Category: Women in STEM

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January 5, 2024

Designing the Future: Unraveling the Intricacies of PCB Innovation

In the realm of modern electronics, the printed circuit board (PCB) stands as a cornerstone of innovation, serving as the vital nervous system that brings technology to life. Within the intricate network of electronic components, the PCB plays a pivotal role, guiding the flow of data and power to actualize the brilliance of electronic devices we rely on daily.

 

Pioneering the Vision

 

At Addis PCB, we stand at the frontier of PCB design, where innovation meets precision, and creativity intertwines with functionality. Our journey is one that seeks to unravel the complexities of PCB innovation, pushing the boundaries of what’s conceivable and pondering the very essence of what it means to design the future.

 

Redefining Connectivity

 

Every connection on a PCB represents a pathway to possibility, where innovation meets practicality. We understand that each line, each pad, and each copper track is not just a conductor of electricity, but a conduit for ideas to flow, shaping the landscape of digital transformation. Through our meticulous design process, we pave the way for seamless connectivity, offering a canvas where innovation thrives.

 

Innovating with Precision

 

The intricacies of PCB design demand nothing short of precision. From the meticulous routing of traces to the strategic placement of components, our team of artisans and engineers work tirelessly to weave a masterpiece of circuitry. We embrace the challenge of navigating the evolving landscape of technology, infusing each design with the precision it deserves.

 

Harmonizing Form and Function

 

Elegance in design meets robust functionality in the world of PCB innovation. Our commitment to harmonizing form and function is unwavering, as we craft PCBs that not only power devices but enhance the user experience. Whether enabling complex electronic assemblies or lending sophistication to IoT solutions, our PCBs are a testament to the artistry and functionality we embody.

 

Cultivating Sustainable Innovation

 

In an age where sustainability is paramount, we tread the path of responsible innovation. From embracing eco-friendly materials to optimizing board layouts for efficiency, sustainability is woven into our design ethos. With a deep understanding of environmental impact, we oversee the creation of PCBs that meet the highest standards of responsible design.

 

At Addis PCB, our quest for unraveling the intricacies of PCB innovation unfolds as a testament to our unwavering commitment to pioneering the future. Through a fusion of creativity, precision, and responsibility, we continue to redefine what’s possible in the world of PCB design, paving the way for a future where electronic innovation knows no bounds.

 

June 9, 2023

The Benefits of Outsourcing PCB Design Services

Printed Circuit Board (PCB) design is a critical element of electronic product development. It involves designing the layout of the circuit board, including the placement and routing of components, to ensure optimal performance and reliability. PCB design is a specialized skill that requires expertise and experience. Outsourcing PCB design services can offer several benefits to companies, especially those that do not have in-house PCB design capabilities.

The benefits of outsourcing PCB design services.

1. Cost savings

Outsourcing PCB design services can offer significant cost savings to companies. By outsourcing, companies do not have to invest in expensive PCB design software, hardware, and personnel. PCB design service providers have the required infrastructure and expertise to deliver high-quality PCB designs at a lower cost. Outsourcing also eliminates the need for companies to hire and train PCB designers, which can be a time-consuming and expensive process.

2. Expertise and experience

PCB design service providers have a team of expert designers with years of experience in designing PCBs for various industries. Outsourcing PCB design services can give companies access to this expertise and experience, which can be invaluable in ensuring that the PCB design is optimized for performance and reliability. PCB design service providers have the necessary knowledge and skills to design PCBs that meet the specific requirements of the industry.

3. Faster time to market

Outsourcing PCB design services can help companies reduce the time to market for their products. PCB design service providers have the required expertise, experience, and infrastructure to deliver high-quality PCB designs within a short time frame. This can help companies get their products to market faster, giving them a competitive advantage.

4. Improved quality

Outsourcing PCB design services can help companies improve the quality of their PCB designs. PCB design service providers have a team of expert designers who follow industry best practices and standards to ensure that the PCB design is optimized for performance and reliability. PCB design service providers also use the latest software and hardware to create high-quality designs.

5. Flexibility

Outsourcing PCB design services can offer companies flexibility in terms of resource allocation. Companies can outsource PCB design services on a project-by-project basis, allowing them to scale up or down as required. This can help companies manage their resources more effectively and efficiently.

