(Image: DCU)

It’s all about the students

Pro
(Image: DCU)

10 June 2014

In its largest final year project exposition yet, Dublin City University (DCU) showcased 175 faculty of computing and engineering projects for a large gathering of prospective employers.

As impressive as the projects are, they are “only a small sample of what they’ve learned”, said Jim Dowling, deputy president, DCU.

Dowling said that the university prided itself on striving to “help and facilitate” the students, “not just for job skills but for the entirety of their lives”.

This was one reason, Dr Tony O’Donnell, director business intelligence R&D, SAP Ireland, that a DCU education is so valued by industry, as well as the university’s long tradition of working closely with industry.

Dowling said that with such a large turnout from prospective employers, “job offers are often made on the spot”.

But the attention then turned to the main attraction of the day, as Dowling reminded the gathering that “it is all about the students”.

The spectrum of projects on display was vast. A special tool was developed by Abbey McGarrigle for consistent belt tensioning using a consistent plucking method; Donn John created an Enigma encryption machine simulator; Kevin Larney developed a digital modeller for guitar effects using low cost electronics; while Dan Malone completed the mammoth task of porting strategy favourite Age of Empires II for the iPad.

With such a large turnout from prospective employers, job offers are often made on the spot.

With such a range of projects, there were those on the practical side, as well as the more imaginative. Filip Napiokowski and Romas Eidukas developed a mobile app for motoring penalty points. Allowing users to see all points accrued, where they were accrued and how, it allows drivers an awareness hitherto impossible and one that would hopefully create a greater awareness of road safety. The pair are in talks with the NRA to establish the feasibility of opening up the system for such a public service.

Emmet Hogan investigated the potential for methane from waste products to be used to generate energy. Building on previous working the area, Hogan went a step further looking specifically at the use of waste water sludge as an inoculum in anaerobic conditions.

There were imaginative projects too, as Robert Evers developed an artificial intelligence game for sports management. The game allows users to train and customise AI-controlled players and teams where the players learn as they play and accumulate data. The game develops understanding of machine AI and computer learning.

 

 

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