During November 2019 the Federal University of Paraiba (UFPB) PES Student Branch Chapter promoted the IEEE HAC Event on Environmental Education and Humanitarian Technologies in partnership with various student branches and chapters, affinity groups, IEEE PES professional chapter and Young Professional affinity group of the Northwest Brazil Section. The events were conducted in a way to cover major visions of UN sustainable development goals and were separated in three days strategically to allow the participation of students at different educational stages.

The morning and afternoon shifts of the first day were dedicated to students of middle and high school with high social vulnerability. While the programs of the second and third days had a technical character to the academic community and IEEE members.

Fig. 1. HPV vaccination.

According to the scheduled plan for the first day, we should have a care center to distribute vaccines against Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). Despite the unforeseen date of vaccination, the first educational activity realized on November 12th was organized in partnership with the UFPB and IFPB PES student chapters.

The IEEE members promoted the application of the Renewable Energy in Schools (RES) Project through initial presentations on the impact of global warming and importance of renewable energy. Then, to build collaborative learning among the listeners, educational kits were used to increase the knowledge about renewable energy sources. They were demonstrated practical interactions among solar, mechanical and wind energy, hydroelectric power plant, hydrogen fuel, and hydraulic robotic arm.

Fig. 2. Lecture session in Renewable Energy in Schools (RES) Project.

Fig. 3. kits demonstration in RES project.

After the RES project, the IEEE RAS members started robotics activities with the use of drones and robots. The UFPB RAS student chapter delivered a theoretical presentation on the fundamentals of robotics and elaborated the operating principles and design details of drones. They demonstrated a drone flight, which was assembled by UFPB RAS student chapter members. The participants found it very interesting and for the vast majority, this was the first contact with an unmanned aerial vehicle. Many students showed interest in the area of robotics and asked questions about the skills necessary for the production of the drone and its applications.

Fig. 4. Drone and Lego Robot.

Subsequently, the IEEE RAS IFPB members organized the Lego Balloon competition that consisted of the utilization of the three Lego robots with balloons attached to the upper portion. The objective of this activity is to control the robot movement through a mobile application to burst the opponent’s balloon. The Lego Balloon competition joyfully served as a source of motivation to the students for possible future involvement in the areas of robotics and automation.

Fig. 5. Participants in the first day morning.

Sarah Andrade Toscano de Carvalho
UFPB PES SB Chapter Treasurer
UFPB SB Treasurer