Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Student Engineer October 2008
Student Engineer October 2008
Editor in Chief
EDITORIAL BOARD
Obiko Edward
Obiko Edward
I am indeed hon- which have proven too many to document in
Editor in chief oured to present this issue. Find out what happened at the IEEE
this bonus issue of Engineering Students’ Exhibition in the ESA
Eyinda Samuel
Managing Editor The Student Engi- News round-up and read about some of the
neer. On behalf of Fourth-term tours on Page 22. Do you live the
Angela Hiuhu
Editorial Team
the Engineering Buttefly Lifestyle? Find out on page 12. Still on
Students’ Associa- the lifestyle revolutions through the Telecom’s
Loise Mbaria tion, I would like to industry you can read on Google Earth’s Power
Editor Team
welcome on board of Place in our GeoSpatial Feature.
Ritah Laibuta Nkatha the Engineering
Editorial Team
fraternity the freshman year of 2008/09 and I would like to extend our gratitude to all who
Ochilo David wish them the pleasant scholarly experience contributed to the realization of this second
Editorial Team as we have had thus far. quarterly issue, first of all to the Engineering
David Nyagah Students Association and its Executive. Spe-
Graphic Designer In this issue take a look at the Telecommuni- cial thanks to Eng. A. A. McCorkindale and our
cations industry in Kenya and the morphosis sponsors for their unwavering support. Finally
ESA EXECUTIVE 2007-2008 that has and will continue to affect our lives I would like to congratulate you, the Student
CHAIRMAN first of all as wananchi and it goes without Engineer, for your overwhelming support, en-
Obonyo Cedric mention, as Engineers. Development is futile couragement and feedback that has brought
VICE CHAIRMAN
without guaranteeing its sustainability, thus The Student Engineer to life.
Ismael Bett we also focus on Telecom’s with regard to
this year’s theme which has been renewable As usual we welcome any feedback from our
SECRETARY GENERAL
Mbari Muchiri
sources of energy. readers so that you can participate in improv-
ing this quarterly digest.
TREASURER The July-October holiday has been an event
Lilian Kamanja filled break with engineering students tak- Have an eventful semester.
PUBLICITY SECRETARY ing part in numerous events and activities
Nyakiongora George
I ENGINEER
have held my tongue (and pen
for that matter) incommunicado
for too long but thank goodness
AND
the “Student Engineer “ is here
to stay. The fact that it has inaugu-
rated a new era in which it garners
THE LANGUAGE
aspectful ideas and views from the
entire student is in itself a resound-
ing come-back. This, therefore, ne-
cessitates me, first and foremost, to
take off my hat to the editorial team “BRAIN AND MOUTH FACTOR”
dreams than because of their programs and projects. We
for such a stunning stunt. Keep it up for the must, as comrade-in-arms, as a country and as a people,
job well done and welcome on board! Un- stop pretending that we do not need people of the mould
fortunately, that is where congratulations end of Titus Naikuni, Mugo Kibati, Prof. Oduol...name them.Re-
and the worries begin. member a big brain and a good mouth are not just tools
of eminence; they perform the bigger function of giving
I am the staunch believer of the truism that if communi- an engineer the desired credibility in the eyes of the global
cating is wrong , then we can’t be write(sic). Whether the community.
doctor or the engineer is the competent party to do so is
certainly open to debate. Perhaps the most worrying is So what should be done? With the help of the hindsight, I
that communication skills is spiralling out of control to its am advancing the view that our inquest is timely. by the
death-bed. But in full view of the grave nature of the mat- time the student is a freshman in college, he is expected
ter and for the intimate interest of the leadership for vision to have a working vocabulary of several thousand words,
2030, may I be exonorated for submitting that we the bud- to be able to organize ideas into coherent pattern, and
ding engineers, are poor in discourse(spoken and written present these ideas either orally or in writing. This is the
language). I know at this point you must be questioning, time for the engineering student to learn by trial and er-
what am I talking about but good people that stands out ror his best ways to communicate. Shun decisive distaste
as a fact (not opinion) according to a recent secret research. for literature books, participate in group discussions or fel-
This mediocrity has been argued for even becoming part lowships for the presentation of concepts and for gaining
of our own wont. Ardous and numeracy, time exacting, vocabulary skills, a knowledge of psychology and training
and intricate and knotty units undertaken are some of the in debate are all helpful. A conscious effort while in college
favourite excuses. Yet for sure this pretty pretexts do not to improve one’s ability to communicate verbally will make
grant engineering students any absolution. transition to work as a practising engineer after graduation
much easier.
