November 18, 2010
School of Engineering, Bengaluru
 

Every year MIT’s Technology Review (TR 35), recognizes outstanding innovators under the age of 35. This year, in the first Indian edition of TR35, 20 young Indian innovators were honored. Some of their innovations included a solution for recovering oil for re-use and a wastewater management solution that produces electricity.
 

In October, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham conducted a similar event to honor and inspire India’s next generation of upcoming innovators.
 

Aarohan 2010, the second annual Inter-School Science Fest, was hosted by the Amrita School of Engineering during October 27-29 at the Bengaluru campus. More than 360 students from 13 high schools in the city participated in the event.
 

Dr. Sudarshan Maini, founder of the Maini Group, presided over the opening ceremony. During the key note address he shared his philosophy on how to achieve happiness and success. “Be dedicated only to the areas of life in which you are truly interested,” he stated.
 

Almost as if applying Dr. Sudarshan’s suggestion, students kicked off the event with enthusiasm and dedication.
 

Aashubhasan, the symposium, gave students a first-hand experience of what it might be like to become an engineer. Each three member team of high school students was given a random topic, such as say, Mobile Technology, and had 90 minutes to make a presentation.
 

In the Senior Division, the team from APS bagged the first place with their presentation on Hacking. Both 2nd and 3rd places went to teams from NPS-Kormanagala.
 

In the Junior Division, NPS-Kormanagala dominated again, with two teams taking first and second places, for their presentations on Black Holes. Lake Monfort School placed third with a presentation on Mobile Technology.
 

The Math Olympiad, Ganithagyna, attracted 90 junior and senior participants, some “jittery” and others confident at the prospect of sitting for the hour and a half long exam. After the test some students commented, “It was harder than we expected and we didn’t perform as well as we would have liked.” Others stated that they were satisfied with their performance.
 

The Science Olympiad, Vaigyanik, drew a similar response. Many participants agreed that the physics portion of the exam was baffling.
 

The concluding event, Gyata, the treasure hunt, led students across campus, daring them to solve mathematical and scientific riddles, along the way.
 

Initiated to awaken an appreciation for science and technology among the youth of the nation, through its competitive events, Aarohan challenged students to demonstrate their knowledge and aptitude for math, science and technology.
 

Through events like these, India’s future innovators are encouraged to take their skills and talents to the next level. Who knows, maybe in a few years some of their names will be on MIT’s TR35 list too!