February 17, 2023

One Big Roller Coaster

The Evolution of Technology from Stone Tools to Quantum Computing- Part 2

 

Quantum computers are advanced machines inspired by quantum physics. They operate by studying and controlling the behavior of atoms and particles, which is completely different from a regular computer. Although it as an upgraded and advanced version of the computers we use regularly, is not exactly the next generation computer. Meaning, you cannot build a better table just by adding more and more tables together. In the same way, it is not possible to build a quantum computer just by adding classical computers together. A classical computer performs operations using classical bits which can be either zero or one. In contrast, quantum computer uses quantum bits or qubits which can be both zero and one at the same time. 

Let’s say you’re playing a game of flip the coin on your computer. In this case, there is a 50% chance that either if you will win. The computer will take heads and tails as bits of zero and one and depends on only these two results. On the other hand, a quantum computer also has these possibilities including a possibility of a mixture of both heads and tails, both zero and one with some portion of zero and some portion of one. Due to do this uncertain possibility, your chance of losing shall increase. Whether you choose heads or tails, the outcome will still be there between both possibilities, just like a mixture of sand and rocks. Even though the portion of sand is very little in that mixture, you can’t say that it’s not there. This property of superposition empowers the mesmerizing concept of quantum computers.

 Just like the other technological transformations around the world, quantum computers have the potential to impact our lives in numerous ways including security and healthcare. They can be used to create private keys for encrypting messages from one location to another. It will not be possible to copy the unique an unbreakable key of quantum uncertainty. This functioning is already tested by some global companies and is connected to over 17 billion devices globally. Although it is still under research work, quantum computing is the future of our coming generations.

January 12, 2023

One Big Roller Coaster

 

The Evolution of Technology: From Stone Tools to Quantum Computing

Driverless vehicles, robots, cryptocurrency, and a lot more; technology has been delivering mind-blowing findings throughout the years. Since the 18th century, around the time when the industrial revolution started, tech never failed to wow us with countless discoveries and ways to make our lives easier. It brought about smart solutions even for our day-to-day challenges that we never pondered as solvable issues. Today, life without technology would not be functional or enjoyable for most of us. While some may suppose that tech causes more problems than it solves, one can not deny the fact that technology has become perpetually crucial in our lives.

There is evidence for the negative effects of its overuse, especially in our generation where just about everything is digital. The advancements and amusing internet contents keep us glued to our devices, be it scrolling through TikTok on our cell phone or watching Netflix on the TV, which we can do for hours without even realizing it. This can quickly become an addiction because excessive internet use has been shown to release dopamine, the ‘feel-good’ chemical, in the brain.

Despite all of this, from the simplest gadgets like a calculator or a rice cooker to highly advanced areas of study like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, almost everything around us is kept running by the strong arms of this compelling concept. Automobiles/cars, telephones, aircraft, robotics, the internet, the printing press, and our pivotal tool- a computer- are just a few of the appliances that are in favor of our productivity, and also, at times, failure. As much as how transformative it is, if misused, technology has the potential to be combative to our generation.
Made nearly two million years ago, stone tools are the first known technological invention. From there on, the light bulbs invented by Thomas Edison ignited the spark of modern innovations. We now have insane fields like Blockchain, Humanoid Robots, and Quantum computers in the digital sector.

Technology has overall become essential in our lives. It has transformed and elevated our lifestyle and general functioning. Here in Ethiopia, starting from the time when Emperor Menelik(||) first introduced telephones to the community, technology has played an important part in the lives of many. We now have emerging sectors like Information Technology, Advanced Robotics, and Biotechnology, which I believe shall construct strong railroads towards development.

What do you think a day without any sort of technology would look like?

 

November 3, 2022

One Big Roller Coaster

Our World’s Future – Artificial Intelligence

We can all agree that the digital world is mysterious. It twists and turns unpredictably.
Imagine a world where all kinds of work are automated by artificial intelligence. Machines mimic human deeds to complete any task and robots become digital collaborators to the human race. It indeed sounds captivating, but at the same time, very dangerous. Not because AI will develop their own consciousness, start demanding freedom or scheme world domination like in the terminator movies, AIs today are not that advanced. They have the approximate computing power of an earthworm or even less! Yes, that’s right. The system doesn’t reflect the slightest human intelligence.