Most student enginers like to talk still too few enjoy speak-
ing. Talking is casual, random and unrehearsed, but speak- Let us relegate this esoteric gobbledegook and “O”factor
ing requires a plan, an organization and practice. Speaking, language into the dustbin of idiocy.See this ”...naenda tao,
like writing, is an art of increasing necessity for the success- ni-take breako na luncho then ni-come daro. nitadunga ile
ful engineer; an art that he must perfect if he is to succeed shirtoo yangu ya fao so that you can ona it. I’m not panda-
in his profession and his society. In any case for any emerg- ing bu...are you shangaa-ing?” I am lost if an engineer
ing economy in any country depends heavily upon her communicated like this in a global platform. And I resign.
entreprising engineers with the ability to stiffle intelligent Magati Mophat Alphonce
3rd yr Environmental Engineering
ideas with fearless eloquent elocution. No over-thing, trust
you. “If an engineer cannot express his ideas and the results
of his endeavour to others, even though he may have the
intellect of a genius and the capability of performing the
most creative work, the benefits of his intellect and creative
abilities will be of little use to others,” so says CEng. Hinds
Elliot of Queen’s University Belfast(UK), and we all agree.
Interview
Dr. Kai Wulff
MD
Kenya Data
Networks
with Edward Obiko e-mails a day) and prepare meetings if any. I try to keep
EO: Please give us a brief background of yourself. my day planned and have time to see what is happening
and keep tabs with all staff personally(at least 3-4 times a
Dr. Wulff: I am German,(chuckles...) that’s why I’m week). I usually don’t have lunch and try to go to the gym
rude... and re-cultivating my German accent. I come from 2-3 times a week.(KDN pays gym membership for all their
a very small town in South West Germany. I did my A-lev- staff). I leave the office at around 8.30pm then go home
els in a Public School in Germany and then went on to join and have dinner with my wife and sometimes my son...
the air-force where I was tasked with strategic planning if he’s awake. I check e-mails once more before going to
and was a special forces trainer for a while until my health bed.
gave in.
EO: And how do you spend your time when not work-
I had the opportunity to study a Masters in Economic Sci- ing?
ence after doing my Bachelor’s in Computer Science. I
studied Computer Science because I worked at a comput- Dr. Wulff: On weekends normally is when I have more
ers company when I was fifteen and took it over but later family time and do no appointments. I however do some
left to join the Military. After Military I went back to my work from home but call it a day at around 2pm. (He is a
company where we set up Novell Networks. (Dr. Wulff also confessed work-a-holic.) Once a year I go on holiday to see
has a commercial pilot license) my mother for about two weeks.
EO: In many forums you would be regarded as one of EO: KDN has is a young company with a rather short but
the ‘New Generation’ CEO’s. How would you describe your impressive history. Tell us something about how it all be-
leadership style? gan and how it has got here.
Dr. Wulff: I lead people to the road of self-exploita- Dr. Wulff: When I came KDN was more or less
tion. The principle of managing a successful company is to a wireless provider to allow ISP’s to connect with
make people happy. I have to make my suppliers happy, the end-user on a small scale. So we began by ask-
I have to make my employees happy, I have to make my ing where we’d want to end up and what the mar-
customers happy. If you are loyal to your suppliers and in- ket requires. This was a real infrastructure rather
volve them in your processes you grow with them. You put than doing quick fixes. So we decided on a fibre network
your employees where they want to be. My job as an em- across the whole continent with a last mile access for all the
ployer is to know my employees potential and challenge users. We found ways to convince the board and came up
them to exploit their potential. with the money to start little by little. An important thing
is to trust your people. This is how we’ve managed so far.
EO: So what is your day like?
EO: Just this morning I was glad to see that the laying of
Dr. Wulff: On a normal business day I get up at Five. Fibre Optic cables at the UoN is back on track. So how soon
I have breakfast and do a few e-mails and watch some are we going to realize the benefits of this? Are we also
CNN. I leave the house latest at 6.30 and I’m at the office going to benefit from your wireless services?
by 6.45. I then check my e-mails (he gets at least 1300
4 The Student Engineer
ENGINEERING
Woman
Dr. Wulff: UoN will get full
Butterfly(read Buttefly article on page).
We’ve been laying the foundation and
communication within the campus will
be free thus you can do Voip and share with Angela Hiuhu
information hopefully across campus-
es.
