University Mohammed VI Polytechnic
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

Project 1: BIOTY
BIOTY is an online platform developed by 3 UM6P DATA Science students to offer digital marketing services to their targets, namely, the Rhamna region cooperatives and UM6P students. The priority of this project is to promote the cooperatives products through this website to reach more diverse customers on a wider scale and to position them in the competitive business market since most of them use the old-fashioned ways to advertise their products and they aren’t into technology.

On the Economic level, The online digital platform will be free of charge for the cooperatives; it will give them more exposure both on the national and international scale. It will include social media marketing strategy and involve the cooperatives as business partners.
On the Social level, Most of the cooperatives are established from low-income families. The cooperatives business strategy will enable them to move from an existing affiliate network-based business into an expanded online partner platform. Moreover, it gives the traditional craft and handmade products a better exposure in the business world.
URL: https://biotyma.myshopify.com


Project 2: JIBLY
Jibly is a mobile application that provides a homemade food delivery service to people living in Benguerir and the Mohamed VI Polytechnic University.
Since 2019, Jibly had started as a school project under the supervision of a faculty staff member and few students. This initiative had allowed them to have an overview and a clear idea of the social entrepreneurial world.
The project mission is to empower women of the region (Low income families, single mothers or widows) by providing them with a platform from which they could earn money. These women cook homemade dishes to the clients while staying home and taking care of their families and/or children. As for the clients, JIBLY aims to pull people from the overconsumption of junk-food and promote homemade healthy food.

This project has tremendous impacts. Firstly, it empowers students and introduces them to the concept of social entrepreneurship. Secondly, it offers healthy food to the community of Benguerir and UM6P. Thirdly, it provides housewives and girls a better social inclusion and an economic growth by enabling them to grow their own business brand and clients’ network.

URL: http://jibly.ma/en

AFRICA BIOFUELS has been initiated as a school assignment of the EMINES module “Acte d’entreprendre” during the academic year 2019/2020 where students have chosen to develop the idea of producing Biodiesel from used cooking oils of the UM6P restaurant as an experiment in order to reduce the air and water pollution caused by these used oils.
The project is divided into two phases, the 1st one consists of collecting data, and making it available for the community as well as setting up reverse logistics system in order to collect and process the oils. The 2nd one focuses more in extending the processing unit into a biodiesel production unit.

This project aims to recycle the used cooking oils of the university restaurant since the initial phase will be launched at Benguerir. In the long run, it aims into developing partnerships with vegetable oil producers, restaurants, primary schools, colleges and high schools in the region.
This project englobes four impact domains at once and it is highlighted as follows:
• AIR&CLIMATE: Biofuel emissions are kinder to our environment than petroleum diesel — making it one of the most practical and cost-effective ways to immediately address climate change.
• ENERGY: Biodiesel has a high energy balance. This means for each unit of energy needed to produce biodiesel, 5.5 units of energy are gained according to “Environmental Benefits of Biodiesel,” National Biodiesel Board.
• WASTE: Biodiesel is nontoxic and biodegradable. It can be made from consumer food waste and other agricultural and animal fats — making use of most of these resources instead of disposing of them.
• WATER: Biodiesel is nontoxic and biodegradable, so it poses no risk to our nation’s water supply. In fact, biodiesel production reduces wastewater by 79 percent and hazardous waste by 96 percent.
Overall, the aim of biodiesel production is to mainly reduce air pollution by suggesting the biodiesel as an alternative for staff transportation.

Project: SOLAR DECATHLON
Under the aegis of the Moroccan Ministry of Energy, Mines, Water, and the Environment (MEMEE), the Moroccan Research Institute in Solar Energy and New Energies (IRESEN), and Mohammed VI POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY (UM6P), The first African Solar Decathlon was held on September 2019 in the Mohamed VI Green City of Benguerir, Morocco. The location of the site that hosted the three-week event is juxtaposed to both Green Energy Park and Green & Smart Building Park.
Through this competition, IRESEN, UM6P and its partners are leading a continentwide effort to train and educate collegiate students to join the AFRICA’s rapidly growing solar & green buildings Market and inspire them to build highly efficient buildings powered by renewable energies and sustained by affordability, resilience, and smart technology.

