UPES Dehradun: Latest News, Events, Photos & Campus Reports

Established in the year 2003 through UPES Act, 2003 of the State Legislature of Uttarakhand, UPES emerged as an innovative institution offering industry-focused specialised undergraduate and postgraduate courses. With an ambitious vision and unique approach,university takes pride in offering its students a world-class academic infrastructure, multimedia-enabled classrooms, an much more. Read here to know more about the university

Solar Tree powered electric bicycle – a step towards sustainable transport 

Date: October 09, 2020

Researchers Dr. Roushan Kumar, Divyanshu (M. Tech- Automation and Robotics), Basant Singh Bhaskar (B.Tech -Mechatronics Engineering), Udayveer Mittal (B.Tech - Mechatronics Engineering), through their relentless effort and constant urge to make a better future, developed a self-powering Solar Tree set up at UPES campus. In addition to the solar tree, they also developed a model bicycle with an electric motor that is an eco-friendly step towards short-distance transportation. The integrated electric motor can be used for propulsion of the bicycle to a speed of 30-35 kilometers per hour without pedaling for up to a run of 70-80 kilometers. 

Explaining the running principle of the solar tree, Dr. Roushan says, “Sunlight is regularly considered as the main bounteous and free energy asset. Among all the various schemes accessible to tackle solar energy, the most well-known and developed innovative technique is the solar photovoltaic cell. A solar tree has various design parameters in the Himalayan region. The development work is executed in such a way so as to cater to multiple user demands and provide an environmentally-viable solution.”

The solar tree is the most constructive and environment-friendly solution in the hilly region because of poor plane land availability, explains Divyanshu. “A new idea of a modular solar tree design,” he further adds, “is presented in our research which consists of a monocrystalline cell with front tempered glass, anodized aluminum alloy frame and hybrid solar inverter based on DSP technology.”

Udayveer and Basant elucidate why the idea of a solar tree is a revolutionary lighting concept for the Himalayan region. According to them, “Less space utilization, no overlapping of solar plates and maintenance-free equipment with the latest technology is the source of inspiration for the development of a solar tree. Our current research paper deals with modular frame design and tilted absorber PV plates lead to more exposure to sunlight. The designed tree is a non-tracking solar tree, which is furnished with 3 watts and 6 watts LED light, multiple USB 2.0 port and basic electrical socket to charge laptops as well as mobile phones.”

The research team is ecstatic that its rationale for modeling an electric bicycle has been well-received. “Our driving force,” they explain, “was that the bicycle is the finest mode of transport known to man which emits no greenhouse gas emissions.” The features of the bicycle, apart from the electric motor that enables its propulsion, include a speed selection mode, inbuilt charging socket, clock, speedometer, storage box, foot-rest, led lamps and automatic light sensors. Additionally, a user can book a ride using a simple mobile application. The bicycle is capable of taking and supporting a seating load of about 120 kilograms at a time and can be propelled to a speed of 30-35 kilometers per hour without pedaling for up to a run of 70-80 kilometers.

UPES alumna makes her mark at Google, California 

Date: September 28, 2020

A childlike quality still pops up in Prakshi when she talks about her college life at UPES five years back. Prakshi Rastogi is an alumna of UPES, Class of 2011-2015, B.Tech. Electronics Engineering. Presently, she works as a Silicon Engineer at Google in Mountain View, California.When asked about the practical aspects of living in a faraway country, Prakshi talks about the difficulties she faced. “I knew living alone in a faraway country would be difficult but that was the price to be paid to achieve my dreams.”

Prakshi attributes her relentless spirit to her mother. She says, “My inspiration of dreaming big and achieving it has always been my mother, who pushed me to aim high and never give up on my dreams. In the world that we live in, it is rare to have parents who are supportive of all your dreams and I am lucky enough to have them. They have always taught me that the sky's the limit.”

