Techathlon

Shivani Seshadri Iyer | Staff Writer

This event in TechTatva 2022 was a concoction of the worlds of word puzzles, engineering, and popular culture. Anyone with a flair for all three would have been elated to take part in this event.  Anshita Palorkar, a Core Committee member of this event, commented on behalf of the organisers of this event that they would love to see the intersection of people’s literary and critical thinking skills, and as a literary-themed category in a technical fest, they expected a lot of unique answers. They wished to provide a sense of freedom of creativity and expression to the participants since creativity is something that takes a backseat in the engineering world. 

The event’s first round consisted of a test on word puzzles, word games, math, logic, and critical thinking. 17 teams took part in the first round, of which 5 qualified for the second round.

A team working together to crack a puzzle.

The second round was inspired by old games from childhood, the phenomenon of escape rooms, and science fiction. It comprised 3 sub-rounds: Balderdash, Name Place Animal Thing and Pandora’s Box. In Balderdash, a science fiction trope was given, and teams had to come up with an example in 60 seconds. In Name Place Animal Thing, 40 random words were called out, and participants had to classify them into four groups. In Pandora’s Box, an acrostic crossword and a math problem were given to the participants. Answers from both of them gave a clue to a rebus. With many answers relating to Taylor Swift, it was the perfect event for any Swiftie wishing to test their acumen.

Tech Debate

Krish Manchanda | Staff Writer

The Tech Debate was a multi-round debate under the Questionable Intelligence category.  The judges presiding over the debate were MV Srujan, Sushant Shekhar, and Chinmayi Sahai. They believe that in a debate, the information you deliver is more important than the way you deliver it. In essence, one should prioritise content and thoughts over speech.

A participant presenting their views on artificial intelligence and criminality. 

In the first round, the topic was the metaverse and Facebook. The debaters presented their thoughts based on specific data leaks by Facebook and how it can be unreliable to control the metaverse wholly. The topic for the final round was centred around the ethicality of people using AI robots to perform actions otherwise deemed illegal. Mallika Shinkre, with her non-questionable and crystal-clear acumen, won the final round.

Image Credits: Photography and Videography, TechTatva’22

Apogee Perigee 

Snigdha Deshmukh | Staff Writer

If you ever wanted to learn more about the inner workings of a rocket’s flight computer, Apogee Perigee was the ideal event for you. The participants had to engineer circuits, simulations and put their coding skills to test in this two-day hackathon. In the first round, participants had to design and simulate an electrical system (using only passive elements like a resistor, capacitor, etc.) that functions the same as an ignition system using the Proteus software. Participants depicted the launch of the rocket using a bulb or fuse. Judges evaluated this round based on the efficiency and practicality of the circuit. These details include whether the fuse/bulb turns on when the switches are on in the right sequential order. Since the event was online, the participants also had to submit a video of the functioning circuit, a report of maximum 200 words explaining the logic of the system designed and the Proteus design file. 

For the second round of this Hackathon, they had the task of writing a code in C/C++ to find the highest point in a rocket trajectory called the apogee and submit a report summarising the algorithm used.

“It’s our first time since this is a new category. Since the event is online, it made it difficult to have an outstanding turnout. The low turnout was also due to the inefficient publicity capabilities on social media platforms, which can only be countered only by having redundant post and hoping for participation next year.

We got only one answer set at the end of the first day, so we extended the deadline of submission till the next day, but it didn’t make much of a difference. In the end, we got only one entry that too from the same person. Their work was perfect though so we decided to give the team a prize. As the number of initial registration and final turnout were incomparable, we have rolled out a feedback form. We hope to have a better event next time considering the proceedings will be on campus. ” remarked Priyank Agarwal, the event head.

Launch Out

Ramya Nadig | Staff Writer

Launch Out consisted of 2 rounds-on quiz round and one interview round. It was a team event whereon participants were supposed to answer various aptitude questions as well as general knowledge regarding rockets. Along with testing the technical details, the test held a bonus question to consider the financial and marketing aspect involved in a rocket design project. The teams who respond to the quiz well go into the second round, wherein they underwent an interview. In the interview, each group was to roleplay as a company that worked in the rocket building industry discussing factors more than just aerospace technicalities, including funding and as to how confidently they were able to express their idea.