W
tional Institutions doing enough to pre- e cannot forget the various women who did Kenya proud in the
pare for the arrival of the undersea fibre Olympics the likes of Jelimo, Lagat, and Ndereba to mention a
optic cables? few. These women toiled and ran endless miles bearing all and
sometimes harsh weather conditions. Njoki Ndungu was the first woman
Dr. Wulff: You have to view your
end-product. Apparently nobody has to aspire to be a speaker for the Kenya Parliament. True she did not make
thought to do the last mile access. it but she paved the way for any other woman aspiring to vie for the same
Where are the Engineers who are going position. These women have established their status in the society and they
to help us make use of it? What is the are respected for this. The Engineering woman should not lag behind. We
business case? The problem is nobody can bear the long hours in libraries and the hard work that comes with the
creates local content. It drives me crazy
that we host our websites abroad. At success in this field.
least we shouldn’t pay to be sold our Engineering and any other technical courses serve as a platform for both
own content. This is what KDN is en- men and women to build a strong foundation for them. Engineering is
couraging kenyans to do and we are mostly based on physics that has a mystique of its own that allows us to
laying the foundation.
do something new under the sun. Hence we have the pleasure of seeing
EO: Kenya Data Networks in collabo- our work imprint where other people will actually use it to their benefit. We
ration with ICTVillage.com and the make a little facet of creation clearer.
Youth Entreprenuership Development As we usher in the first years, the women in the respective departments of
Fund are spearheading the Digital Vil- engineering must step up to the challenge and face the competition with
lage Constituency Cluster which aims
at having a VSAT Base Station in every skins of elephants and forever overcome the ambivalence and the dimin-
constituencey. How can we as students ished self esteem felt amongst those women pursuing any technical based
and The Youth take part in this. degree. The number of men in the classes should not in any way affect our
performances because it has never been a question of brute strength. Of
Dr. Wulff: There’s ample opportu- most importance we have to believe in ourselves be assertive and take ini-
nity on different levels from franchis-
ing down to one laptop. We are trying tiative in our work.
to spread the ICT culture through small We are no longer going to accept to stay in the dark because we cannot
incubators. Everybody should have in change a bulb or be stuck on the road endless hours because we can’t change
walking distance someway to have dig- a tyre. If we do not rise to the occasion and be the best we can be, what then
italised content, access to the internet will the future generation hold to? Recently, three bold Maasai men were fea-
and multiple trading platforms. You can
participate at the end of the distribution tured in the news. These men have ventured and are succeeding in the salo-
chain (with peripheries involved eg so- nists profession something perceived to be a woman stronghold. This leaves
lar panel powering) or on the other side the question pending for engineering women. There is some predisposition
by generating mass-applications to be in the female to be responsive to people, sounds and in total communication
used by these villages and the third an- while the male have an edge on finer differentiation of the physical world.
gle would be to have a moderating role
by franchising and running these cen- Luckily enough the females hence have a command of quicker judgment of
tres. emotional nuance and further possess easier connection between feeling
and their expression in words. Needless to say women engineers place more
EO: And lastly, what is your advice to importance on being able to work with people than the men do.
Student Engineers?
Good food has been argued to be the way to a mans heart. I believe that
Dr. Wulff: Do not assume that at good communication is the way to enflourish engineering.
graduation you know what you want to The road to success is bumpier and has more pot holes than one can relate
do in life. Make maximum use of 70% to. Part of the process is just gritting our teeth when we fail. Ladies, we can
of your time and use 30% to discover shine in engineering one step at a time is all it takes. After all laboratories full
other fields and how you can be of more
use to your family, society and yourself. of men is such a bore!
DE UITVINDERS
The Inventers (De Uitvinders) is a project initiated in the Netherlands
by Hugo Vridag, an Expressive Artist, Film maker. It is one of the initia-
tives through which the Technific Foundation is promoting technologi-
cal thinking among young people. He is in Kenya to pursue the project
under the auspices of ‘The Inventors come to Africa’.
The project is an inter-institutional linkage of educational institutes,
theatrical peformers and the business sector. The aim of the project is
to arouse among young people in primary and continuing education
courses an interest in working with technique(rather technology from
Dutch translation). The children play a leading role in their own adventure film in which the machines and
props they participate in creating are literally brought to life.
He has been talking to groups of interest like the Sarakasi Trust, The Waza Platform and Centurion Systems
to set initial plans for this project. You can have a look at a short clip of the first film made in the Nether-
lands at www.deuitvinders.com and Dr. Kamau Gachigi (Mechanical Engineering) if you or someone you
know would like to take part.
BUTTERFLY
Butterfly is a lifestyle developed by Kenya Data Networks to provide an online Culture that will provide users
with the day-to-day tools to work and play using high speed wireless and fixed line connectivity both to
the internet and a local portal from Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Meru, Nakuru and seamlessly throughout
Kenya.