Studying circuits was an interest for her ever since she was a little girl. Prakshi admits that all her childhood she was intrigued by circuit design and its intricacies of how millions of transistors were integrated into one small chip. “The interest widened when I pursued Very Large-Scale Integration (VLSI) courses at UPES. I would spend hours reading about VLSI and searching colleges that specialize in it. As a result of that, I came across a few colleges in the United States that offered specialization in VLSI.”

She knew she had to pursue her Masters in the field of VLSI. But pursuing masters from a foreign university has its own challenges. Prakshi admits, “My target was difficult as these were the top tier colleges and needed a good GRE score. With motivation from my professors and parents, I prepared for GRE and successfully got into Georgia Tech, which was my dream college. My parents and professors were elated about it.”

Prakshi vividly recalls her experience during her college days at UPES. She says, “When I look back at the four years I spent at UPES, there is nothing I want to change about it. The whole experience gave me a solid career foundation for where I am today in my life. A big thanks to the amazing faculty members at UPES who shaped my career in the best possible way. Furthermore, the summer internship program gave me the industry exposure I needed at that time.”

Russian government awards scholarship to UPES’ engineering student 

Date: September 14, 2020

Amanat Ali, final year student of B.Tech. Mechanical Engineering, class of 2016-2020, is set to pursue his Masters in Nanotechnology from the National University of Science and Technology, MISIS (Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys). His Master’s program will be fully-funded by Russian Government Scholarship. He is, in fact, one of the four students selected from UPES to pursue a semester exchange program at National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Russia.Amanat was determined to pursue his master’s from abroad. “In my very first year of graduation,” he says, “I was determined to pursue my Masters in Nanotechnology. UPES helped me to connect with the faculty and alumni and guided me with the admission procedures and provided me with the required recommendations.”

Talking about his inspiration, Amanat explains that he had an inclination towards research on engineering material at nano-scale and that was the main reason why he took Mechanical Engineering with specialization in material science and nanotechnology at UPES. “I always wondered,” he adds, “how engineering materials change their own properties with size and how it felt to break the sound barrier. These questions led me to pursue engineering in the domain.”

His journey at UPES was not all a bed of roses. In his very first year of study, he flunked in three subjects. Says Amanat, “Till the 3rd semester, I was struggling hard to obtain a decent CGPA. From my third year, I started working hard on my SGPA and I was finally able to improve my CGPA to 7.92 overall, which opened up new opportunities for me. My journey at UPES was an enriching experience filled with ups and downs. I worked for National Service Scheme (NSS)-UPES from 2018 as a general secretary. NSS allowed me to improve my interpersonal skills and build a strong team leadership capability.”

After getting an experience from IISc Bangalore during his summer research internship, he learnt how to write a research paper. He says, “I learnt a lot about research through the experience I had with senior scientists and professors during my internship. During the semester exchange program at National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Russia, I learnt various technical and non-technical skills. This international experience was the turning point of my career. These experiences help me to get this prestigious Russian Government Scholarship for my master’s program.”

He expresses his gratitude to UPES for the experience he had on campus. “UPES boosted my spirits and made me what I am today. I would like to dedicate this accomplishment to my family and UPES’ Department of Mechanical Engineering. Lastly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude towards Dr. Ajay Kumar, Head, Department of Mechanical Engineering; Dr. Ashish Karn, Dr. Shailey Singhal, Dr. Sravendra Rana, Dr. Amit Kumar Chawla, Amar Shukla sir for providing me with their guidance and support at every step of the way.”

Amanat further said, “Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Continuous hard work is the only way to accomplish results. Coming from a lower middle-class family, I faced many challenges in my life, but I am thankful to the UPES faculty. I want to tell my juniors that making good connection with your teachers and seniors, dedication to achieve your goal and grabbing every opportunity that comes your way will help you succeed in life.”

