Techfest
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Techfest is the Annual Science and Technology Festival of Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT – B), Mumbai(India). Techfest is held every January over a period of three days on the IIT Bombay campus. Techfest started off on a small scale in 1998 with the aim of providing a platform for students to showcase their technical skills and in the short period of 9 years has grown to become Asia’s largest festival of its kind. The last few editions of Techfest have seen more than 15,000 participants from more than 750 colleges across India along with teams from countries like USA, Singapore, Nepal, Iran, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Apart from student involvement, Techfest also sees more than 1500 faculty and corporate participants.
Contents |
[edit] Organization
Techfest is an entirely student-organized fest. The Techfest Team is 3 tiered in nature. Heading the team is the Overall Coordinator along with a team of managers. The managers can be broadly categorized into two sections – administration and events. The events managers deal with the events that will happen in the fest like competitions, lectures and workshops. The administrative managers deal with issues like accounts, infrastructure, marketing, publicity and media. Each manager then has his own team of coordinators and organizers. The coordinators and organizers help the manager in looking into the nitty-gritty of the department and ensuring that ideas of the team are executed smoothly
[edit] History and Growth
The very first edition of Techfest held in 1998 saw about 3000 students from across India take part. The underlying spirit of the competitions was ‘Technology is fun’ a motto that has been followed by every Techfest since. Techfest ’98 also set the broad outlines of Techfest in the form of competitions, lectures, workshops and exhibitions which went on to become a standard feature at every Techfest. Over the next three years Techfest saw rapid growth and soon made a mark for itself as the premier technical fest in India. Newer and more interesting competitions and a wider spectrum of topics being covered in every aspect were the chief reasons for growth. Entrepreneurship also made an appearance in the 1999 and 2000 editions. Technoholix – Techfest at Dark which showcases technological entertainment at the end of each day as well as HUB – the centre of on the spot activities, made their debut during these years.
Techfest 2002 saw the incorporation of IIT Bombay’s department based events like Yantriki, Chemsplash and Last Straw. These events which were quite popular in their own right now enjoyed massive popularity with the extended reach of Techfest. These competitions soon became the byword for Techfest over the next 3 years which saw a variety of interesting competitions held under their aegis. With the growing participation and colleges from across India competing to win at Techfest, Techfest 2003 launched the Techfest trophy to make the competition more interesting.
Techfest 2004 marked a big milestone in the growth of Techfest as this was the year Techfest officially became an International event with the introduction of Cliffhanger – The International Competition. It also saw the introduction of the world renowned robotics competition, Micromouse for the first time in India. Techfest 2005 saw even more challenging problem statements in the form of competitions like Survivor as well as Drishti, which was conceived with the National Association for the Blind (NAB) in order to provide aids for the visually challenged. The latest edition of Techfest, Techfest ’06 marked a radical change in the outlook of a technical festival, even with respect to the previous Techfests. The emphasis at Techfest ’06 was on technology and its applications rather than just engineering know – how.
[edit] Edition Synopses
[edit] Techfest 1998
The inaugural Techfest aimed at bringing the academia and industry on a common platform. This was achieved through the various competitions, lectures and workshops. For the competitions, the problem statements were framed and judged by the faculty members of IIT Bombay. Some interesting competitions included Siemens Gripper Design Contest, MBT Windmill Design Contest and Cadbury's "Googly: design a dispenser contest". The workshops conducted included the internet, astronomy and aeromodelling workshops. The InfoTech Show saw the leading companies from India as well as some from Silicon Valley participate and showcased various products in global information technology. BARC Atomic Energy Exhibition also displayed the latest breakthroughs achieved by the atomic and nuclear energy departments of Government of India. The lecture series saw a number of world renowned scientists and personalities including Prof U.R. Rao and Mr. Sam Pitroda.