Butterfly offers triple play service (Data, Voice & Video) making it a convenient one stop communication
solution for individuals and organizations alike. KDN is currently building its Butterfly network to cover Busi-
ness, residential and recreational areas in order to provide seamless connectivity to individuals whenever and
wherever they are.
Butterfly using the less Metropolitan Area Networks technology that provides a
wireless extension to cable or last mile (last km) broadband
wireless network access. WiMAX provides up to 50 km (31 miles) of linear serv-
ice area range and allows users connectivity without a direct
Butterfly enables palmtop, Personal Digital Assistants-PDA’s,
line of sight to a base station.
notebook, laptop and stand alone desktop computers with
The technology also provides shared data rates up to 70 Mbps
Wi-Fi capability to remotely connect to the network from an-
(which is over 1250 times faster than your best dial-up link),
ywhere anytime providing users with total freedom to make
according to WiMAX proponents, is enough bandwidth to si-
any place their personal cyber-office. Butterfly’s simplicity
multaneously support more than 60 businesses with connec-
takes out all the hassles and complexities related to setting
tivity and hundreds of homes. WiMAX is referred to as “Wi-Fi
up a fixed network and in its place offers a very flexible life-
on steroids”. It has the potential to enable even more mil-
style where connectivity to the networks is as easy as ‘one
lions to access the internet wirelessly, cheaply and easily. The
click away’ from your independent computer. This service will
WiMAX wireless coverage is in square km (miles) while that
be provided through the WiMAX network when the mobile
of Wi-Fi is in the medium range. A WiMAX base station would
WiMAX is launched.
beam high-speed Internet connections to homes and busi-
Wi-Fi (or Wireless Fidelity) was intended to be used for wire-
nesses in a radius of up 50 km (30 miles); these base stations
less devices and LANs (Local Area Network) like in offices or
will eventually beam to an entire metropolitan area, making
homes, but is now often used for Internet access. It enables a
that area into a WMAN (Wireless Metropolitan Area Network)
person with a wireless-enabled computer or personal digital
and allowing true wireless mobility within it, as opposed to
assistant (PDA) to connect to the Internet when in proximity
hot-spot hopping required by Wi-Fi. The proponents are hop-
of an access point called a hotspot.
ing that the technology will eventually be used in notebook
KDN is now setting up mobile internet/networking products
computers and PDAs.
that end users with Wi-Fi enabled computers and PDAs to link
KDN has over 120 WiMAX base stations in the country and is
to ISPs and other service providers or to their offices in a more
helping in the development of the mobility component.
or less transparent way to take advantage of the systems. KDN
will market this under the Brand name Butterfly Freedom.
The main advantages of Wi-Fi are;
Butterfly VoIP - IzzyTalk
VoIP services convert voice into a digital signal that travels
• Uses an unlicensed bit of the broadcast spectrum, this means
over the butterfly Wi-Fi or fixed line network. When calling a
less regulatory controls.
regular phone number, the signal is converted to a regular tel-
• Many Notebook computers come with inbuilt Wi-Fi devices.
ephone signal before it reaches the destination. VoIP can al-
90% of Laptops produced after 2006.
low you to make a call directly from a computer, a special VoIP
•They are many reliable and inexpensive Wi-Fi products in the
phone, or a traditional phone connected to a special adapter.
market.
In addition, wireless “hot spots” in locations such as airports,
While connected on a Wi-Fi network, it is pos-
parks, and cafes allow you to connect to the Internet and may
sible to move about without breaking the
enable you to use VoIP service wirelessly.
network connection. WiMAX is a wire-
www.butterfly.co.ke
To use this service, register your Softphone on your PDA or This is like the absurd man who talks to his wife in the same
Laptop with the KDN 5 Million numbers (020 5 xxx xxx) pro- house through a cell phone.
vider and TALK within the butterfly network begins…. Calls The Butterfly portal by Kenya Data Networks will provide a
within the Butterfly network will be done for free. You can platform that will provide Kenyans with an avenue to exchange
now use the Butterfly phone from morning till evening at a information store it and develop the local internet market. All
monthly flat fee of Kshs 500. clients connected to the KDN network across the country will
have access to local content at no cost whatsoever.