The journey of a UPES student becoming a bureaucrat

Date: September 04, 2020

Margan Sinha, a student of the class of 2009-2013, B. Tech. Electronics Engineering, is currently serving as Senior Deputy Collector at Jehanabad, Bihar. Hers is a story of true grit and tenacity. Making it to the top of the bureaucracy in India is never an easy dream to nurture. “But hard work never goes unpaid,” quips Margan. Reminiscing about her experience at the university, Margan recalls the time when her other classmates were working on themselves and getting prepped for campus placements. “I was preparing,” she adds, “without any backup plan or job experience just after graduation. I was under tremendous peer pressure as others were doing pretty well in their lives and I was still struggling. There were moments of frustration and even the impulse to quit the preparation.”

Besides the challenges on the professional front, her personal life, too, had its own share of difficulties. Margan explains, “During the process of preparation, my father got transferred and my mother was also facing health issues. So, I had to balance the responsibility along with the preparation.”She secured rank 159 in Bihar Public Service Commission 60-62nd exam.

Despite all the success, she is modest enough to concede that she did not expect to crack any of the examinations in one go as she was an average student. She said, “I was not amongst those few who crack such competitive exams in one go. I faced failures; nothing was working out. One exam cycle is a pretty long one, lasting minimum for a year and failure in one attempt is a loss of a year of hard work, and career progression.”But one thing she had in ample measure was perseverance and positivity. She credits her success to strong family support that never let her quit and kept motivating her. “Along with it my own belief,” she adds, “that one day I will surely crack it, and even if by any chance I am not able to clear it, I will do something for the masses, was my sole motivation that kept me going.”

Margan says, “The course I pursued at UPES helped me immensely in the preparation of science and technology section, which constitutes a major chunk of the syllabus and gave me an easy edge over the other aspirants. UPES also provided me with ample opportunities for overall personality development, in the form of extra-curricular activities, personality development sessions, professional communication classes and a focus on practical, rather than just theoretical sessions.”

Margan believes that the seeds of one’s career are well sown in the college, and it stands true for her as she began preparing for Civil Services during her college days. She proudly says, “My alma mater has been a major pillar of strength and confidence building. It has helped me inculcate the values and qualities expected of an administrator. UPES provided me with a conducive environment, an atmosphere to grow, learn, lead and become what I am today. For all aspirants and my present UPES fellows who wish to become an administrator, I would like to dedicate my favourite quote: Winners never quit, and quitters never win.”

How lessons learnt at UPES helped solve a social challenge

Date: August 27, 2020

Aman Sharma, a third-year student of B.Tech. Applied Petroleum Engineering-Gas, at UPES School of Engineering, recounts his experience of using his engineering lessons to develop a hand washing system prototype, which was later funded by the Azim Premji Foundation. “I have learnt many things while pursuing engineering at UPES, and during this pandemic, I got an opportunity to apply that knowledge in real life.

“I hail from Mount Abu, a small town in Rajasthan. There is a village where no patient was reported in the beginning, but as people began frequenting the market, they got infected.Every day, the patient count has been increasing rapidly here. For the last three months, I have been assisting my father, who is working to increase consciousness about health with the Azim Premji Foundation, Wipro. We carried out awareness programs, rallies, and many more such drives. During this time, I kept thinking about the main causes of the fast spread of the virus.I thought about the major cautions that we needed to take: 1. Wearing a mask, 2. Washing hands, 3. Maintaining social distancing. While the first and third precautions were being taken by the people, washing hands was a challenge due to lack of proper facility.Hence, I decided to build hand wash centres in the area to contain the spread of the virus. I discussed the idea with my father and he jumped in with me. I began working on a prototype, where people could wash hands using a pedal, which they can move using their legs.”

“We tested the prototype and set up a temporary washbasin. The initial response was satisfying as around 1000 to 1200 people used the arrangement to wash their hands. The prototype worked well, so we added it to our awareness program and asked people to wash hands regularly along with wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. It looked like a good idea to establish permanent hand wash centres.I used my engineering knowledge to further develop this prototype. During my first year at UPES, I had learnt workshop technology and acquired the skills to weld iron, cut and drill it. I applied these skills and made a hinge to attach a spring and make it movable. The finished prototype had a stand with a tank of 300 litres, two pedals – one for hand wash soap and second for water tap opening, and a frame so that people could hold a banner onto that. This entire project was funded by the Azim Premji Foundation.”