[edit] Techfest 1999
The second edition saw more competitions and larger participation from students and corporate alike. Oracle Hello World Wide Web - an online synchronous programming contest was the first of its kind. Other competitions included Cadbury's Cool Dispenser Contest and Discovery Channel Science and Technology Olympiad. The lecture series saw more personalities from the industry including Mr. N.R. Narayana Murthy and Mr Vinod Dham. Apart from technical topics, the workshops this year had one on stocks and capital markets called Money Talks as well as one on entrepreneurship called Enterprises. ElectronEx – The Industrial Exhibition presented the latest technology and developments in the world of communication and electronics. Technoholix or ‘Techfest at Dark’ came into being this year with the emphasis on combining technology and entertainment at the end of the day as relaxation for a hard day’s work.
[edit] Techfest 2000
With the turn of the millennium, Techfest focused on how technology can be used to change the world for better. Techfest 2000 was not limited to technology but also encompassed areas like entrepreneurship. It also attempted to bring to focus the social aspects of technology. Competitions tested not only the creative abilities of students but also how they faced the challenge of solving real life industrial problems. The major competitions were ‘Big Bang’ and ‘Figure Out’. The workshops covered a number of interesting topics like Extra Terrestrial Intelligence and Animation and Special Effects. There was a paper presentation competition – Oorja to understand the role of “energy” in India. Techfest for the first time also witnessed a panel debate on Energy, Environment & Development. Another special event was Convergence 2000 which was aimed at bringing out the technological, regulatory, social and economic aspects of convergence with the help of lectures and included a symposium as well. Entrepreneurship continued from where it had left off in Techfest 1999 with this edition hosting Eureka – a very well received business plan competition.
[edit] Techfest 2001
Techfest 2001 saw more changes from the previous editions and more innovations in organizing as well as from the participating entries. This edition saw the premier of a play Angst Angst, Kuntah Kuntah, Boom Bam Dhandal Dhamaal Kaput which looked at the dilemma faced by the youth when someone deep rooted in centuries of culture is confronted with technology. Tech – a – tete comprised 3 modules – lecture series, Crossfire, a panel debate on the Human Genome Project and Spectrum where exotic topics like cosmology and human computer interaction were discussed. Another interesting topic covered was paranormal research through PSIence. HUB – the centre for on the spot events as well as Technoholix were other major events this year.
[edit] Techfest 2002
The fifth edition of Techfest saw the introduction of new competitions in the form of Yantriki, Chemsplash and Last Straw. These competitions specially targeted students of engineering branches like mechanical, chemical and civil. Yantriki in particular was aimed at promoting robotics and held in 3 levels to ensure that everyone from the amateurs to the pros had their share of fun. The Lecture Series saw very important and famous personalities like Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Honourable President of India and Mr. Rajat Gupta, CEO of McKinsey and Co. Technoholix also had something special in store – the Mercedes-Benz SL 500 which was on display for the first time after its official launch a few days earlier at the Auto Expo. Workshops were also quite in demand due to the interesting range of topics being covered which included artificial intelligence, HAM and forensics.
[edit] Techfest 2003
With growing participation from across the country, Techfest 2003 came out with the inaugural Techfest trophy to be awarded to the college which won the maximum events. Competitions included not only the regular ones like Yantriki but also some exciting ones like Water Rockets as well as modeling of real life problems like Sim City where participants were asked to develop a completely planned city. A panel debate and lecturers like Ankit Fadia, the 17 year old whiz kid and author of ‘Unofficial Guide to Ethical Hacking’ were also crowd pullers. Technoholix was witness to the Aibo League Robocup by robots from Germany as well as a special 3D Laser show.
[edit] Techfest 2004
Techfest took a big step forward by going international in 2004. Cliffhanger – the international competition was designed to meet internationally accepted standards and saw wonderful participation not only from Indian colleges but also countries like Singapore, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Apart from Cliffhanger, Micromouse the internationally renowned robotics competition made its debut in India at Techfest 2004. Other competitions like la porsChe, Dirt Racing and Last Man Standing were also witness to enthusiastic participation. Intellectual Property Rights and Gaming were a few of the subjects covered under workshops. Mr. Ferenc Cako of Hungary gave a splendid performance of sand animation in front of a jam packed OAT. Mr Barry O’Brian, the renowned quiz master hosted the finals of the Sci Tech quiz. Amongst the lecturers were Prof Kevin Warwick of Project Cyborg fame and Dr Bharat Balasubramaniam of Daimler Chrysler. The last day of Techfest, which coincided with Republic Day was made all the more special by the Aakash Ganga team of the Indian Air Force with a breath taking para-jumping show. The Indian Navy also put up an exhibition at Techfest which was the largest ever outside a naval dockyard.
