The Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU) has awarded certificates of completion to 21 students for completing the Research and Innovation Internship (RII) program. The awarding ceremony took place at the IUIU Kampala Campus on the 2nd of October 2021.
RII is an 8-week intensive training program managed by the IUIU Motion Analysis Research Laboratory (MARL) to equip students with the knowledge and practical skills to build and deploy Internet of Things (IoT) applications. The recipients comprised students from IUIU – Kampala Campus, Kampala International University, Islamic Call University College, and Kampala University.Â
The Vice-Rector, Dr. Jamil Serwanga, represented the Rector as the chief guest at the awarding ceremony. In his address, Dr. Jamil congratulated the recipients and challenged them to use their acquired skills to solve societal problems. “Now that you have acquired skills relevant to this ongoing 4th Industrial Revolution, the onus is on you to put your skills to use and address the various problems we face today as a society”, said Dr. Jamil. The Chief Guest further, applauded MARL on this knowledge transfer program and commended the Kampala Campus administration for supporting MARL's work. “Communities out there are starting to see the Innovations out of MARL. Of course, innovating does not come without challenges, and these challenges enable us to better things. I commend the University and, in particular, the administration at Kampala Campus for continuing to support MARL”, said the Chief Guest. He also emphasized the need to engage in cross-disciplinary research, arguing that most societal problems require multifaceted interventions.Â
The Campus Director, represented by his deputy, Dr. Kasozi Idris Sinan, congratulated the awardees and the head of MARL on the achievements. “I congratulate you all and implore you to emulate your trainer, Dr. Umar Yahya, for working hard and ensuring a constant flow of innovative ideas that have put the University on the map," said the Deputy Director. The Deputy Director further pledged the Campus' continued support for the MARL's innovative initiatives and programs.
In his remarks, the Head of MARL, Dr. Umar Yahya, implored the awardees to use their newly acquired skills. “As you know, the 1st industrial revolution was about utilizing water and steam power to mechanize production. The second industrial revolution was largely about utilizing electric power to create mass production. Then came the third industrial revolution, mainly characterized by information technology and electronics primarily aimed at automating production. We see now a very disruptive 4th Industrial revolution characterized by a fusion of several technologies, IoT being one of them. So now, RII equips you with hands-on skills relevant to the current revolution. Therefore, go out there and explore the many possibilities before you”, said Dr. Yahya. He further thanked the Campus administration for supporting and funding the RII training program since the 1st Cohort. .jpg)
Also present at the ceremony, Dr. Abdal Kasule and Mr. Kassaga Usama (Principal Investigators at MARL), MARL’s Research Assistants; Mr. Mwaka Lucky, Mr. Matsiko Innocent, Mr. Pembe Fahad, Mr. Segawa Abdul Karim, Mr. Mugerwa Derrick, and Mr. Mansoor Muhammad.
Motion Analysis Research Laboratory (MARL) is a Research-driven Innovations Laboratory of the Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU) located at its Kampala Campus. The idea to start MARL started in November 2018, and by May 2019, MARL became operational. The Laboratory’s core three goals are - Knowledge and Skills Transfer, Innovation and Technology Transfer, and Research and Development. The Research and Innovation Internship (RII) training program is one of MARL's programs for knowledge and Skills Transfer. Under the Research and Development activities, MARL has developed 12 innovative solutions up to proof of concept level. Dr. Yahya revealed that the University is engaged in discussions with potential industry partners (here and abroad) to commercialize the prototypes. For more information about MARL, follow the link: https://marlworks.net/
