JODHPUR : Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur has organized Youth Conclave 2022 in collaboration with the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE) from 15th to 18th September 2022. This was the fifth edition of the Youth Conclave, and the event’s theme was ‘Emerging Technologies for Sustainable Future’. More than 320 students participated from around 50 institutes across the country, apart from over 350 students from within IIT Jodhpur, taking the total registered active participants to ~ 700 students. The event was coordinated by a large team of students of IIT Jodhpur who were mentored by Dr Sankalp Pratap, Faculty (Innovation & Entrepreneurship) at the School of Management and Entrepreneurship, IIT Jodhpur.

The students who participated in this event got an excellent platform to interact with fellows of INAE and experts who have contributed to Engineering, Research and Development, Industry and Academia. The INAE-SERB Youth Conclave 2022 provided a platform for the country’s bright minds to express their technological creativity and ingenuity.

The specific focus areas of INAE-SERB Youth Conclave 2022 were Quantum Technologies, Smart infrastructure, Digital Healthcare, Materials for Sustainability, Experiential Interface, Sustainability of Drinking Water and Food: An Emerging Vista of Engineering.

Providing an overview of the INAE Youth Conclave 2022, Prof. Santanu Chaudhury, Director, IIT Jodhpur, said, “We celebrate Engineer’s Day in honour of Bharat Ratna, Sir M Visvesvaraya, the best engineer of our nation. As engineers, we are responsible for contributing to developing the country in every way possible. The INAE Youth Conclave 2022, being hosted by IIT Jodhpur, is being organized to encourage budding engineers and nurture them to grow into successful leaders, innovators and successful entrepreneurs. We are certain such initiatives will help take the country to the new age of prosperity and growth.”

During the conclave, IIT Jodhpur organized various competition and events including:

Ø  Hackathon: Participants developed proof-of-concept (POC) as part of the solution to address the problem statements posed by the organisers.

Ø  Ideathon: This was a brainstorming event where people with diverse knowledge backgrounds, skill sets and interests got together to address the predetermined problems for substantive, innovative and comprehensive solutions

Ø  Game Jam: This was an accelerated opportunistic game creation event where games were created in a relatively short time frame exploring the given design constraint(s) and end results.

Ø  Start-up Show Case: In this, the founders who started innovating when they were students themselves and have founded their venture have shared their perspectives on the exciting journey of becoming an entrepreneur

Ø  3-Minutes Thesis Presentation by Research Scholars: In this, the research scholars have been challenged to present and state the significance of their research/ thesis in just 180 seconds, in an engaging manner which can also cater to an audience with non-research background

Ø  Technical Sessions: This event consisted of Tech Talks by invited subject matter experts to cover a wide range of technical concepts and ideas. Participating students presented technical papers authored by them.

During the event, Prof Indranil Manna, President, INAE, said, “Engineering lies in the roots of progressing India. Bharat Ratna Sir M Visvesvaraya is an example of the same. Through his remarkable engineering, Sir Visvesvaraya make a perceptible change in the country and our society. INAE is the only national engineering academy in the county keen to empower budding engineers. This edition of INAE Youth Conclave 2022 is very different from the ones we have witnessed. The participation of students is overwhelming. I am thankful to IIT Jodhpur for their tireless contribution to making this edition a success for us. All the different programs being organized in this conclave are about new ideas. We as engineers aspire to translate ideas into reality and provide solutions.”

Further, Prof. Manna added, “INAE aspires to play a pivotal role in creating policies in the domain of engineering technology and finding a synergy along various sectors of engineering and beyond to make India Atma Nirbhar and a global engineering and technology power.”

While addressing the audience, Chief Guest – Prof. Devang Khakhar, Former Director, IIT Bombay, said, “In such progressive times where everything is related, we need to consider how we can translate science and new ideas into a useful technology for the betterment of society. We must consider the path from science to technology to develop engineering and technological solutions and how we can utilize technologically advanced computers in driving innovations.”

“As Science is going up at a fast forward pace, we need an unconventional approach to come up with new ideas such as fusion of science, art and technology to address the unpredicted challenges of the future”, added Prof. Khakhar in his concluding remarks.

During his address on Emerging technology and Technology Foresight, Dr R. Chidambaram, Chairman, Board of Governors, IIT Jodhpur, said, “Emerging technologies are those whose development, practical applications, or both are still largely unrealized. These technologies must be analysed using technology foresight to convince yourself that they are needed for your county. Research on emerging technologies, including Energy, Health and Water, Cyber Security, Agriculture, Climate Change, Electronics Systems, Defence, Artificial Intelligence, Micro Scale and Medium Industries, Rural Development among others are some of the most important fields budding engineers and innovators must focus upon to build a self-reliant, sustainable India.”

INAE-SERB Youth Conclave 2022, hosted by IIT Jodhpur, witnessed many activities for the first time in its history. From a maximum number of participations from students to various novel innovation-oriented competitions were the highlight of the event. One such exciting and innovative competition included Game Jam, a game creation event for students to develop innovative games on themes including:

• Indian culture and ethos
• Alternate physics
• Save the green planet
• Biosphere in Metaverse
• Theory of Mind

The event was organized by the Interaction Simulation Developers (InSiDe) at IIT Jodhpur and Technology Innovation Hub (i-hub Drishti). Awards for the best innovation, ideas, presentation, and working concepts were given to the winner participants, along with a Certificate of Participation to all the students who attended and participated in different events/ competitions.