“I want to express my gratitude to the UPES faculty, who made me capable of undertaking a project, which benefited the society at such a crucial time. It was a deeply fulfilling experience for me. I am ecstatic that I did something good for people. I was able to do so because of the knowledge I gained at UPES along with the undying support of my inspiration, my ideal – my father.”

UPES student develops Face Mask Detection System using Machine Learning

Date: August 25, 2020

UPES student Abhinav Mudgal (B.Tech. Mechatronics batch 2017-2021) has developed a face-mask detection technique using Machine Learning under the guidance of Dr. Natraj Mishra, Faculty, Department of Mechanical Engineering. According to official data, India has a high-test positivity rate for COVID-19. Several countries lifted their lockdowns when their COVID-19 numbers started reducing, In the wake of the unlock 1.0 in India, when businesses have to go back to normal, it is essential to wear a mask for one’s own and others’ protection as well.

Dr. Mishra says, “In order to effectively prevent the spread of COVID-19, it is necessary to wear a mask. Therefore, it is urgent to improve the face recognition performance of the existing technology on masked and unmasked faces. Face mask detection platform uses Machine Learning to recognize if a user is wearing a mask or not.”

Machine Learning, at its most basic, is the practice of using algorithms to parse data, learn from it, and then decide or predict about something in the world. Machine Learning algorithms can apply what is learned in the past to new data using labelled examples to predict future events. In contrast, unsupervised Machine Learning algorithms are deployed when the information used to train is neither classified nor labelled. Abhinav adds, “Unsupervised learning studies how systems can infer a function to describe a hidden structure from unlabelled data. The system does not figure out the right output, but it explores the data and can draw inferences from datasets to describe hidden structures from unlabelled data.”

He explains further that starting from the analysis of a known training dataset, the learning algorithm produces an inferred function to make predictions about the output values. “The system is able to provide targets for any new input after sufficient training. The learning algorithm can also compare its output with the correct, intended output and find errors to modify the model accordingly,” Abhinav informs. 

According to Dr. Mishra, in this project, the Face Mask Detection System has been developed using Supervised Learning paradigm and a PC Web Camera to detect people with or without masks. He says, “The masked and unmasked datasets have helped to train the model to identify whether the people are wearing masks or not.”

Abhinav further adds that the main goal of the project is to implement this system at colleges, airports, hospitals, and offices where chances of spread of COVID-19 through contagion are relatively higher. He says, “Face data of students, travellers, employees and workers will be captured in the system at the entrance. If anyone is found to be without a face mask, their picture will be sent to the authorities so that they can take quick action and the individual will receive a notification to wear a mask. The Face Mask Detection System will also monitor employees without masks and will send them a reminder to wear one.”

UPES student awarded scholarship by world’s largest funding organisation for int’l exchange of students

Date: August 13, 2020

Sachit Bhasin is an alumnus of B.Tech. Mechatronics, class of 2015-2019, UPES School of Engineering. He is currently pursuing his M.Sc. in Green Electronics, a joint course offered by NTU, Singapore and TUM, Germany. Sachit received the coveted scholarship by DAAD, Germany, the world’s largest funding organisation for the international exchange of students and researchers, for his excellent academic performance in the summer semester. Talking about the scholarship, he said, “I’m currently pursuing my thesis with Micron Semiconductor, Singapore, in their Technology Development department. My journey from UPES, Dehradun, to NTU, Singapore, has been a life-changing experience.”

Speaking heartily about his journey and the decisions he took, Sachit continued, “Unlike a lot of students, I had charted out a rough but realistic path for myself when I was just 15-years -old. Pursuing my masters was a well-informed decision. I knew I had to strengthen my resume, not just academically but also in co-curricular activities. I was fortunate enough to have gotten admitted to UPES where equal importance is given to academic excellence and extra-curricular activities, and the faculty supports and guides you through the diverse curriculum.”

