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UCT unveils R250 000 Innovation Lab

Kgaogelo Letsebe
By Kgaogelo Letsebe, Portals journalist
Johannesburg, 21 Nov 2017
Students at the UCT Innovation Lab testing the Makerbot replicator mini compact 3d printer (Photo by Michael Hammond)
Students at the UCT Innovation Lab testing the Makerbot replicator mini compact 3d printer (Photo by Michael Hammond)

The University of Cape Town (UCT) has unveiled a new innovation lab complete with virtual reality 3D goggles, a drone, a 3D printer, the Amazon Echo smart speaker, an Emotiv headset, as well as credit card-sized computers in a bid spark further interest in technology education.

According to the academic institution, the lab has been set up for students to "come and play without rules, where they can discover and figure out new things and allow students the opportunity to try out gadgets and equipment they wouldn't normally have access to".

The lab, which is solely financed by the university's Department of Information Systems, is estimated to be worth R250 000.

Head of the department, Professor Kevin Johnston, says the key driver for opening the lab is to produce leading innovators. "Technology is a constantly shifting field, and UCT needs to be at the forefront of change. The Innovation Lab is open to students and staff from the information systems faculty, but also from other faculties and departments. We would like to see theory to be translated into practice, and for technology to come alive for students. We hope the lab will allow students to take themselves - and us - to places where neither of us have ever been."

UCT alumnus Sam Paddock, who officially launched the lab, says it's through such initiatives by the department and university at large that he was able to co-found a technology education company, GetSmarter. "UCT and my experience in the IS department is seminal to where I am today. In my fourth year I had this outlandish idea of what it would be like to learn online. For the next six months, four of us worked on a group project in a basement in the department. It was an incredibly inspiring place to learn. Special things happen when people get together around inspiring opportunities in labs."

UCT alumnus and GetSmarter CEO Sam Paddock at the official launch. (Photo by Michael Hammond).
UCT alumnus and GetSmarter CEO Sam Paddock at the official launch. (Photo by Michael Hammond).

GetSmarter is a technology education firm that forms partnerships with universities to offer certified online short courses. In May, the company was acquired by Nasdaq-listed 2U in a deal valued at an estimated R1.4 million.

"I hope this one of kind Innovation Lab becomes a way of helping students to accelerate their own progress and advance their careers," concludes Paddock.

The institution says plans to open a similar lab at other campuses will depend on a variety of factors, including invitations as well as funding.

The Innovation Lab is fitted with virtual reality 3D goggles amongst other gadgets.(Photo by Michael Hammond)
The Innovation Lab is fitted with virtual reality 3D goggles amongst other gadgets.(Photo by Michael Hammond)

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