JCU’s revolutionary new course: prepare for the ‘Internet of Things’

JCU is preparing for the next revolution in internet technology, announcing a new course to teach engineering students the fascinating possibilities of the ‘Internet of Things’.

The Dean of the College of Science, Technology and Engineering, Professor Paul Dirks said the convergence of rapidly expanding sensor technologies with the opportunities offered for data analytics through a faster internet and cloud computing facilities is creating a radical shift in the way we will apply technologies in our daily lives.

“It will create the conditions for a new industrial revolution over the next decade that will be centred on the ‘Internet of Things’. We will see a tremendous expansion in the level of connectedness of devices.”

“The number of internet connected devices will rise by orders of magnitudes as almost ‘everything’ becomes IP addressable and discoverable,” Prof Dirks said.

James Cook University is the first Australian university to establish a new programme in “Electronic Systems and the Internet of Things (IoT)”, as part of its Bachelor of Engineering.

The four-year degree will be offered at JCU’s Cairns campus from 2016. It will combine the study of electrical engineering, wireless communication, software engineering and industrial design.

There’ll be an emphasis on sensor devices, internet technologies, data mining and cloud computing, together referred to as the “Internet of Things”.

Prof Dirks said as the ‘Internet of Things’ develops, new forms of commerce and economies will emerge as old models are disrupted.

“New start-up industries will develop that require a new type of graduate with the technical, design and entrepreneurial skills set, needed to progress firms into this new future.”

JCU will work with industry partners, linking advancements in the Internet of Things to entrepreneurial opportunities.

New commercial opportunities focused on the potential of northern Australia and the tropical world will be a special focus.

By 2019 we hope to run a full programme for over 200 students in Cairns, supported by 8 engineering and science staff.