[edit] Techfest 2005
The crux of Techfest 2005 ‘Technology for All’ and the events covered a wide spectrum. The big competition this year was Survivor – a competition in which machines had to survive a steep fall. Micromouse saw the Indian record being established at 17 seconds. Drishti was a competition that called upon students to develop aids for the visually challenged. Apart from this Rescue, U-Turn, Under Construction, Udaan and Power Boats were among the large set of competitions. Techfest 2005 also came up with a problem statement only for school students – Junior, so that bright and young minds can be tapped earlier. Technoholix at Techfest 2005 was a phenomenal success. On display was David Coulthard’s McLaren – the first time ever a Formula 1 racer was on display in a college fest in India. This was accompanied by a spectacular laser show that left the audience awe-struck. There was also a Humanoid Robot soccer match in which the robots performed numerous tasks to the delight of the crowds. The Sci – Tech finals were conducted with finesse and maximum technology on display in the form of LCD screens and computerized answering pads. HUB this year not only conducted on the spot events but there were lectures as well as an R&D exhibition with very interesting exhibits. Dr. Stephen Wolfram and Dr. Kasturirangan were among the lecturers for the Lecture Series. Animations, User Centric Designs and Computer Security were all part of Workshops a Techfest 2005.
[edit] Techfest 2006
Techfest ’06 witnessed a sweeping change in the structure of Techfest. This was accented by the byline of the fest - A New Beginning as well as a mascot(the first one ever)- Manu based on Indian mythology. The emphasis at Techfest ’06 was on technology rather than engineering. The fest was based on 6 themes – Artificial Intelligence (A.I), Space Exploration (Cosmos), Smart Technologies (Smart Tech), Automobile and Aviation Technology (Sixth Gear), Emerging Rural Technology ( e- Rustique) and Modern Structural Engineering (CONCREaTE). This edition saw four major problem statements – Micromouse, Full Throttle, The Simple Life v 1.1 and G.R.I.P each of which had at stake $1000 as prize money. Prayaas –a competition to develop aids for the physically challenged, Innovision, iClean and Fly High were some other interesting competitions. The highlight at Techfest ’06 was the Arizona State University’s Mars Rover Exhibition which was being displayed outside USA for only the second time. Other exhibitions included the ISRO Mission Moon Exhibition, Air Force exhibition and NIF exhibition. The audience at Techfest ’06 was also treated to special displays of para – jumping and ballooning. Lecturers this year included Mr. Mark Shuttleworth and Dr Amar Bose. roboTRIx, a workshop, was conducted to promote robotics and help students build a machine in just 3 days. Technoholix witnessed water screens, pyrotechnic and laser shows, the Sci Tech finals as well as the India premiere of Aeon Flux, a sci fi film starring Oscar winner Charlize Theron.
[edit] Techfest 2007
The upcoming Techfest will be the tenth edition and this landmark is being celebrated by the launch of a novel initiative called Techfest Nexus. The idea behind this venture is to provide students a platform close to their homes to demonstrate their skills and then bring the best to IIT Bombay during Techfest 2007, making it a truly pan Indian competition.
In the inaugural year, Techfest Nexus will be held in association with three NIT’s (MANIT Bhopal, SVNIT Surat[1] and VNIT Nagpur) and comprise a single robotics problem statement. The top 4 entries at each center will make it to the finals at IIT Bombay during Techfest 2007, thus getting an important toehold over other competitors participating directly at Techfest 2007 who will have to take part in additional rounds of eliminations.