UPES offers a plethora of opportunities for students to grow and develop their holistic personality, Sachit added, and receiving a scholarship from the university was another high point in his academic path. “In my first semester at UPES, I was awarded a scholarship/fee waiver for exceptional results in my 12th standard. From there on, I went on to optimize all the opportunities provided by the university. I was part of various societies and helped organise several events.”

While talking about the inspiration behind applying for the master’s course in NTU, Sachit said that he swears by the phrase: You miss 100% of the chances you don’t take. He added, “I did not have high expectations of getting into such a prestigious university, but at the same time I had nothing to lose. The day I got the acceptance letter was one of the happiest days of my life. Studying in NTU has been a culturally enriching and humbling experience. I am currently one of the top rankers in my batch and a contender to receive the prestigious DAAD scholarship for the second time.”

For Sachit, UPES has been a springboard in his life. “I entered UPES as a studious child,” he added, “but came out as a student with achievements in every sphere of life and with the confidence to achieve much more. I cannot thank UPES enough for building my life and making me what I am today.”

Tech company confers Best Intern Award on UPES student

Date: July 31, 2020

Pre-final year student, Anuj Litoriya, pursuing B.Tech. Computer Science at UPES with specialisation in IT Infrastructure has bagged the ‘Performance par Excellence’ award as an intern at Pune-based BugendaiTech company for his excellent contribution in Data Science projects from April to June via work-from-home mode. His mentor, Mr. Ankit Vishnoi, faculty at the UPES School of Computer Science, said, “Anuj worked on multiple Data Science projects. One of the most crucial ones was controlled text generation using Natural Language Processing and Deep Learning. He implemented multiple algorithms such as Naive Bayes, Random Forest, Logistic Regression, SVM and Adaptive Boosting, with more than 91% accuracy. Despite working from home for the internship, he gave a 100% to his work and was appreciated and awarded for the same.”

Talking about his experience, Anuj remarked, “As I had an interest in Machine Learning, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (AI), and work experience on a Machine Learning project, I was actively seeking an internship in the field of Data Science. An opportunity dawned when my placement coordinator, Mr. Ankit Vishnoi, asked me for my resume and offered to apply in the company named BugendaiTech for the position of React Native and Data Science. I was selected for the React Native Developer profile, and later I was informed that I would be working on both profile projects. I, at once, said yes to the learning opportunity.”

He further added that from the first day itself, he had decided to follow every norm, attend every meeting and perform every single task, and give his best in both the profiles during the learning session. “After seeing my work,” Anuj said, “the mentors decided that I will be good for the Data Science profile. I also got the opportunity to work on a real-time project in Data Science. I worked for more than 12 hours a day on my skills as well as the project. My mentor trusted my skills and gave me another real-time project, and this time it involved clients as well. I gave it my best.”

Anuj explained that learning HTML and CSS was the beginning of his interest in programming. He said, “During my second semester, I started learning about web development, and I topped in the third semester. This got me my first internship in web development. Further, I took up Java and began developing a deep interest in coding. The study continued with android development. I soon completed certification in Java for Android, which landed me a second internship with an independent project in android development.”

UPES student bags UniPi merit scholarship of 14,000 Euros

Date: July 22, 2020

A final year student from the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, UPES, got through the Master’s Program in the University of Pisa and Virginia Tech. Samridh Patial from B.Tech. Aerospace (Avionics), class of 2016-2020, shares his journey of getting selected for the program in Space Engineering. An ecstatic Samridh said, “After my junior year, I was determined to pursue my Masters in Spacecraft Propulsion. Dr. Sudhir Chaturvedi helped me connect with the faculty and alumni, guided me with the admission procedures, and provided me with required recommendations.”

