Spartan Profiles: Gugulethu Mabuza

GETTING AROUND MSU

            At 5,200 acres, MSU may be the largest contiguous campus in America.  Navigating through its 660 buildings and miles of roads and paths may not be easy, but it’s easier thanks to an interactive map created by Gugulethu Mabuza, ’07, a graduate student from Zimbabwe. 

            While getting his degree in electrical engineering at MSU, Mabuza had an opportunity to work for Academic and Networks Computing Services.  “My job was to go around campus to all the buildings and do surveys for the installation of wireless networks,” he says.  “At about this time, Google came out with their maps.”  So Gugulethu, or “Gugu,” began embedding Google maps of MSU in his web site, www.spartylive.com.  

            “It was a mammoth task to add all the information and building locations, but thereafter it made my task of getting around campus a lot easier,” he notes. 

            A visitor to his site can click on any of MSU’s buildings and find out information, including its precise location.  One can also figure out how to go from one campus location to another. 

            A native of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, Gugu came to the U.S. and attended Central Michigan, transferring to MSU in 2004.  “At that time, I was completely overwhelmed by the size of the campus,” he notes.  He later got a research job with engineering dean Satish Udpa. 

            “It was a turning point in my self confidence,” he says.  “I learned a lot on my own, and I came to believe that anything was possible if I was willing to put in the work.” 

            One upshot of Gugu’s web site was landing an internship with an East Lansing software company.  “I applied the technology to one of the firm’s client, a real estate company,” he says.  “There are other clients that are interested.” 

            Gugu’s next move is to get a graduate degree in business administration at MSU so he can take advantage of his entrepreneurial instincts.