Parameter testing of final rocket design

In the second round, participants, while deciding how to build their rocket had to keep a few factors in mind, such as materials and various mechanisms.  Teams had to use a virtual currency to acquire parts and had to know how to budget their given design. To help aid them in choosing the right materials and dimensions for their rocket, a handbook was provided two each team consisting of all the details required. They were given three hours to come up with a solution and explain to the judges in a written Google form format. With challenging rounds that required smarts and innovation, participants took to tasks with determination and confidence.

Caduceus’ Blackbox

Shreyash Rout | Staff Writer

Caduceus’ Blackbox was an event under the category Epsilon held on all four days of the MIT’s technical fest, MIT TechTatva 2020. The event had three rounds. Round one was on the first two days with teams of two or three. Participants had to join a Zoom call hosted by the organisers as a team. The team members were not allowed to interact for the first round and were marked individually, with marks tallied at the end. In the first round, there were three parts.

In the first part, the participants viewed some slides containing an object or instrument related to Biomedical or Biochemistry, and they had to identify them. For the next part, the participants had to unscramble jumbled words. In the final part, they had to answer some general trivia questions.

Event heads Ananya Joshi and Rahul Bagga, called each team into separate Zoom calls at one time to ease the process. The second round involved a business pitch, and a debate was the final round which was conducted on 8th. The third and final round gave a case study to the four teams which made reached the finals. They had to pitch a business strategy regarding the case study to the participants and the organisers, and also had to contradict the other team that they were going against in the same case study. 

“We are happy with the turnout, and things went on very smoothly, thanks to everyone,” said Ananya Joshi, one of the event heads. Pranav Bhardwaj and Lakshya Sharma were the Category Heads for Epsilon. “I think our category had one of the largest number of participants, and the turn out was great,” said Lakshya Sharma.

Riddle Me This

Shreyash Rout | Staff Writer

Riddle Me This was an event in MIT TechTatva 2020 under the category Epsilon. This event had two rounds happened on 6th and 7th of November. Participants, in teams of two or three, participated in this event. Crosswords made up the first round. Each of the groups had to solve the given crossword under a given time limit. The time was recorded and checked by organisers Manan Tewari and Dhikshitha Chandrasekhar. The crossword was a mix of general knowledge and basic science related questions from every domain, i.e., Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Biochemistry, etc.

The second round, also the final round was more about solving puzzles and riddles. It was a fun event where you had to exercise your cerebrum a bit more than usual to get the answers correct. The questions mostly comprised of Biochemistry and Biomedical related topics.

The puzzle was a distorted art divided and scrambled into tiles which needed to be set in order so that they are close to what they appear. “We are delighted with the turnout, and it was fun conducting an event in this format during these times,” said Rahul Bagga, one of the event heads.

Featured Image Credits: Social Media and Graphics, TechTatva’20

ROScore 

Renuka Basawa | Staff Writer

ROScore was the perfect event for all the Robo-enthusiasts out there with a knack for coding. It was a two-day event with nearly 14 teams, each consisting of one to two members, having registered for the event. 

Day 1 held the first round of the fest, where all the contestants assembled on a Discord server, ready to brainstorm. It was a marathon problem-solving event, the contestants received their questions on the GitHub repo, and they had to push their solutions in there itself. The round ended at 8 pm on day 1. The competition was a test of not just their knowledge but their practical application as well. 

The contestants were free to use either CPP or python for the ROS portion, Verilog for the VLSI questions, and any language of their choice for the CP portion in the given questions. 

The organisers expected the code submissions to come in around 2 pm. They made sure that they dropped in reminders of the time left over the discord server for the contestants to pick up their pace, as a reminder that the competition doesn’t require just skills but also time management. 

Organisers based criteria of judging on the clarity of the code and zero error efficiency.  Robotrek declared the results of round 2 on day 3 of the fest. Only two teams and two solo participants made it to the final round. The second segment began on day four at 1 pm.

Round 2 was a custom Gazebo world, the contestants’ ultimate test of teamwork and time management. “The second round will be similar to the first round. But this time, all questions are based on robotics/ROS (Robot Operating System), not just coding, but also designing and simulation” said the event organiser Abhiroop. 

Solid coding knowledge and a sharp application were all one needed to ace this event. The fact that the event was happening on a virtual platform could not alter the zest in the competition among the fellow participants, feeding fuel to the team spirit and making the event successful. 

