7 October – December 2022 | VOICES Bi-Monthly Magazine of the University of Technology, Jamaica UTech, Jamaica Hosts Microsoft Day, in Collaboration with Microsoft Inc. Dr. Peter Walker, Corporate Vice President, Commercial Software Engineering, Microsoft who was keynote speaker at Microsoft Day, fields a question from an audience member following his keynote address. University of Technology, Jamaica, through its Faculty of Engineering and Computing, in collaboration with Microsoft Inc., hosted Microsoft Day on October 14, 2022, at the Papine Campus. Microsoft Day provided an opportunity to showcase technical careers in Computing and Engineering, as well as the latest information and computing technologies. The day’s events comprised a keynote address, a panel discussion, a Microsoft Industry Experience virtual tour, a presentation on Microsoft Azure, as well as several presentations from experts at Microsoft. Professor Sean Thorpe, Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Computing (FENC), who moderated the event, noted that Microsoft Day “represents an exciting day of activities” for University students and staff, as well as students at the secondary level, to learn how to build their careers in ICT and computer engineering. He thanked Microsoft Inc., which he noted has enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship with UTech, Jamaica, expressing “Microsoft has helped the University, and in particular, the Faculty of Engineering and Computing to support the quality of the outcomes of our curriculum.” Sharing aspects of his personal academic and employment journey, keynote speaker, Dr. Peter Walker, Corporate Vice President, Commercial Software Engineering, Microsoft, and an alumnus of the College of Arts, Science and Technology (CAST) made a presentation titled “Disruption Now: Why It Is the Best Time to be an Engineer”. Observing that the world is quickly becoming software-centric, he noted that all branches of engineering, as well as other fields of study, are being impacted by the need for software and digitization. Dr. Walker counselled pre-college students who were interested in entering the field to: seek help with Mathematics; join or form a Computer Science Club; lobby for a robust internet connection at their school; invest in their own PC and seek out opportunities to learn programming outside of the classroom. He also advised college students to complement engineering with an entrepreneurial course; partner with colleagues to develop projects that showed business potential; invest in learning cloud computing and the tool chains that accompanied it, and to build and deploy solutions to real-world problems using technology. Ms. Yamile Bustamante, General Manager, Microsoft Caribbean, outlined in her presentation, the dual partnership between Microsoft and the University, noting that UTech, Jamaica is both a client and customer of Microsoft. She explained that the company is “working, supporting and enabling UTech, Jamaica to become the transformational leader in Jamaica,” adding that Microsoft is keen to build on the legacy of excellence at the institution. Other presentations were made by Mr. Androski Spicer, Strategic Science Technology Lead, Microsoft, and Ms. Oneika Cassanova, Senior Manager, Global Treasury and Financial Services, Microsoft. The event also included a career panel discussion with panellists Professor Thorpe, Dr. Walker, Ms. Bustamante, Mr. Spicer, Ms. Cassanova, Ms. Stacy Hines, Former President, Jamaica Computer Society, Mr. Christopher Reckord, CEO, tTech Limited, and Mr. Sheldon Powe, CEO, Innovate 10X.
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