meeting who

was showcasing the latest craze in media capturing which is simply called the Flip-

Cam.

There's no doubt that the look of the Flip Digital Video Camera reects itscheap as chips price tag of $180(approx. Ksh. 16,000). The Flip Digital Video Cam-

era measures a tiny 104x54x29m, which really is small enough to t in your pocket.

At 97g we thought it felt too imsy and plasticky for a device that would be capable

of producing good quality clips. However this look certainly doesn't reect well on

the camcorder's capabilities.

There's no complicated setup needed, it's simply a case of sliding the front

cover off and inserting the two AA batteries needed to power the Flip Digital Video

Camera, then you can start shooting. The Flip Digital Video Camera's very few but-

tons are large and responsive despite the pint-sized camcorders dimensions, so we

found the Flip simple and easy to use.

The Flip Digital Video Camera's 2GB internal memory is capable of captur-ing up to one hour of footage at a resolution of 640x480 in MPEG 4 format while the

2x optical zoom is clear and concise.

You can view your video clips on the Flip Digital Video Camera's 1.5in display. Alternatively, you can use

the Flip's integral USB connector that ips' out at the touch of a button. While the USB connector is a great idea and

removes the need for cables, the mechanism seemed imsy and we suspect that it may break quite quickly.

We simply plugged the Flip Digital Video Camera into a USB port and we were then able to view and save

the clips, email them to friends and family, upload them to a web page and even edit them into a movie complete with

soundtrack using the software, which is pre-loaded onto the device.

Colours in the video clips we captured were bright and clear and we found the Flip also lived up to its claims that it ex-

cels in low-light conditions. We love the fact that it automatically turns itself off if left unused for more than a minute, conserving

precious minutes of the Flip Digital Video Camera's 2.5 hour battery life.

The Flip is available in several different colour schemes, and comes bundled with a TV connector cable, wrist strap, carry case

and two AA batteries.


24


25/28

Pictoriala Journal of tHE EnginEEring StudEntS aSSociation, univErSity of nairobi

. Daniel Kibe of Comtec Networks gives a speech during the career day

. David Kiania of Ericsson has a chat with students at the Ericsson Career Day

. Kayamba entertain guests at the IEK Dinner

. EIC(Electronics and ICT club) group photo

. Edward Obiko adresses the press at Microsoft Imagine Cup Launch

. No bwana! we want our money!

. Fun fun and more fun, at the source of river nile jinja

. Dr. Kamau Gachigi and Vincent Musau set up the Fab Computers. Students campaigning for a candidate aboard a Matatu in CBD

0. Drinks at the Kampala Museum.

1. Group photo at makerere university

2. Students follow proceedings during the EIC organized Engineering career day

3. Ingoho does wonders, Mr. Editor-in-Chief, at IEK Dinner

1. 2. 3.

4. 5. 6.

7. 8. 9.

10. 11. 12.

13.

25


26/28


WhatAmericas

HopeMeansToKenya

On a trip to the US in late 2007, I wasrivileged to visit arguably, the worlds capital

city-New York. Pristine. A world apart, liter-

ally from Nairobi. On my return home, I was

asked to describe the essence of New York,

and by extension, the United States. I went in

deep repose hoping to capture that nations en-

irety in a singular anecdote-as that was whatwas required of me. In retrospect, I feel that

my response then was informed more by the

goings-on in my country than the exceptional

experience I had in the land of opportunity.

As a country we were going through

an extremely exciting time. Edgy. Uncertain.

Apprehensive. And I believed then, that we

were on the verge of true Change. And so,

my response as to what I thought the US

meant to me was that it was a place where

here existed harmonic co-existence between

entrepreneurship and politics. The two sontricately intertwined, representing the pos-

ibilities that both could ideally generate.

This particular sentiment was, and

argely remains, apart from my conscious

world view. I did not have much for poli-

ics. Famously refrained as a dirty game,

chose not to relate or involve myself in a

cause that unabashedly described itself as

dirty. And this is the case for many young

people, growing up and seeking to make for

hemselves what their parents didnt for them.

Truth is, though, now as I sit and re-

ect, politics is in our daily lives. It is in the

price of bread and milk that you buy in the

morning, in the determination of policy and

opportunity, in the relations you have with

friends and certainly is on your TV screens

every night-bestowed prime time. Be it world

olitics or Kenyan politics-it is all in our faces.

As a Kenyan, Final Year Student at

he University of Nairobi, I fear for the im-

plications politics will have on my life as I

tep out of the cocoon that is school life. At

his moment in our nations history, more than

any other time, we nd ourselves more polar-

zed along ethno-class lines than ever before.

We are assured

of fairness and

justice in our

dea

Documents

Student Engineer June 2009n