This competition was organized in order to help students to conceptualize low energy-consuming buildings that reach the bid of net zero energy buildings by offering trainings and disseminating the concept of solar and sustainable housing.
In fact, the competition directly:
o Raised the awareness of the participants about the benefits and opportunities of renewable energies and sustainable construction. For instance, it challenged to develop innovative solutions that contribute to energy savings.
o Educated the general public regarding responsible energy use, renewable energy, energy efficiency and available technologies to help reduce energy consumption.
o Promoted the use of solar technologies such as the buildings-integrated solar power system.
o Demonstrated that high performance solar homes can be comfortable, attractive and affordable.
They were asked to integrate regional sustainable raw materials while working on the construction of the solar-powered houses that are highly energy-efficient, affordable, and comfortable to live in.
UM6P students got the 4th place in the competition, they have full access to their project in the Decathlon location. Accordingly, they collect, track and analyze DATA in order to advance their project through data research.
They use the NeoPetra house at the UM6P Campus as a model to enhance it since they want to implement this sustainable energy-based management as a model.
NeoPetra won 5 awards:
- Distinguished award
- 2nd place in Engineering & Construction
- 2nd place in Communication & Social awareness
- 3rd place in Innovation
- 3rd place in Architecture
URL:
Competition Solar Decathlon: https://www.solardecathlonafrica.com/
UM6P Project: NeoPetra: https://www.facebook.com/NeoPetraProject

The Internship Project: MODELING OF AN ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR THE GREEN ENERGY PARK PLATFORM.
This internship consists of developing forecasting models using machine learning approaches based on the estimated values of Photovoltaic (PV) production and consumption and the battery charge state. That is to say, the operating modes of this strategy are based on the difference between the charge demand and the PV power produced.
The modeling of the various components of this energy management system has been established, namely, the PV inverter, the electrical network, the battery, the inverter, the battery charger, the load, and the smart block which has been proposed for the energy management system.
As a result, the initiation of an energy management algorithm and the programming of the forecasting system were developed. In addition to that, based on the developed system simulation results, a graphical interface has been proposed to display the daily forecast results of energy production and consumption in the Green Energy Park.
The impact of this internship is to enable the Green Energy Park to implement a responsible energy management system/algorithm and to establish a smart digital solution to display the daily forecast results of energy production and consumption.
The collected data will be used to track and provide the energy consumption and production statistics in order to make it available, enhance the model and advance sustainable energy research at the Green Energy Park and UM6P research projects.
Furthermore, it allows employees to raise an effective awareness about the energy production and consumption, it will always encourage staff, interns and students to be able to hold challenges to consume less energy.
URL: http://greenenergypark.ma/#Recherche_Anchor

Project: E-OLIVE – E-solidarity
Since 2016, E-olive is a student project organized each year to produce an extra virgin olive oil of the harvested olives by hand from the Campus Olive grove. The revenue of this project is dedicated to E-Solidarity social activities in order to support one or several community service causes/events.
This project has gathered both students and staff to directly participate in promoting the local products and transform it to an innovative fundraising project.
This projet impact is illustrated in the better management of the campus olive grove and maintaining it for a better social cause.
Economicly, It enabled students to learn how to lead actions based on circular economy.
Socially, The fundraised money from the E-olive product goes directly to social actions organized by E-solidarity club for disadvantaged families. For instance, several campaigns had been organized in orphanage and school orientation session for the low-income students. In addition, Olives are harvested by local farmers from Benguerir.
Environmentally, an Olive tree has a dense and persistent foliage, which gives it a great capacity to absorb and store the carbon dioxide emissions with nearly 5kg Carbone/Year during the tree growth. Thus, this project is based on a sustainable dimension which is offsetting the carbon footprint of the campus.

URL: https://www.facebook.com/EMINES-Solidarity-853604661452404/

The UM6P Experimental Farm is open to all students and staff to learn all about trees, plants, grounds, and irrigation systems. It is an agricultural facility, working farm, and research center of the Mohamed VI Polytechnic University. It is situated near the university campus; it has its own university shuttle system.

The farm serves as an infrastructure for professors, researchers, students or anyone for conducting research projects specialized in food and agriculture, it also exhibits the progress of the ecosystem, the flora, the livestock and the agricultural technology.
It is equipped with laboratories and experimental grounds to conduct scientific experiments especially for the School of Agriculture, Fertilization and Environment Sciences.
All students have access to the farm for any kind of experiment, project and/or research. As a matter of fact, many of the “Campus as a living laboratory” projects use the Experimental farm as their field to test the performance and the different aspects of their solution.