Talking about his inspiration, Samridh explained, “I have been fascinated by aircraft since my schooling days. I always wondered how these aircraft were able to fly and how it felt to break the sound barrier. These questions led me to pursue engineering in the Aerospace domain.” Pursuing his B.Tech. degree in Aerospace Avionics from UPES helped him gain academic excellence in the area. Samridh said, “The experience helped me develop the skill-set to encounter real-world problems in this domain. Since my freshman year, I had my interest in research projects in Astrodynamics and Propulsion, but actually working on one seemed out of reach to me in the beginning. Thanks to our course curriculum, we have proper blend of academic courses with design projects which helps us gain exposure to various ongoing research topics.”

The faculty at UPES, he further added, are open to new project ideas and helping students, both academically and in extra-curricular activities. Samridh informed, “My teachers helped me represent our design teams in various international competitions. Under the mentorship of Mr. Zozimus Dinesh Labana, I represented Team Agastya in the AIAA DBF competition in Wichita, Texas, and under the mentorship of Dr. Gurunadh Velidi, I had the opportunity to present our country and university in the Singapore Space Challenge. Similarly, I worked on a research project under the guidance of Dr. Rajesh Yadav and Ms. Ashlesha Boldavelu on the effect of cavity on NACA airfoils which was represented in the prestigious AIAA Scitech Forum 2020. These all opportunities and experience helped me build connections and gain an edge in my research base along with academics.”

Samirdh’s mentor, Dr. Sudhir Kumar Chaturvedi, Faculty, School of Engineering, helped Samridh Patial achieve his career goals by guiding him through the admissions process and providing him the required recommendation. “Under guided process,” he said, “I was not only able to secure admission in Master’ Program in Space Engineering, but also bag a merit scholarship.”

An ecstatic Samridh thanks his alma mater UPES for the unconditional support and mentoring. He said, “With all the hard work and guidance from my teachers, I was fortunate to land the UniPi merit scholarship of 14,000 Euros. Overall, these past four years in UPES helped me have a redefined outlook of the engineering domain and look forward to an amazing career.”

UPES student bags internship at Phoenix Launch Systems, Las Vegas

Date: July 13, 2020

Robin Singh, a final year student of Aerospace (Avionics) Engineering, batch of 2016-2020, has recently grabbed an internship at Phoenix Launch Systems. The internship comes under the aegis of Aerospace Research and Engineering Systems Institute, Inc. (ARES Institute).  Robin said, “I led the Optical Communication 1U CubeSat project named ‘Calypso’ which is scheduled to launch in Low Earth Orbit before the end of 2021”. The project was mentored by Mr. Matthew Travis with 20 years of experience in the aerospace industry. Mr. Travis has worked at the National Centre for Supercomputing Applications and developed the world’s first graphical web browser, NCSA Mosaic.”

Robin further explained how he developed interest in this field of study. “Along with subjects such as Satellite Communication, Orbital Mechanics, Space Science and Space Environment, my interest in CubeSat grew while I was working with Open Cosmos as an Academic Ambassador; a pioneer space system developing company in Oxford. Gradually I developed interest beyond books and the classroom as well.”

Robin was also a part of the Team Astral in the year 2017, as a payload designer. This experience helped him gain practical knowledge. “It was a great experience,” he said, “working with my teammates and our student advisor Dr. Zozimus D. Labana. I mentored Team Astral for Annual CanSat Competition 2020 organised by American Astronautical Society and sponsored by NASA. The team set an epitome of tenacity and secured seventh rank globally.”

“Tracing the trajectory that led to this plum offer, Robin added, “Industrial exposure in the CubeSat sector along with international contacts in the space industry helped me grab this wonderful opportunity. I would like to thank Dr. Sudhir Joshi, Head of Aerospace Department, for his constant support throughout my journey, which helped envision my goal. I remember when I stepped in the campus for the very first time and Dr. Sudhir Chaturvedi motivated our batch and said, “One of our alumni is currently working at ISRO, is anyone of you willing to do the same?”, and that ignited a spark in me.”
He believes that one should never get disheartened by failure because it is a part of success and be persistent in one’s efforts.