It sure can observe, identify, and make decisions though. The issue is, an AI does EXACTLY what we ask it to do. Hence, it is usually unable to function flexibly in different situations. Suppose you command a robot to move from your kitchen to the living room. The command you issued is now the goal, which is to get to the living room. It has no data on how to move or what to use to get there. It could crawl, use its arms to walk, or even build a tower and fall over to arrive at its destination! Technically, it is doing what it was ordered to do. Just not the right way. The same applies to other fields in which AI is used. This makes it easy to accidentally give it the wrong problem to solve. So, it is up to us to avoid complications and things going wrong. We have to set up the system to solve problems so that the AI performs what we requested.

Despite this, Artificial Intelligence is quite a vast field with fascinating applications. It is designed to imitate human intelligence in machines and robots. As the main driver of emerging technologies, AI is now used in healthcare, construction, factory work, and even police investigations. Its efficiency in several significant fields could benefit the global community to a great extent. We shall reduce human errors, welcome new inventions, ease workloads, create job opportunities, and reap all the other countless advantages of this technology. Only if we precisely understand its capabilities and the right way to communicate with it, of course.

Let me shoot a quick question for you to answer in the comments:
What kind of practical progress can we produce in OUR country with the power of advanced AI?

 

August 23, 2022

Women in STEM Spotlight: Ruth Asmamaw

As a kid, I’ve always found myself specifically drawn to studying natural science. For someone who loves solving problems, and being surrounded by stories of humanity, being a doctor seemed to be the only career path I could take. I never thought of studying software engineering because I have always imagined it as a man’s job and never thought I would fit in.  That was a couple of years ago but I am very positive that there are many girls out there who still have this stereotypical image of a software engineer.   It is not until I got introduced to Women in Tech, that I completely changed my perception. Although it’s clearly visible that there is a strong gender bias in the tech industry, I saw that there is space for people like me with values of solving problems and impacting humanity aligns.

 

In my first few weeks of school, things weren’t going my way. Being a girl with no prior programming knowledge surrounded by computer whizzes was tough. Frustration was taking me all in. But on the bright side, it was an eye-opening moment. Anxious to cope with my peers, I started devouring every piece of information that comes my way. I spent hours googling and asking the internet about programming and software tutorials. Since there isn’t a wrong way of learning things, I kept on exploring new methods that suit my learning style best. I was attending online courses and taking lessons via videos.  Thanks to the internet almost everything I needed was only a fingertip away.

Throughout my exploration, I have come across various subfields of software engineering. Digging into this diverse area has made me realize the ample opportunities it comes with and how one can choose a field to specialize in based on his/her interests, skills, and strengths.  I personally found myself leaning towards the web development area. The process of creating something tangible out of an abstract idea was so fascinating to learn. Web development gave me the ability to see the world from another perspective and has helped me solve problems that I face in my day-to-day life. Learning this new skill was constantly giving me the feeling of accomplishment, which in my case happened to be my number one motivator. Throughout the process, I also worked on bettering my communication and other soft skills.

 

I aspire to become a very significant figure in the tech industry. Living in a country that is still new to the technology era, I believe that there is a lot to be done. I also wish to give back to what the world has given to me. I am among the privileged ones, living in a city and having access to quality education, but I know that most of the girls out there have a handful of these opportunities. My dream is to help these bright girls free themselves from the meshed society had put them in and conquer their dreams.