Featured Image Credits: Social Media and Graphics, TechTatva’20

World Rose Day is celebrated on 22nd September in the memory of Melinda Rose, a 12-year-old girl who was diagnosed with Askin’s Tumour, a rare blood cancer. Despite having only six months left to live, she touched the lives of many cancer patients and filled their lives with happiness. 

In celebration of the same, we were fortunate enough to make the acquaintance of two such valiant women who defeated the emperor of all maladies, Jayshree Arora–a retired teacher, and Shreya Srikrishna–a second-year student at MIT. They shared their experiences as to how they braved the odds in their battle against this dreadful disease and taught us to live each day to the fullest.

Jayshree Arora 

Jayshree Arora speaking about her treatment and the path to recovery (Image Credits: The Manipal Conclave)

My name is Jayshree Arora. I had been a Science and Mathematics teacher since 1986 and retired after enjoying 30 years of service. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in April of 2011, while still teaching. When I got to know about it, I was shocked as I couldn’t understand how it had happened to me. It all started when I was correcting board papers, and I noticed a knot near my armpit. My board duty got over at 1:30 pm, and I immediately called my husband and told him that I wanted to get it checked by the doctor. We went to Dr Kamra for the checkup. Dr Mahavir, who was visiting at Dr Kamra’s clinic, directed me to Dr Ahuja of the Pathology Lab for further examination. Dr Ahuja told me to get the Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) test for cancer, the result of which came back positive.

I informed my colleagues in school, and they were very sad to hear this unfortunate news. However, I resolved not to give up. I was advised to immediately get treatment to completely remove it from the roots. They told me to trust the doctor and the process thoroughly and to keep an open mind. There were two types of treatment available—conservative and removal treatment. I opted for the removal treatment, and the chemotherapy started in April. I was fortunate enough to get excellent treatment from people like Dr Hemant and Dr Kanchan, who also motivated us to stay positive and divert our attention from ruminating about it. I changed my mindset towards it and decided to never stop fighting. I wanted to prove a point to the world by overcoming the disease and to continue with my profession until 2016, no matter what. Such thoughts motivated me through the darkest of times during my treatment and taught me how to be grateful for all that I have.

What are some things you look forward to doing, now that you have recovered?

I wish to open a small school along with my daughter and daughter-in-law so as to keep me busy after retirement. I also want to start tuition classes for 9^th and 10th-grade students to help them understand concepts better. If there are students who cannot afford the tuition fee, I will teach them for free. I wish to continue teaching to anyone who wants to learn.

What were some misconceptions about cancer that you faced?

Many people wrongly assume that this disease is temporary and will go away in some time. One should avoid getting absorbed by the rumours spread and must focus on their self. People may tell you discouraging tales about how someone succumbed to the disease in two years, the kind of talk that you must ignore. If your willpower is strong and you have a desire to live, then it will all work out in the end. Maintain a routine and take special care of your diet. Don’t forget to go out once in a while. God has given us the gift of life so enjoy it to the fullest. Celebrate your children’s birthdays and anniversaries, and other important milestones to remain upbeat.

Shreya Srikrishna

Shreya Shrikrishna speaking about maintaining a positive outlook on her path to recovery. (Image Credits: The Manipal Conclave)

I am Shreya Srikrishna, a second-year student at MIT currently pursuing computer science engineering. I was diagnosed with cancer in May 2019 and finished my treatment on 30th December 2019.

As someone who has gone through this life-changing experience, what would you advise us students who are still relatively inexperienced and young?

Looking back, I honestly don’t know how I went through it all, and that is what leads me to believe that we can never really know how strong we are. Adversity brings out a side in you even if you don’t realise it, and I think that’s my biggest takeaway. It might seem a little abstract, but now I know that whatever comes my way, I will be able to deal with it even if I am not prepared. This is what I want more people to internalise as well. Life will not always go as per your plans, but trust me, you will grow with every one of those curveballs thrown. You will learn, and you will still figure it out. Also, at the risk of sounding like my mother, I plead that you don’t ignore your health. Listen to your body when it tells you there is something wrong. I know that we are young and we feel like we are invincible, but we all need to respect our bodies and take care of our health because, in the end, it is all that we have got.

These individuals had their lives turned upside down due to a disease from within, but they persevered against the odds and emerged as true champions in life. With their experiences, they hope to inspire people to take their challenges head-on and help them value the time and opportunity that they’ve been given.

