The only source of knowledge is experience.

VISSERVersatile Instrument System for Science Education and Research

(A collaborative program to enhance Philippine education)

PHOTOS & DESIGN BY RUE MOJICA

Participants
Dr. Giselle Concepcion, UP VPAA, Dr. Aura Matias, UPD- Dean COE Dr. Joey Balmaceda, UPD- Dean COS Dr. Laura David, MSI UP Prof. Nel Altoveros, Deputy Director, IMSP, UPLB Dr. Giovanni Tapang, Asso. Dean and NIP, UPD Prof. Percival Magpantay, EEE UPD Prof. Romarie Lorenzo, EEE UPD Dr. R.D. Mel Gomez, ECE Department, UMD

Phil: 1,100 mins (per week) Brunei: 810 mins Singapore: 540 mins Malaysia's: 360 mins
Phil Rank in Global Competitiveness report: 2011: 112th out of 139 2012: 115th out of 142.

World Bank Data (government spending per year in education) Phil: $138 Thailand: $853 Singapore: $1,800 Japan: $5,000. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.htmlres=9807E6D71031F936A1575BC0A9 6F9C8B63

Why?
1. Insufficient science equipment; Teachers resort to oral instructions in lieu of manipulative materials. 2. Lack of science rooms (even in science high schools). 3. (Some) Principals lack the basic training in science. 4. Science instruction is done incidentally; concepts incorporated in English. 5. (Some) Teachers lack the basic science information and training. 6. (Some) Teacher training schools do not give emphasis in science as a subject.
www.interaksyon.com/article/25983 March 4, 2012

Proposed Solution
Start a program to develop low-cost multipurpose instrumentation and laboratory modules for Philippine secondary schools. Hardware is a handheld, microcontroller controlled unit, working with a wide assortment of plug&play sensors and probes. Open source system to allow 3rd party developers to contribute apps.

Program Implementation
Development is over 2 years Begin with 2-week summer workshop to introduce the idea to the smartest and brightest recruits and students of the UP system. They will be trained and will develop prototype laboratory modules. Activities will followed by an intensive development, testing, validation, manufacturing, documentation and deployment phases.

Benefit to Higher Education

Participants will gain extensive knowledge of microcontroller systems, electronics, mathematics, oral and written communications; Exposure to design processes under realistic constraints including economics, political and ethical dimensions; Instill spirit of working for the common good.

Project Development Plan

Step 1

Step 2

Step 4

Laboratory Modules

Manufacturing
Teacher Instructions

Step 3

Sample Concept UnitVisser Handheld

Features: Affordable, Versatile, Compact Easy to learn and Intuitive User-friendly, Durable Upgradable and User driven content Modern and Sophisticated Open Source Environment

Visser Handheld Prototype

Main Control Unit
function buttons LCD display 6 channel input sensor ports ac/dc 2.1 mm jack SD card memory USB port Size: 4.5x3.5x1

Multi-functional Sensors
main control unit 9V battery

camera

digital scale digital thermometer

ultrasonic distance sensor (Sample applicable laboratory topics are in appendix).

Operation Modes
1. Standalone Mode: A multifunctional instrument, functions as:
Clock/Stopwatch/Timer, Ruler, Weighing scale, Digital thermometer, Barometer, Pressure sensor, Force sensor, Camera, Audio recorder, DC volt meter, Magnetometer, Inclinometer, 3-axis Accelerometer,

2. Data logger mode:

Simultaneously data acquisition from 6+ inputs, with time stamp and up to 56,000x per second sampling rate

Expansion Features
1. Configurable to activate relays and actuators, connect and interact with Internet, Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth, Xbee RF protocols, GSM network 2. Interconnection to form sensor arrays. 3. User-programmable.

(Think of it as a smartphone for Philippine labs)

The Opportunity: Enhancing Education and Tapping into Filipinos Ingenuity

Excellent opportunity exists in the Philippines to design and develop home grown content-driven system to alleviate lack of labs in secondary schools and modernizing them.
We will tap the Filipinos creativeness and resourcefulness to develop low cost but sophisticated instrumentation to benefit the Filipino people.

Current Support
1. DOST Balik-Scientist

2. UP OVPAA
3. UP Diliman, College of Engineering 4. UP Diliman, College of Science 5. Alexan Corporation

Support is Needed
1. Expertise and review.

2. Financial Investment.
3. Manufacturing Organization. 4. DepEd Connections and Adoption 5. Political Support

Thank you!
Romel D. Gomez, PhD
Keystone Professor and Associate Chair for Undergraduate Education Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering University of Maryland College Park, MD 20905 USA

rdgomez@umd.edu

Appendix

Sample Modules
Chemistry Gases: pressure, volume, temperature, ideal gas law Thermodynamics: heat capacity, heat transfer, cooling and heating rates, latent heat Electrochemistry: ionic concentration, acidity/alkalinity (pH), voltammetry, energy conversion, spectroscopy Biology

electrical nerve stimulation, action potential measurements, principles of sonogram figure: chemlabs.bris.ac.uk, : ithaca.edu, imaging,

Sample Modules (cont.)

Environmental Sensing

ion/pollutant concentration of drinking water barometric pressure and weather sensing

Weather Science pressure and air temperature sensing, rainfall levels, ocean/water temp, air speed, earthquake detection Physics, Mechanics: free fall, inclined plane, rotation, periodic motion, pendulum, impulse, forces, acceleration
Figures: chemlabs.bris.ac.uk, shutterstock.com

Sample Modules (cont.)

Optics and Waves

interference, diffraction, encoding, amplitude modulation, acoustic waves and resonance

Electronics and Electromagnetics

measurement of voltage, voltage division, series and parallel circuits, periodic waveforms, capacitive discharge, transient signals, magnetic field sensing, DC power, photovoltaic cells
Fluids pressure and air flow, Bernoullis principle
Figures:hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu, opticasoftware.com, shutterstock.com, springwaterone.com

Sample Modules: (cont.)

Robotics: automation, sensing and actuation, open loop

closed loop feedback implementation

Signal modeling and processing: discrete Fourier Transforms, DSP, PID controllers Many more
Figures: http://robotics.unibg.it, assignmenthelp.net