Butterfly fixed line However, KDN doesn’t want to become a content provider;
KDN is embarking on an exciting venture to offer services to rather, the company is seeking to enter into partnership with
the homes. This will be done through a digital subscriber line content providers interested in expanding their distribution
(DSL) connection. DSL is a very high-speed connection that channels. The Portal will be available to everyone using the
uses the same wires as a regular telephone line. The conver- Butterfly and the Digital Villages across the country.
gence of data, voice and video services (Triple-Play) from the
same line is now a reality in Kenya. BUTTERFLY merchandise
Some advantages of KDN ADSL are; KDN invites Kenyans to experience the butterfly experience.
• You can leave your Internet connection open and still use the The experience goes beyond data, voice and video communi-
phone line for voice calls. cation. Available on the market is a butterfly clothing line and
• The speed is much higher than a regular modem other items that are trendy and used in day-to-day lives. This
• KDN will provide the modem as part of the installation. items are of high quality but affordable and are meant not
only to make Kenyans experience but also to own the but-
Home Office terfly freedom.
The home office solution is an extension of the services we
provide to our corporate clients. We provide clients with a link THE BUTTERFLY PHILOSOPHY
from their homes to the office so that they are able to access BUTTERFLY is a lifestyle, it symbolizes the freedom to chose,
the Internet and the LAN at the comfort of their homes. the freedom to live life in a fashionable way without restric-
• We use either wireless or the fixed line technology i.e But- tions of where, when, what and HOW MUCH. It is a high-class
terfly. in areas where we do have the coverage we will even brand for the sophisticated person who does not have to be
consider installing a WiMAX radio to extend the coverage rich to enjoy BUTTERFLY. In short, it symbolizes not all you
• The service is on an unlimited access basis and therefore no need but ALL YOU WANT and makes it affordable!
limit on the usage time.
BUTTERFLY PORTAL
Kenya has very low internet penetration due to lack of
infrastructure and local content. Due to the lack of lo-
cal content, the users of the Internet have always had
to buy international capacity through satellite to com-
municate.
A good example is the mail being sent by one individ-
ual to another where both are using Yahoo or Hotmail
accounts. These Kenyans will both buy international
capacity to communicate with each other.
ELECTRICAL
They
collapse,
why?
Wait until it happens and you can are put into consideration. Different loading condi-
tions anticipated should be factored into the final
count how many belong to this pro- design. Matters get worse when any drawing can be
fession. They are conclusive. They will approved as a structural drawing. This jeopardizes the
prosecute and judge. They will tell efforts of the learned society of engineers.
you it is this and that. But by crossing
Harry Thuku Road we have learned Material quality
As it is known a structure is constructed from materi-
something in life. It is difficult to an- als. The final strength of the structure depends on the
swer correct questions correctly but quality of materials. Concrete as one of the materials
at least we try to get right things right. is so complex in quality assurance than what one can
see being mixed. Good mix can only be achieved by
When buildings collapse, first lives are lost and huge following a mix design produced by an engineer.
sums of money will be lost. It is a catastrophe. Nobody
would like to see this happen. Another characteristic of concrete is how it gains
Historically people have been building and several its strength. Concrete sets after a certain period of
structures have collapsed including famous bridges in time. Conventionally 14-28 days characteristic cube
the world. strength is used
In the ancient past it was a matter of life and death
for the engineer who undertakes a building project. If
it was a bridge one was to be tied under the bridge
before it is used just in case it collapses he/she should
be the first victim. However those were barbaric
measures which were passed with time.
THE
HYBRID
E
very aspect of engineering and consequently our
life has to come to terms with the realization that
how we spend the next fifty years of life on earth
will determine its continuity or God-forbid demise.
Thus technologies are being phased in-sync with ‘green’
policies drafted chief among them the Kyoto Protocol to
curb human green house gas emmisions.
GM has launched hybrid versions of its full-size GMC Yukon (pictured) and Chevrolet Tahoe SUVs’ for 2008
In motoring, Asia, Europe and the USA have began Continuously outboard recharged battery electric
adopting such policies and hybrid vehicles are one way vehicle (CORBEV) HYBRID VEHICLE EMISSIONS
of achieving these. A hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that Given suitable infrastructure, permissions and vehicles, Hybrid Vehicle emissions today are getting close to or
uses two or more distinct power sources to propel the BEVs can be recharged while the user drives. The BEV
vehicle. even lower than the recommended level set by the EPA
establishes contact with an electrified rail, plate or (Environmental Protection Agency). The recommended
overhead wires on the highway via an attached con- levels they suggest for a typical passenger vehicle
Power sources include: ducting wheel or other similar mechanism (see Conduit should be equated to 5.5 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
- On-board or out-board rechargeable energy current collection). The BEV’s batteries are recharged by The three most popular hybrid vehicles, Honda Civic,
storage system (RESS) this process—on the highway—and can then be used Honda Insight and Toyota Prius, set the standards even
normally on other roads until the battery is discharged. higher by producing 4.1, 3.5, and 3.5 tons showing a
- Gasoline This provides the advantage, in principle, of virtually major improvement in carbon monoxide emissions.