[Featured Image Credits: Pinterest]

Startup Pitch
Parthiv Menon | Staff Writer

Organized by Bizzventure on the last day of Tech Tatva, the event saw aspiring entrepreneurs present their start-up ideas to a panel of judges. To commence the event, two veterans in the field—Mr. Jithin Sunny, CEO of Blue Sail, and Mr. Vijay Varada, CEO of Fracktal Works—were invited to enlighten the audience with their experiences.

Mr. Jithin Sunny started off his hackathon journey tinkering with Arduinos and learning web design before he went on to win fourteen hackathons. He encouraged the audience not to be afraid of trying new things and to boldly explore ideas. He further spoke of the importance of hands-on experiences and the need to strive for success, even in the face of rejection, quoting “Start-ups are 99% survival and 1% skill.”

An alumnus of MIT, Mr. Vijay Varada reminisced about his days as a student, working in the start-up incubator at the Innovation Centre leading to the birth of his startup. He further went on to talk about his expedition to Antarctica. Accompanied by Robert Swan, the expedition aimed at raising awareness on sustainability and its role in future technologies. He further established his point by stating, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”

Concluding the talks, began the next phase of the event—the pitching of start-up ideas. Budding entrepreneurs presented their proposals to a panel of judges and received appropriate feedback. The air buzzed with excitement as students were challenged with real-world situations, forcing them to think on their feet.

The guest speakers inspired the audience with their experiences and helped provide an insight into the world of entrepreneurship. The event proved to be a stepping stone for students who aimed at receiving guidance on how to build, manage and sustain their own enterprises. Overall the event was well organized and achieved the goals it set out to meet.

Image Credits: Photography and Videography, TechTatva

Humans of TechTatva was an event organised by the Conclave category on the evening of 5th October 2019 at the M.V. Seminar Hall. Five speakers recounted their inspiring stories and experiences, each of which left the audience feeling motivated. “I just came here to listen to some good speeches”, said Archishman Ray, a 3^rd year EEE student. “The speakers were very good, and I found it quite inspiring”, he added. After the conclusion of the speeches, the last two names in the Conclave 2019 line-up―comedians Rohan Joshi and Ashish Shakya―were also revealed.

Dr Aravinda Bhat
Assistant Professor, Department of European Studies

Dr Aravinda Bhat spoke about life as a visually challenged person. Born and raised in Manipal, he described the obstacles he faced growing up, being educated and living in a society designed exclusively for non-disabled people. “I’m not disabled because I am blind. I am disabled because society hasn’t considered my needs”, he said. On the other hand, he also described the role technology plays in helping people like him by enabling them to participate in the world around them.

Sangeet Pandey
Student Speaker

In her speech, Sangeet Pandey talked about the need for inclusiveness in our society―especially when it comes to the language we use. “Language was invented by us, for us, and that includes each and every one of us. Language must change with changing times”, she said. She devised the word ‘het’―an amalgamation of the words he, she, and it, to be used as a gender-neutral pronoun. She encouraged people to use it to solve the issue of addressing people who identify with non-conforming genders.

Chintan Rout
Student Speaker

Chintan Rout told the audience three stories. The first was about his struggle to accept his sexuality and the second, about how he dealt with eating disorders. In his third story, he described his experience with suicidal thoughts and how it taught him to accept the ups and downs of life. “The world will never accept you if you don’t accept yourself”, he said. His speech struck a chord with the audience and elicited thunderous applause and a standing ovation.

Anandita Pandey
Student Speaker

Before speaking, Anandita Pandey sang a song about self-belief and not giving up for the audience. In her speech, she spoke of the power of positivity, imagination, and having faith that one’s dream will come true. “Our brain is the most powerful asset we have”, she said. “It can do more than just finding Thevenin’s voltage.” She also stated that kindness and self-belief are the two qualities most needed to attain success.

Althaf Ibrahim Para
Former President of the Student Council

Althaf Ibrahim Para shared some of the life lessons he learned during his time as a student at MIT. He emphasised the importance of qualities such as hard work, perseverance, patience and teamwork. He also stressed the importance of dealing with failure. “Failure isn’t the opposite of success. It’s a part of success”, he said. He used humour rather effectively in his speech and had the audience chuckling at regular intervals.

Image Credits: Photography and Videography Team of Tech Tatva 2019