UPES students create an automated sanitizer machine with limited resources 

Date: April 24, 2020

UPES students never fail to rise to an opportunity, even amid a crisis. Yet again, they have made the university proud. A team of two final year computer science students have created a fully automated sanitizer machine using limited resources. The team included Mayank from B.Tech., CS (Graphics and Gaming) and Kshitij from B.Tech., CS (Internet of Things). Explaining the multifaceted functions of the invention, Mayank said, “This machine can do wonders in times of a global health emergency, where social distancing is the need of the hour. It solves several purposes apart from sanitization. The machine can be used to distribute masks and medicines to those under treatment or quarantine. It can also be used for patrolling containment areas to identify defaulters. Prototypes have already been used in the United States of America, China, and Russia. India can also implement this technology to deal with the crisis and protect our first line of defence.”

This fully automated sanitizer machine is a practical idea and can be produced even in a limited budget, informed Kshitij. He added that this was not the first fully automated machine that they have made as a team. “Before this, during our tenure in college, we made 3D books for nursery children and an electronic Electrocardiogram machine for heart patients”, he said. 

The prototype is made up of household trash including batteries, motors, water pumps coupled with microcontroller and sensor chip. When tested, the machine rendered successful in the very first attempt. Although limited resources posed a constraint to Mayank and Kshitij, an improved model can be of great help during these unprecedented times. Mayank further added, “I would like to thank the UPES faculty and staff for their constant support in providing us with high-quality education and a rich learning experience.”

UPES team shortlisted for the ‘I Innovate’ challenge

Date: April 03, 2020

The students of UPES once again brought laurels for the university through their problem-solving innovation. Team ‘Retrofit’ comprising of 4th-year Mechanical Engineering students, Aviral Singh, Sambit Sarkar, Mohit Khatri and their Faculty Mentor, Mechanical Department, School of Engineering, Mr. Prashant Shukla, was shortlisted for the grand finale round of ‘I innovate’ challenge, at KPIT Sparkle 2020, Pimpri Chinchwad College of Engineering, Pune. The team showcased its market-ready product – a side-view retrofit camera system, useful for all the automotive segments. The purpose behind this product is to eliminate the blind spots in the side-view and rear-view mirrors by using cameras and display techniques. Incubators and evangelists were enthralled with the idea and are still in communication with the team.  

Ravi Pandit, Chairman, KPIT Technologies said, “The mobility ecosystem is evolving, and it needs skilled talent to cater to consumer demands. With our solid reputation as a technology disrupter for the automotive industry, KPIT is strongly positioned to contribute as a creator of new-age talent in the mobility ecosystem. KPIT Sparkle facilitates the academia and the industry to join forces and promote innovation with solutions led by new talent.”

KPIT Sparkle is an innovation platform that nurtures, mentors and supports aspiring entrepreneurs, students from the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) streams and connects them with incubators in the ecosystem to transform their inventive ideas into viable products. It also encourages and facilitates students to secure intellectual property for their solutions. Under its aegis, ‘I innovate’ challenge received more than 3000 ideas from over 20,000 students across 1000 colleges in India.”

Faculty mentor, an elated Mr. Prashant Shukla, said, “The showcased idea was the outcome of real incidence. Most of the four-wheeler users face the challenge of driving with broken side-view mirrors and/or overtaking a vehicle, which is running with folded sideview mirrors. It was a great team effort, which resolved such a serious road safety issue with a simple and affordable solution.”  Mr. Shukla added, “The developed solution is a market-ready retrofit kit, which can be implemented in any kind of 3-wheeler or 4-wheeler or multi-axle vehicles. I would like to thank UPES and KPIT Sparkle for providing such a big platform to display our idea among industry experts and incubators. Very soon, our solution will be certified through a regulatory authority and launched into the automotive market.”