- Hydrogen unrestricted highway range as long as you stay where
- Compressed Air you have BEV infrastructure access. Since many destina- ALTERNATIVE GREEN VEHICLES
- Human powered e.g. pedalling or rowing tions are within 100 km of a major highway, this may Other types of green vehicles include other vehicles that
- Wind reduce the need for expensive battery systems. Unfor- go fully or partly on alternative energy sources than fos-
tunately private use of the existing electrical system is sil fuel. Another option is to use alternative fuel com-
- Compressed or Liquid Natural Gas nearly universally prohibited.
- Solar position (i.e. biofuels) in conventional fossil fuel-based
vehicles, making them go partly on renewable energy
- Coal, wood or other combustibles Hybrid fuel (dual mode) sources.
In addition to vehicles that use two or more different Other approaches include personal rapid transit, a
The term most commonly refers to Hybrid-electric vehi- devices for propulsion, some also consider vehicles that public transportation concept that offers automated
cle (HEV) which includes internal combustion engines use distinct energy sources or input types (“fuels”) us- on-demand non-stop transportation, on a network of
and electric motors. ing the same engine to be hybrids, although to avoid specially-built guideways.
confusion with hybrids as described above and to use
ENGINE TYPE correctly the terms, these are perhaps more correctly Plug-In Hybrid Model
Hybrid electric-petroleum vehicles described as dual mode vehicles:
When the term hybrid vehicle is used, it most often re-
fers to a Hybrid electric vehicle. These encompass such Plug-in Hybrid Electrical Vehicles (PHEV)
vehicles as the AHS2 (Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon, The latest hybrid technology is the Plug-in Hybrid Elec-
Chevrolet Silverado, Cadillac Escalade, and the Saturn tric Vehicle (PHEV). The PHEV consists of a gasoline-
Vue), Toyota Prius, Toyota Camry Hybrid, Ford Escape electric hybrid whose battery pack (usually Li-ion) is
Hybrid, Toyota Highlander Hybrid, Honda Insight, upgraded to a larger capacity, which can be recharged
Honda Civic Hybrid and others. A petroleum-electric by either a battery charger hooked into the electrical grid
hybrid most commonly uses internal combustion en- or the gasoline engine (only if required). The car runs on
gines (generally gasoline or Diesel engines, powered by battery power for the first 10 to 60 miles (16–100 km),
a variety of fuels) and electric batteries to power electric with the gasoline engine available for faster accelera-
motors. There are many types of petroleum-electric hy- tion, etc. After the battery is nearly discharged, the car
brid drivetrains, from Full hybrid to Mild hybrid, which reverts to the gasoline engine to recharge the battery
offer varying advantages and disadvantages and/or return the car to the charging station. This may
get around the fundamental obstacle of battery range
that has made nearly all pure electric cars impractical.
16 The Student Engineer
GEOSPATIAL
I
n every area of civil and environmental the public caused a more
than tenfold increase in
engineering, automation tools and tech- media coverage on virtual
niques are being utilized in new and ex- globes between 2006 and
citing ways. Geospatial data collection, 2007, driving public interest in ge-
processing, management, retrieval, com- ospatial technologies and applica-
munication, analysis, and visualization are tions.
becoming increasingly more important as Google Earth displays satellite images of varying
today’s engineering tools. New technologies resolution of the Earth’s surface, allowing users to
visually see things like houses and cars from a bird’s
like wireless sensor networks, geodatabases, eye view. The degree of resolution available is based
and distributed operating, and geoweb serv- somewhat on the points of interest, but most land
ice are substantially contributing to the devel- (except for some islands) is covered in at least 15
meters of resolution. Melbourne, Australia, Las Vegas,
opment in geospatial engineering. Nevada and Cambridge, Massachusetts include ex-
amples of the highest resolution, at 15 cm (6 inches).
Google Earth
Google Earth is a virtual globe program that was
Google Earth allows users to search for addresses for
some countries, enter coordinates, or simply use the
originally called Earth Viewer, and was created by mouse to browse to a location.
