STFoundation launches a new coding program with the Calamba Integrated National High School
A new wave of young innovators took center stage during the recently concluded Coding Program featuring the STM32 Starter Kit* at Calamba City Science Integrated School. The event, held last February 19 as part of the Project Development & Presentation Symposium of Calamba Science, highlighted the creativity and technical skills of the students. A total of 156 students successfully completed the course with the help of two trainers.
The Coding Program is a 20-hour course, part of the Digital Unify Program, designed to introduce students to the basics of coding using STM32 Starter Kits. The course covers several key topics, including:
- Introduction to the STM32L476RG Nucleo development board
- Overview of communication interfaces
- Using the Vittascience programming interface
- Installing the firmware
- Working with sensors and actuators
- Hands-on exercises with the Vittascience kit
The students proudly presented their hands-on projects, which showcased a blend of creativity, engineering fundamentals, and embedded systems programming.
Each presentation allowed them to explain their code logic, hardware setup, the challenges they faced, and the lessons they learned. Their enthusiasm and pride were evident as they demonstrated how the STM32 platform empowered them to innovate. Here are some of the projects created by the students:
- A Merry TechMas: a technology-driven Christmas village
- BANCO DE SANGGUMAY: a miniature smart bank integrating modern sensor technology for enhanced security and efficiency
- SEGBIN: a sensor-based solution for wet and dry waste sorting
- DALISDIS: a device for automated land irrigation with moisture and ambient light sensors
- SENSECITY: a responsive urban smart city model for safety and sustainability
- SCENTINEL: A smart system that detects fire and flammable gas and sends alerts
- A smart greenhouse that monitors humidity and temperature
- DryTic: An automatic rotating drying rack that adapts to rainy and sunny weather using sensors
*A programmable mini-brain that connects to sensors and motors to let you build and control your own electronic gadgets
As a student at Calamba City Science Integrated School, I was curious about how smart devices work. I learned about microcontrollers and got to use them firsthand. Even though I had little to no experience in coding, using the Nucleo board was easy and beginner-friendly. It made learning exciting instead of difficult.
The Vittascience platform also helped a lot because the simulator allowed me to test my ideas before using the actual hardware. This saved time and helped me understand the lessons better.
Ephraine Clarisse R. Lucas
Grade 10 Student
During our smart greenhouse project, teamwork was essential. We faced some challenges, such as not having enough power to run all the components at once, so we had to test everything one by one, including the servos and the light sensor. Working as a group helped a lot because we could divide the tasks and share ideas. We learned that perseverance and teamwork can turn challenges into solutions.
The Nucleo board was a great choice because it could connect all the sensors and was easy to program. In future projects, I will pay more attention to each component, work better in a team, and keep trying even when things get difficult.
John Andrae G. Unico
Grade 10 Student