***URL: https://maps.app.goo.gl/egtF4BW35E9erfkG9

Project: YOUNG&BROKE

This project is an online shop that provides services by paying or bartering the goods/objects/services. The user exhibits his/her [skills/objects] for sale based on a system – “a service/object offered, a service/object won" with the aim of promoting eco-responsible and solidary purchasing.
This service will be exclusively open to the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University students in the first phase to study its performance and collect data for the public launch.

This project has tremendous impacts that meet the three components of sustainability :

Economically, It will disseminate the concept of circular economy among students as it is a startup based on social inclusion and solidarity.
Socially, It provides a better inclusion for low income students and empowers all of them through developing their skills with concrete actions and services among their peers. They will be building up a set of skills while providing these services.
Environmentally, Recycling the goods and objects through bartering, selling or offering services will enhance the waste management inside the campus.

UBIKE is a mobile app established by EMINES students in order to implement an eco-responsible and a sustainable transportation mode within the campus. This app provides everyone with the service of renting a bike or an electric scooter for free to move around the campus. For instance, the students can use it to go to their classes in different buildings as well as the staff for their meetings and they can find all the instructions about safety and booking in the app.
Accordingly, a bicycle path and traffic signs have been built by the university to encourage them and to officially establish the eco-mobility service.

This project allows students and staff to use a sustainable transportation and it's a direct awareness campaign to implement the concept of eco-mobility. In this context, A bicycle path has been built by the university to encourage them to use this transportation mode in the campus.

***URL: U-bike.um6p.ma

Project : Green Campus

In the academic year 2019/2020, the Green Campus, a graduation school project, has been developed by one of MAHIR Students to make the UM6P campus 100% green.
The student collected data about the amount of waste at the university’s food court by interviewing staff and sending forms to students in order to make the data accessible to the whole UM6P Community. Based on this waste management study, she gathered a group of students and launched several environmental awareness campaigns at the university restaurant.
For instance, the most innovative one was organized at an artistic sustainable event by MAHIR school, they collected data and messages from students and staff and showcased it on a dead tree to bring awareness about human impact on environment and its important key role in waste management.

***URL: https://www.facebook.com/mgreen.campus/

Project: AGRIDEMAFRICA or ATMOS

ATMOS is an agriculture solution provided for farmers, it is an innovative idea suggested by two EMINES students. This project started as a school assignment in the module “Acte d’entreprendre” which was supervised by EMINES Director and the UM6P Experimental Farm’s agronomists.
This project focuses primarily on irrigation system by providing a solution for sustainable use of water. It provides a bilingual dashboard to showcase the real-time water need and climate data for farm holders. Moreover, it aims to help the farmers face agricultural threats and diseases by setting up alarms and warnings.
Using the provided data by the UM6P Weather forecast station, the solution had been implemented at the UM6P experimental farm to conduct a pilot test project.

The project aims to reduce 57% of irrigation water based on the AI models, and saving approximatively 2.6 MMAD/Km² of water cost per year.
Also, By collecting data, it will be useful for future predictions and it will allow open access to agricultural recommendations.
The results will be used to implement and develop a better irrigation system at the Experimental Farm of the University.

BLUEDOVE is a consulting startup, originally developed as a school assignment at EMINES in a module called “Acte d’entreprendre”, where two students developed a smart watch called the Blue Dove Health System Bracelet, it provides the user information about their fever and their heartbeat rhythm. This solution was developed to replace the daily fever check up at the entrance of the campus for all the staff and some students during the pandemic, especially during the post quarantine period.
The proposed solution is to provide each member of the UM6P and OCP Community their own bracelet to track the health status – at this state, only fever and heartbeat data, for the sole objective to predict the suspected cases/carriers of the COVID19.
The data is collected by the AI Algorithm that they developed, and it offers the real time data and an alert ping if it surpass the standards.

The advanced AI-based mass acquisition system and IoT provides an easy, accessible and real-time access to all necessary data to facilitate quantitative monitoring of the health status of the whole UM6P and OCP family at the full resumption of work. It will equip the university with the right tools to detect the suspected carriers of the virus to avoid its spread.
Beyond the pandemic, students are studying the correlation of the employees’ performance/ergonomic situation of the workstations by the provided data that will be collected once that everyone will have their own bracelet. It will be done anonymously to respect the personal information of all the employees, the study will provide a general report about it and share it with the community.