That day, I had to round up my lesson on 3D printing and I also hard a course on image processing. As soon as all the 3D pieces we designed were printed, I dashed to have the last course of the day. I could not wait for this first part of the day to be over. When the clock stroke 2pm, it was time to go home and prepare for the next part of the day. After doing my chores, as I prepared, all I could think of was the event; FIRESIDE CHART WITH GOOGLE ENGINEER Ms Jecolia Longtchi. It would be my second time meeting her though, but would be different because she will be sharing her stories with many others. An hour and a half before time, I had to face the annoying traffic jam in Douala to hear her share her experience and lessons on blending software and hardware to produce useful devices.
After the speaker of the day was introduced, she began by telling us what it is like to work with Google; It is a place for hard working individuals. it sometimes feels stressful and full of challenges. It’s a place where team work is highly valued. As a lady, she admitted that ladies can triumph over issues that come with gender difference if they believe in themselves and keep on moving to their desired destination. A little was said about sensors. A sensor is a system that detects a physical phenomenon, e.g. temperature, and produces a corresponding signal. A transducer will produce a response signal based on the physical stimulus it receives. The signal is subsequently interpreted by a control unit and the necessary actions are taken. This is a summary of the process from when a physical phenomenon is captured to when an action is taken based on what was captured. Sensors are very useful in today’s world and can be used to alleviate the world's challenges.
In the field of Agriculture, we can use sensors to, for example, determine the soil moisture and PH values at different points in the farm in real time. These values are analyzed by the computer and necessary measures can be taken to improve the soil’s content. For instance, if the water moisture sensor detects a low water level of the soil, an automatic irrigation system will be triggered off and when the required soil moisture value is attained, the automatic irrigation system is turned out. I went home that day with a better understanding of a word I frequently used in my field of studies. I also got to meet other influential Cameroonians too.
As I move towards my dream of improving healthcare through the sound exploration of the world’s technological resources, sensors will indisputably be an essential tool in my laboratory. Our community may be very slow in developing compared to others but there is hope because of talented people, who desire and are working towards changing the lives of people for the better. The available organizations out to make the youth of this community believe in and keep moving towards their dreams and platforms make them acquainted with the variety of ways they can explore the world’s technological resources, which are very fundamental for our growth.