Amrot Abiyu
August 16, 2022

Women in STEM Spotlight: Amrot Abiyu

I strongly believe in the power of hard work, for it is meant to enable us to achieve the unthinkable.
Let me introduce myself first. My name is Amrot Abiyu. Amrot is an Ethiopian high schooler living with her father and grandma in Addis, around Gulelle. She is a proud student of Nazareth School and the co-founder of Technoelpis- an association of young Ethiopian learners interested in the field of technology to share ideas/ experiences to help everyone discover and explore their ambitions through each other. We aim to influence people in a way that would change their lives for the better. She Carries a deep passion for sharing with others whatever type of knowledge and experience she comes across.
I have never in my entire life thought that there would be a single chance that I would get involved in the field of technology until last summer, when my amazing friend Nebus encouraged me to apply for a summer coding camp for high school students. I opposed at first. I didn’t like the idea and I thought the topic was not interesting at all because I didn’t have any understanding of the subject. That was until I got accepted and attended the program. In the process, I started falling in love with computer science. I found discovering the amusing complexions of programming delightful. Now that I think of it, it thought me that nothing but our way of thinking and perspectives stops us from exploring and enjoying our true selves. I wouldn’t have got the opportunity to discover my abilities and meet all those amazing people if I had decided not to apply just because I thought I wouldn’t make it.
Speaking of amazing people, I was lucky enough to make some great friends at the summer program, who are now my co-workers in the technology community we founded to make what we learned (programming/ computer science) accessible to every student. Technoelpis was founded by me and my four other colleagues in the January of 2022. We are now working on our virtual summer camp which consists of a coding course, self-development classes, and college application info sessions with student guests from top schools. From not knowing a single thing about computers to constructing a summer camp with over 50 students, it’s been quite a journey that wouldn’t have been true without the work and dedication of the team as well as our supporting members. I faced some challenges with some of the applicants for the program who were sometimes a bit ill-mannered and said unpleasant words or negative sentences on the comment sections of my Technoelpis social media posts. Despite these issues, I knew very well that what I am doing for myself as well as my community was much more than how a random individual tried to define it. I also had some difficulties managing my time at first, but now I can schedule everything and get my work done in a disciplined manner. I was able to understand that challenges were not there to stop me from accomplishing what I dream of or tear me down, but to shape me into the strong and hardworking young lady I aspire to become. Building this mindset helped me to focus on the numerous positive blessings I was granted and keep pushing forward.
I still have an extensive journey and countless experiences to live through. All that I am doing today wouldn’t have been true if it wasn’t for all the supportive and great people around me. I would very much like to thank every one of them.

August 9, 2022

Women in STEM Spotlight: Afrah Hussein

Who Am I?

 

I am Afrah Hussein, an Electrical and Computer Engineering student at AASTU. When I attended high school, I got the chance to participate in a summer training organized by STEMPower owing to my involvement in my school’s exhibition. In the summer training, I studied different electronic and programming courses. The lessons were exciting and helped develop my skills. But when it came to collaboration in group work, it was a bit challenging as I was not used to it. 

Lessons From My Experience

 

What girls need to know about project selection is this, you don’t have to be affected by negative feedback from anyone. From experience, my project consisted of two parts, the electrical and mechanical. I was getting lots of negative suggestions from students that I could not do the mechanical part alone. They said even if I did, it wouldn’t function. They concluded that I had to change my project to an easier one. But once I did my research, believed I could do it, and planned how negative feedback and suggestions didn’t affect me and the effort I was putting into implementing my project.  

 

Despite the negative feedback, I finished my project on time and got the first rank in the competition held after the training. Once you know and figure out a way to do something, you don’t have to give up on it. Especially if it is your dream. Other people might not see it the way you do. So, I say to prove them wrong. 

Aspiration

My motivation and dream are to take a substantial part in the technology revolution by adapting existing technologies and introducing new ones to the world. And to build (create) a better world to live in. 

Three things I advise girls who want to join STEM are:

  1.  First, be sure and clearly state what you want to do, and don’t let anyone change your mood for work.
  2. Take risks and engage with a specific field that inspires you the most.
  3. Use the opportunities in front of you properly because they will help you to accelerate achieving your dreams.

 

Projects I Worked on

 

  1. A stair-climbing balanced wheelchair with a distance notifier
      1. This project is a Self-stabilizing platform that automatically balances the wheelchair, fixing it with a defined axis. While climbing the stair, the center of mass of the wheelchair carrying the user changes. The accelerometer, with the help of the servo motors, fixes the wheelchair in a balanced state. It also includes the ultrasonic sensor and Sharp GP2Y0A21 Distance sensor to notify the distances and speed between the wheelchair and the nearby solid object following the wheelchair.
  2. ICU assistance software
      1. The main objective of this project is to develop a system that enables doctors to follow up with their patients distantly and to get notifications whenever there is an emergency case.

 

Conclusion

“If there’s a will, there’s a way!” There’s nothing we can’t do if we set our minds to it and dedicate ourselves.

 

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