Apart from Nexus, the competitions at Techfest 2007 have also been released. This year the competitions are classified as:
- 1. iBots: Events in this deal with making robots which can do a specified task.
- 2. Overdrive: This one is for all the speed and drive enthusiasts.
- 3. Dimensions: Events are related to ideas and designs from a variety of engineering disciplines.
- 4. Wired Logic: This concerns itself with events which are related to electrical circuits, algorithm design etc.
[edit] Lecturers at Techfest
- Prof U.R. Rao (1998) – Ex-chairman of ISRO and one of the top 10 space personalities (Space News)
- Prof. Jayant Naralikar (1998) - Professor Emeritus and Founder Director of Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA)
- Prof. D.B. Phatak (1998) – Head, KReSIT, IIT Bombay
- Mr. Mark Lunsford (1998) – AMD
- Mr. Sam Pitroda (1998, 2006) – Chairman of the Knowledge Commission, India and Chairman of World-Tel
- Mr. N.R. Narayana Murthy (1999) – Chief Mentor and Ex-chairman of Infosys
- Sir Roger Penrose (1999) – Renowned mathematical physicist from Oxford, England
- Dr Upinder Bhalla (1999) – Leading figure from field of neurocomputing, TIFR Bangalore
- Mr. Vinod Dham (1999) – “Father of Pentium”
- Mr. Mike Walsche (1999) – A pioneer of immersive virtual reality
- Dr. Jaswinder Pal Singh (2000) – Computer science Department, Princeton University
- Mr. S. Ramadorai (2000) – CEO, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)
- Dr. H. Paul Shuch (2000) – Executive Director, The SETI League, USA
- Prof Mohanbir Sawhney (2001) – Kellogg Graduate School of Management
- Mr. Alyque Padamsee (2001) – Media and Ad Guru
- Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (2002) – Honourable President of India
- Mr. Rajat Gupta (2002) – CEO, McKinsey and Co
- Dr. P.G. Poonacha (2002) – Vice President (R&D), Sasken
- Dr. Ehud Shapiro (2002) – Originator of DNA Computing, Wiezmann Institute of Science, Israel
- Dr. Richard M. Stallman (2003) - Founder and President of GNU and the FSF
- Dr. Bernhard Schoelkopf (2003) - Director, Max Plank Institute of Biological Cybernetics
- Mr. Ajit Balakrishnan (2003) - CEO, Rediff.com
- Mr. Ankit Fadia (2003) - 17 year old whiz kid and author of "The Unofficial Guide to Ethical Hacking"
- Prof. Kevin Warwick (2004) - Professor of Cybernetics at the University of Reading, UK
- Dr. Bharat Balasubramanian (2004) - Vice President of 'Engineering Technologies', Daimler Chrysler
- Prof Yash Pal (2004) – Popular Indian scientist, creator of ‘Turning Point’ – a science show for kids on Doordarshan
- Dr. Raghuram Rajan (2004) - Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
- Prof. Alex Pentland (2004) - Ex academic head MIT Labs, Founder Director Media Labs Asia
- Dr. Narendra Bhandari (2004) - Member of the moon mission task force constituted by ISRO
- Dr. Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan (2005) – Ex chairman of ISRO
- Dr. P Gopalakrishnan (2005) - Director of the IBM India Research Laboratory
- Dr. Stephen Wolfram (2005) - Creator of Mathematica, founder and CEO, Wolfram Research
- Dr. Andrew Harrison (2005) - Professor of Solid State Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh
- Dr. Rodney Brooks (2006) - Director of CSAIL at MIT, chairman and CTO of iRobot Corporation
- Dr. Amar Bose (2006) - Chairman of the Board and Technical Director of the Bose Corporation
- Dr. Anil Gupta (2006) - Chief Co-ordinator, Honey Bee Network and Executive-Vice Chair, National Innovation Foundation (NIF)
- Mr. Mark Shuttleworth (2006) – Second ‘space tourist’ and entrepreneur and innovator
