The third APIE Camp took place from February 26 to March 1 at the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) on Penang Island, Malaysia, marking USM as the third SOI Asia partner institution to host this event. The inaugural camp was hosted by Keio University in Japan, followed by the Institut Teknologi Bandung in Indonesia.

Over the course of five days, 16 students from Indonesia, Japan and Malaysia engaged in the program. They were guided by mentors from APNIC, AWS, University Sains Malaysia (USM), and Keio University, who led several sessions and provided mentorship throughout the event. The organizing team at USM, led by Dr. Yung-wey Chong, included students, faculty members, and technical staff, all of whom played crucial roles in preparing and facilitating activities to ensure a warm welcome for all participants.

At the APIE Camp, participants were tasked with constructing routers to connect to the Internet using actual global IP addresses (IPv4 and IPv6) within the AI3 network, as well as DNS servers capable of resolving names globally. To extend this environment to any partner universities in Asia, an overlay network utilizing VPN technology was established specifically for the camp. This network was ingeniously designed and constructed by Keio University student Yoshito Kurazumi—affectionately known as “hayabusa”—who had previously contributed as a teaching assistant at the first camp in Japan.

Dr. Yung-wey Chong, the lead of the APIE Camp in USM, introduces the camp.
SOI Asia Prof Keiko Okawa greets participants in the ITB Campus.
APIE alumnun and Teaching Assistant Iqrar and Dr. Chong introduces the “treasure hunt” icebreaker.
Students trying to solve the mystery during the icebreaker.
The first team to finish solving the problem. Congrats!

This camp was inaugurated with warm welcomes from Dr. Yung-wey Chong (USM) and Prof. Keiko Okawa (Keio), the SOI Asia director, who introduced the camp’s schedule and syllabus to the participants. An engaging icebreaker activity, designed and conducted by a team of teaching assistants from USM and led by APIE alumnus Mohammed Iqra Amin, enabled students to sharpen their puzzle-solving, problem-solving, and collaborative skills. These competencies are deemed essential for achieving the learning outcomes set forth for the camp.

The 5-day curriculum was essentially the same as the previous camps and covered the following topics:

  • DAY 1: Network design and configuration
  • DAY 2: Server installation and virtualization
  • DAY 3: DNS setup
  • DAY 4: IoT and Cloud Computing (AWS)
  • DAY 5: Site visit to Exabytes

Check the photo galleries for other highlights of the camp.

Day 1: Network design and configuration

Icebreaker: solving hacking puzzles.
Aiming for the “blinking green light.”
UTP cables used are all handmade.
Participant analyses the best way to design her team’s network.

Day 2: Server installation and virtualization

Dr. Noriatsu Kudo (Keio) opened Day 1 sharing a glance of the curriculum.
Yoshito Kurazumi, aka hayabusa, explaining today’s tasks.
Dr. Mohd Najwadi Yusoff (USM) talk about cybersecurity.

Day 3: DNS setup

Awal Haolader (APNIC) delivered an engaging session about DNS setup, IPv4 and IPv6.
Students putting into practice what they learned in the morning.
“The pen is mightier than the sword”

Day 4: IoT and cloud computing

Getting some advice to troubleshoot from mentor.
Dr. Mohd Nadhir Ab Wahab (USM) giving introduction to IoT.
Configuring the IoT device with the help of Teaching Assistant.
Aris Kumara Prabhawa (AWS Indonesia) delivered the basics of cloud technologies and lab activities.

Day 5: Interim presentations and site visit to Exabytes Penang HQ

Interim presentations on Day 5.
APIE Camp participant delivering their interim presentation.
Teaching assistants who played essential roles to make the camp run smoothly.
Site visit to Exabytes Penang Headquarter.

Closing Ceremony

Certificates of completion: well done!
Everyone showing off their accomplishments.
Wonderful job everyone!

APIE Camp celebrates Diversity and cool gifts

This camp welcome MORE female participants (left to right) Aura Lativa (Universitas Syiah Kuala, USK), Monet Tokuyama (Keio), Nor Aisyah binti Amran(USM). Hopefully, more will come next time.
APIE Camp gift for participants: a mug that changes color with according to the temperature!

Final presentations

On March 27, participants concluded their journey by delivering online final presentations during the SOI Asia and AI3 Monthly Seminar. This session marked the culmination of the camp’s activities, with participants sharing their network design projects and insights gained throughout their journey. The event was an opportunity for participants to showcase their hard work and the knowledge acquired during the camp, highlighting the practical applications of their learning in network design. Well done, everyone!

What is next?

The next APIE Camp is currently being planned at Hasanuddin University (UNHAS) in Indonesia and is tentatively scheduled for August/September 2024. All APIE Online and APIE e-Workshop certificate holders will be eligible to apply. More details will be announced within the SOI Asia – AI3 communities and on this website. Stay tuned!