Chennai: The students of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) will be organizing the Space Tech Summit 2023 as a part of its technical festival 'Shaastra', in order to promote innovation as well as collaboration in the growing sector. This event will be held from January 26 to January 29.
IIT Madras students will be collaborating with space-tech companies such as Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), GalaxEye Space, and AgniKul Cosmos for the tech festival. The fest will bring industry experts together for a series of professional workshops, interactive lectures, panel discussions, and VC pitching sessions, among other activities.
Workshops will also be held on technologies such as machine learning, robotics, astronomy and Web 3.0 besides management and finance, among others. ‘Symbiosis 2023,’ a mini-fest under Shaastra 2023, will bring together experts and enthusiasts from AI, ML, and DS to explore the theme of the new era.
On Wednesday, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “There will be several open-house workshops on the top technologies that IIT Madras has invented which include 5G and Hyperloop.”
Speaking further on the outcomes expected through Shaastra, V Kamakoti said, “With regard to space technology, IIT Madras looks forward to motivating people on both rocket and satellite development. One of the outcomes expected is the understanding of what the applications of commercial space are. This can be a seed for startups to help decide what kind of satellites need to be built in the future.”
Shaastra will also host school students as part of the Institute Open House, providing an opportunity to explore IIT Madras campus and its world-class facilities. They will interact with researchers who will present their work. The fest will also witness the final round of the ‘Junior Make-a-Thon,’ where school students will exhibit the prototypes they built through the mentorship process, aimed at solving real-world problems.
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'Hack-cidents', a hackathon focused on developing technology solutions to improve road safety in India, by RNTBCI, will be conducted as a collaborative effort between IIT Madras Centre For Innovation (CFI) and Shaastra. Open to all students and start-ups, Hack-ci-dents offers the chance for participants to pitch their ideas and receive the support of up to Rs. 5 lakh for prototype development. The winning teams will be eligible for additional grants of up to Rs. 10 lakhs to bring their solutions to life.
Highlighting some of the unique events of Shaastra 2023, Baibhabi Patnaik, Co-Curricular Affairs Secretary, IIT Madras, said, “As part of an attempt to make a difference, Shaastra team has launched a social campaign called ‘Vastra’ this year, aimed at providing accessible clothing to all and promoting the concept of sustainable fashion. Through this initiative, Shaastra aims to bring about a change in the mindset of consumers, eventually making fashion a circular economy where fewer and fewer resources are utilized and wasted in the process.”
Along with spreading awareness of the negative impacts of fashion waste, students are educating consumers to upscale existing clothing and encouraging them to donate clothes to the underprivileged and small support groups that can turn them into handicrafts.
Further, S.U. Mrinalini, Core Team Member, (Shows & Exhibitions), Shaastra said, “Envisage, the techno-entertainment club of IITM, will be organising student-made light-and-sound-based projects and games as part of Shaastra’s shows and exhibitions. Shaastra will also host a show on 28th January 2023 by Sonu Sebastian, an EDM percussionist. The fest will also witness a humanoid robot exhibition, alongside exhibits by premier companies like Hitachi and PDRL.”
Spanning science, technology, art, entertainment and more, ‘Spotlight’ is the flagship lecture series of Shaastra which brings visionaries from across the world, creating a unique platform to learn and interact with pioneers who have transformed the world in remarkable ways. Shaastra's latest initiative, Debunk, India’s 1st ever-student-run outfit against misinformation, will organize the Misinformation Regulations Conference to discuss tech and policy solutions for misinformation.