Keyhole, Inc, a company acquired by Google in 2004. Google Earth also uses digital elevation model (DEM)
It maps the earth by the superimposition of images data collected by NASA’s Shuttle Radar Topography
obtained from satellite imagery, aerial photography Mission (SRTM). This means one can view the Grand
and GIS 3D globe. It is available under three differ- Canyon or Mount Everest in three dimensions, in-
ent licenses: Google Earth, a free version with limited stead of 2D like other map programs/sites. Since
functionality; Google Earth Plus ($20 per year), which November 2006, the 3D views of many mountains,
includes additional features; and Google Earth Pro including Mount Everest, have been improved by
($400 per year), which is intended for commercial the use of supplementary DEM data to fill the gaps
use. in SRTM coverage.
The product, renamed Google Earth in 2006, is cur- Recently, Google added a feature that allow users
rently available for use on personal computers run- to monitor traffic speeds at loops located every 200
ning Microsoft Windows 2000, XP, or Vista, Mac OS X yards in real-time. In version 4.3 released on April 15,
10.3.9 and above, Linux (released on June 12, 2006), 2008, Google Street View was fully integrated into
and FreeBSD. Google Earth is also available as a the program allowing the program to provide an on
browser plugin (released on June 2, 2008) for Firefox, the street level view in many locations.
IE6, or IE7. In addition to releasing an updated Key- Google Earth’s Power of Place
hole based client, Google also added the imagery How has Google Earth managed to achieve what
from the Earth database to their web based mapping few online imagery providers have — bringing spa-
software. The release of Google Earth in mid 2006 to tial data to the masses — and in
record time?
Norfork
Few can dispute that Google Earth
has validated the power of place
for millions of people across the
globe and made them true believ-
Engineering Block
ers in digital mapping. To be fair
however, such geoportals as eMa-
pSite and GlobeXplorer have been
quietly and successfully building
online businesses for more than
six years. And the “wow” factor of
UON Main Campus
Google Earth’s flyovers and stream-
Moi Ave. Primary
ing capabilities have been available
for access for more than five years,
through such services as TerraFly
Safari Club Hotel from Florida International Univer-
sity and Digital Earth from Skyline
Solutions.
University of Nairobi viewed from Google Earth Obiko Edward
The Student Engineer 17
ENVIRONMENTAL
MAU FOREST
THE HEART OF THE COUNTRY
Tech Talk
The long-awaited HTC Dream, the first commercial handset running
Google’s Android operating system, launched under T-Mobile as
the G1 for $US179(KSh. 14,000) on October 22nd. Featuring a 3-inch
touchscreen, internet navigation buttons and a full QWERTY keypad,
the smartphone market has finally broken free of Symbian, Windows
Mobile and the sweet clutches of fruit companies.
Features:
Screen: The G1 sports a 3.17” 65K colour touchscreen that runs in
HVGA (480×320) resolution.
Battery Life: You can talk for 5 hours, or keep the phone in standby for
130 hours.
Camera: 3.1MP, or right around 35mm 4x6 print quality.
Frequency Fun: GSM/GPRS/EDGE/Wi-Fi and UMTS/HSDPA 850/900/
1700/1800/1900/2100Mhz
Dimensions: 11.7 x 5.49 x 1.6 cm; Weight: 159 grams. And available in
white, black and brown.
Storage: 1GB MicroSD card preinstalled. Supports 8GB MicroSD.
GPS: Of course, what would Google Maps be without it?
Google Maps: As we’ve seen in a recent update, the G1’s Maps application will integrate Street View so you can see
where you are going. But in an industry first, a built-in compass orients the map to your position. North is always up!
Android Market: Similar to the iPhone’s mobile App Store, the Android Market will allow downloading of various Android
apps from the phone, to the phone.
Amazon MP3 Store: Amazon’s MP3 store will be preloaded on every G1, allowing the download of 6 million DRM-free
tracks with singles starting at 89 cents. Downloading music requires a Wi-Fi connection, previewing can be done over
T-Mobile’s network.
YouTube: Yup, it’s on there.
Other Apps
ShopSavvy: designed to help people do comparative shopping
Ecorio: developed to help people keep track of their daily travels and view what their carbon footprint looks like
BreadCrumbz: enables people to create a step-by-step visual map using photos; customers can create their own
routes, share them with friends or with the world
20 The Student Engineer
FILM REVIEW
ENGINEERING AN EMPIRE
This 90 minute testament to the oft-repeated maxim “Rome wasn’t
built in a day” provides not only an interesting overview of Rome’s
engineering prowess, but also a nice generalist history of the major
Emperors from Julius Caesar through the fall of Rome several centu-
ries later.
Starting, somewhat arbitrarily, with Caesar’s assassination, the doc-
umentary then moves backward in time to Caesar’s first engineer-
ing triumph, the bridging of the Rhine (in 10 days, no less, as the
hapless German tribes watched in awe from the other side). The
documentary then follows a chronological format through subse-
quent Emperors and their various building projects, including baths,
aquaducts, the Pantheon, and Hadrian’s Wall.
