Prof. Eng. Nicodemus Abungu Odero

A Short Description About Myself And Work

I am an Electrical Power Systems Engineer by Training and Profession, with many years experience of designing Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution Systems.  My largest projects being design of  Master Plans of an Industrial and Commercial Business Park in Eldoret on a 1km by 1km piece of land, and that of Koitalel Arap Samoeie University on a 1km by 800m piece of land.  The works required detailed designs for Telecommuncation  and Electrical Power Networks.  I lately commissioned a 15.5kW Off-Grid Hybrid Power Plant (9.5kW Solar, 6kW Wind) at Ndeda Island in Lake Victoria.

My BSc and MSc degrees were awared by The University of Nairobi in the years 1990 and 1994 respectively, while PhD by JKUAT in 2007.  I also work as a University Tutor, my first work station having been Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology(JKUAT) where I worked from 1994 to 2009 as an Assistant Lecturer and then as a Lecturer. I then moved to The University of Nairobi where I served as a Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, and finally as an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering during years ranging from 2009 t0 2018.  Currently am at Machakos University as a Professor.

I previously attended a Pedagogy Class at JKUAT and a Workshop on PhD Research Supervision at The University of Nairobi. Also attended a Vocational Instructor’s Training Program in Hashimoto University Polytechnic in Japan in the year 2000 which included attachments at Hitachi(Totsuka, Japan), OMRON(Osaki, Japan), FUJI ELECTRIC COMPANY(Toyoda, Japan) and OMRON(Kyoto, Japan)

Attending the Workshops on Applied Teaching , Learning, Research and Knowledge and Technology Transfer in Germany are a much welcome addition that will go a long way in making me a more effective tutor, researcher and innovator.

My Motivation

I desire to be the kind of University Tutor who effectively imparts practical skills to his students skills. I also wish to do applied research that aims at solving real industry problems, translating research results into real world applications and innovation.

My target is the development of spin-off companies from my research innovations.  This would help channel back money into university research, benefit local economic development and create many new jobs in the country. Jobs where students can get the required internship to put to practice what they have learnt in class.

Lessons Learnt

  1. Student internship is an integral part of the study program
  2. Individual Professor creates his industry linkage, not the university.
  3. Professor has industry work experience background.
  4. Institutes cut across faculties, meaning they are ad-hoc and composition depends on focus of the research project. Research administration supports :
    1. Application for projects funds, both from government and industry.
    2. Costing of projects (activities, materials, etc)
    3. Final accounting with final report.
  5. A Didactics Centre (pedagogy) key to the concept
  6. Each university has a niche, determined by ministry of education
  7. New programs do not cannibalize existing ones
  8. Key to successful nurturing of students (even though not all students mature to be of the envisioned type) :
    1. Role model provided by Professors (enthusiasm, breadth and depth of knowledge).
    2. Curiosity developed in students.
    3. Encouraging Team work in projects.
    4. Imparting of soft skills (academic knowledge, communication skills, presentation skills, teamwork skills).
    5. Interactive work between students and professors (both institutional and industry based ones).
    6. Rote learning is not encouraged.
  9. Key success factors:
    1. attactive curriculum content based on competencies and related requirements of the stakeholders,
    2. attractive design and structure of the programs, feasible time-tables (different modes such as weekends, Evening, regular etc, to accommodate various work schedules of potential students)
    3. reasonable fees
  10. In designing new courses, the following are considered:
    1. Economies of scale ( a professor should have at least 30 to 40 students).
    2. It’s dangerous to offer narrow, tailor-made (specialized) courses; broadness is preferred to specialization.
    3. its attractive to applicants
    4. No cannibalization of existing courses; instead they are enriched by infusing new modules which then serve to determine the qualifications of the new professors to be hired.
  11. Libraries employ Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Technology, open many hours, open to public for specific hours.
  12. Knowledge and Technology Transfer (KTT) occurs :
    1. on differing levels,
    2.  in differing forms and channels, and
    3. in differing intensity, effectiveness and efficiency
    4. not a coincidental event, but an explicit and planned process
    5. occurs by several transfer channels
    6. KTT occurs over a transfer medium (e.g. journals, employment market)
    7. Transfer channels are publications, “Via People”, scientific networks, start-up support
    8. The most prominent indirect transfer channel is “Via people”
  13. Indirect forms of KTT:
    1. KTT occurs over a transfer medium (e.g. journals, employment market)
    2. Transfer channels are publications, “Via People”, scientific networks, start-up support
    3. The most prominent indirect transfer channel is “Via people”
    4. KTT occurs directly, not using any transfer media
    5. Transfer channels are spin-offs and start-up companies, licensing of intellectual properties, as well as cooperation in research and development between industry and academia
    6. the most prominent direct transfer channel is cooperation in research and development between industry and academia
  14. Direct forms of KTT:
    1. KTT occurs directly, not using any transfer media
    2. Transfer channels are spin-offs and start-up companies, licensing of intellectual properties, as well as cooperation in research and development between industry and academia
    3. the most prominent direct transfer channel is cooperation in research and development between industry and academia.
  15. Cooperation in R&D with the industry is the most focused transfer channel
  16. Knowledge and Technology Transfer “via People” encompasses a variety of forms: students working in companies, alumni, cooperative PhD procedures, etc
  17. Other transfer channels supported are spin-offs and start-ups, patenting and licensing of intellectual property, topic-specific networking of professors, and topic-specific forums, seminars, and dissertations

 IMPLEMENTATION OF THE IDEA

  • Review curriculum
  • Establish university/industry linkages
  • Source laboratory equipment
  • Source library books
  • Work on attracting research funds.

CHALLENGES

  • Nascent university/industry linkages, a young university.
  • Low staffing levels; not of adequate qualifications where available. So difficulty of developing curricula.
  • Little or no industrial experience amongst existing staff
  • Insufficient industrial attachment opportunities for students

SOLUTION TO CHALLENGES

  • Aggressively pursue expansion of university/industry linkages.
  • Seek to attract staff, relax entry requirements but work hard on training them to upgrade their skills.
  • Meanwhile use qualified staff from other universities to help with curriculum development.
  • Organize industrial internships for academic staff in collaboration with other universities.
  • Train staff towards Registration as Engineers