UITS RECEIVES UENR STUDENTS
Field trips provide authentic, hands-on, experiential learning opportunities where students can connect what they are learning in the classroom in a real-world context - Stephanie Smith Budhai.
On the recognition of University Information Technology Services (UITS) - Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, (KNUST) as a whole having one of the biggest and functional Data Centers in the country, the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) extended a heartwarming request to be educated and taken on a tour to understand the infrastructure and operations of this facility. In reference to this, the students of Information Technology and Decision Sciences, UENR arrived on 9th November, 2023 and made their way to the UITS premises located in the Casely-Hayford building. The main aim of this visitation as stated earlier was to enable the students to have a firsthand experience of UITS operations and a tour of the Security Operations Centre (SOC) and Data Centre.
The students were welcomed with an ice breaker and interactive sessions. The UITS staff joined in to exchange pleasantries with the visitors. In attendance were; Mr. Isaac Dwirah Jnr (Registrar, UITS), Mr. Phanuel Seli Asense (Deputy Director, Information Security and Technology Assurance Division - ISTAD), Mr. Abubakari Yahaya (Section Head, Network Operation and Infrastructure Division - NOID), Mr. Emmanuel Appiah Boateng (NOID) ,Mr. Vincent Nii Addo (ISTAD), Mr. Godwyll Agyare (Software Development Division - SDD) and Mr. Collins Dodd (SDD). Mr. Yahaya officially welcomed the students and assured them of an educative and interactive session.
Mr. Seli continued with the operations and organizational structure of the UITS. The purpose of this session was to make the students appreciate the work flow and communication levels in the corporate workspace. The students were allowed to ask questions. Mr. Seli further gave an overview of how students can transition into the working space after school.
Representatives from the various Divisions of the Directorate took turns to take the students through an educational session. These were to prepare the minds of the students for the tour, to make them appreciate and link what they are taught in class to what they will see during the tour.
Mr. Appiah Boateng (NOID) took the students through the basics of Computer Networking. He explicitly highlighted the history of the internet and some basic standards and protocols used in setting up computer networks. Mr. Vincent N. Addo (ISTAD) followed with an introductory session on Cyber Security which included the various sections of cybersecurity, certifications and careers that are available in cyberspace. Mr. Godwyll Agyare (SDD) continued with best practices and workflows of Software Development. He further advised the students to take their programming tasks and assignments seriously in order for them to excel.
The students were then divided into groups to commence the tour. They were taken to the Data Centre where they saw the different types of servers, routers, switches, cables, among others. They were then taken to the Security Operations Center (SOC) of the University. They were taken through how threats are triaged and managed. The next stop of the tour took the students to the well-furnished support center where both students and staff of KNUST visit for assistance. They enjoyed the comfort and warmth of the place. The software division interacted with the students and demonstrated the whole process of software development.
As the program was about to end, a closing ceremony was held. The Registrar, Mr. Isaac Dwirah Jnr congratulated the students on a successful educational trip and thanked the staff
who took time off their busy schedule to engage the students. He admonished the young men and women to be disciplined and adhere to the advice of their lecturers as these will make them successful and be able to make impact in society. He assured them of the Directorate’s support and assistance whenever the need be.
In a nutshell, both students of UENR and staff of UITS-KNUST enjoyed the company of each other. There was a networking session after the day’s official activity. The staff had ample time to engage the students in a one-on-one session.