Filled with the History Channel’s usual expert assortment of talk-
ing heads (including, improbably, Robocop’s Peter Weller, now a
Professor at Syracuse University), and featuring copious location
footage, as well as recreations and some good CGI, Rome: Engi-
neering an Empire provides an entertaining assortment of fact and
character that should edify most viewers.
BOOK REVIEW
NOTICE BOARD
ADVERTISEMENTS JULY – SEPTEMBER
To advertise in the student engineer EDITION WINNERS
ARTICLES Masika Gabriel
journal please reach to us via the
emails below:
Send us your articles on the Amenda Astone
Kiplimo Erick
studentengineer@ymail.com e-mail addresses given on Hiuhu Angela
edobie@gmail.com
edsamich@yahoo.com the left. Writers of featured Ongoma Anthony
or give us a call; 0724517177, Obonyo Cedric
articles will receive awards. Gitau Patrick
0735847011, 0720847011, Murunga Albert
0770053910 Olwande Eliud
S.S MEHTA ENGINEERS big learning experience. The factory which mostly produces
Some of the sites visited included S.S MEHTA ENGINEERS clay products like tiles and facing bricks is one of its kinds in
where they witnessed the processing of bitumen and asphalt. East Africa. It stands unrivalled with its 4 massive 700 square
At the site were Engineers who also offered expert advice on foot each kilns which reach a massive 800 degrees Celsius. It
the different methods of applications of the bitumen to road produces clay products on order from all over East Africa with
construction. Some of the other sites visited included Bambu- a daily turnover of about 100 tonnes of finishes clay prod-
ri cement making plant, Pamoja Trust (Kambi ya moto)-Here ucts.
the major interest was the methods they use to very quickly &
cheaply build semi permanent houses that have a good aes- APEC CONSULTING ENGINEERS
thetic value. The materials used are imported but the project Apec Consulting Engineers is the Engineering firm giving
is still in its testing phase in the country. expertise assistance and direction in the 52 km class D road
project in Maragua. The road is being surfaced with bitu-
MULTIMILLION SHILLING men to make it an all weather road. This gave the students a
chance to see firsthand on the technicalities of road construc-
HOTEL IN RUIRU tion a thing they will definitely encounter during practice in
Another interesting site visited was the multimillion shilling a few years.
hotel in Ruiru still under construction but in the finishing
stages. The hotel boast of more than 10 floors of premium
high class business suite rooms with state of the art dual OLKARIA GEOTHERMAL POWER
jacuzis,power showers, temperature controlled steam baths,
a 500 square foot helipad at its top and a 1000 plus exotic de- PLANT, NAIVASHA
sign disco/dance floor at it lower basement. It’s due for com- Olkaria Geothermal Power plant in Naivasha was the last and
pletion in 6-8 months pending the civil works going on. the culmination of the Industrial visits during that period. This
plant (Olkaria IV) is the newest in its kinds in the country and
was commissioned not more that a year ago at the time of
HARLEY TIMBER visit. It uses the energy in the earth which superheats water to
ENGINEERING SERVICES steam that is used to turn turbines which produce electricity.
Harley Timber Engineering services (HTES) was also visited After the power plant visit with a lot of time saved the stu-
during this time. This plant basically deals with processing of dents climbed down hells gate park. A national tourist attrac-
tion point in the rift valley.
timber from raw material to finished fine products. Obonyo Cedric
A s the
cost
of energy
This project aims at eradicating this. the overall voltage Vout. This is done
The project uses a light dependent resis- to a threshold that keeps the lights off.
tor in a voltage divider circuit. The light During he night, when the light inten-
esca- dependent resistor is part of the volt- sity is low, the LDR value also goes very
lates, so age divider circuit that determines the low(almost 0) hence increasing the
does the output voltage of the overall circuit. The voltage Vout to a threshold that turns
need of economic use available energy resistance of the light depended resistor the security lights on.
resources. Security lights are needed are varies with the amount of light intensity This projects aims at promoting eco-
needed during night hours particularly that is reaching it. An average light in- nomical use of energy without compro-
in places where the 24 hour work sys- tensity that will normally be available mising on the security of the places in
tem is to succeed. They can however be between 7am to 6pm will increase the mind.
wasteful if left working during daytime. resistance of the LDR hence lowering
24 The Student Engineer
PICTORIAL
5 4 3
7 8 9
10
11 12
13 14