Dr Anil Kakodkar, Chairman, Rajiv Gandhi Science and Technology Commission, and former Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission, was the guest of honour at KPIT Sparkle 2020. Dr Unnat Pandit, program director, Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, and Dr Anita Gupta, Adviser and Associate Head (Innovation & Entrepreneurship), Department of Science & Technology (DST), were special guests at the event. 

For Sparkle 2020, KPIT collaborated with: 

• The Centre for Innovation Incubation & Entrepreneurship (CIIE), IIM Ahmedabad

• Incubation Cell, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mumbai

• Science and Technology Park, University of Pune

• Bhau Institute of Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Leadership

• College of Engineering Pune, Aartech (AIC), one of the first corporate Atal Incubation Centres established under the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM)

• Sandip Incubators (AIC) 

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  UPES’ Centre for Aviation recognised as Centre for Excellence by IATA for the Second Time

Date: Mar 26,2020

For the second time in succession, Centre for Aviation (a division of UPES) has qualified as a 2019 South Asia Top Performing Authorised Training Centre (ATC). This recognition makes it a Centre of Excellence for training in the domain for two consecutive years. It was earlier accorded the same recognition in 2018. International Air Transport Association (IATA) has conferred this recognition upon the Centre for Aviation at UPES, based on the professional capabilities exhibited in terms of the number of students enrolled, attaining higher graduation rate and successive growth in enrolments.

The achievement brings with it an increased exposure through the IATA web page to the students. The Centre shall be recognised on several social media platforms of IATA and shall be able to use the Regional Top Performer logo.In partnership with IATA, the Centre for Aviation runs a course for its students called the IATA International Travel & Tourism Foundation Course. Spanning over 13 modules, this course enables students to understand key concepts such as travel costing, time zones and their significance, different currencies, travel insurance and the like. It is aimed at imparting knowledge of the general working environment of the travel and tourism industry, besides calculation of restricted and unrestricted fares, both one-way and return trip.

Dr. Neeraj Anand, Head of the Department, along with his team comprising Faculty of the Department of Transportation Management (School of Business), facilitated the association with IATA. Expressing his satisfaction about the immense benefits this association brings to the Bachelor and Masters students of the department, Dr. Anand says, “I hope students will keep doing well, not only from BBA Aviation but also BBA Tourism and Hospitality. I congratulate and thank the students who have already graduated and are doing so well in the industry.”

UPES and ULaw hold talks with Sri Lanka PM on educational reforms 

Date: Mar 25, 2020

UPES announced today that the Chairman of its promoting body Hydrocarbons Education and Research Society (HERS), Sharad Mehra and Professor Andrea Nollent – Vice-Chancellor and CEO of The University of Law (ULaw) met with the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, H.E Mahinda Rajapaksa, to discuss structural reforms and opportunities in education in their country. 

UPES was granted an audience with Sri Lanka PM along with several senior government officials to present the university’s initiatives in the higher education space, including academic collaborations, industry-immersive initiatives, student exchange programs, and research & development. Sharad Mehra, Professor Sampath Amaratunga - Chairman of University Grants Commission (UGC), Professor Andrea Nollent – Vice-Chancellor and CEO of ULaw, and other representatives of ULaw held talks with H.E. Mahinda Rajapaksa and exchanged their views on imparting world-class education to the students.

Elaborating on his meeting with the Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Sharad Mehra said, “We, at UPES, had the honor of being granted an audience with the Sri Lankan government and their PM to discuss the work our institution does. As part of our student exchange program, UPES hosts students of multiple nationalities every year on its campuses, leading to a vibrant environment and enriching experiences. We look forward to exploring opportunities to collaborate with Sri Lankan institutions and the government.” Professor Andrea Nollent, Vice-Chancellor and CEO of ULaw, said: “The meeting was an excellent opportunity for ULaw to showcase the work it does to the Sri Lankan government’s top officials and His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa himself.”

UPES is committed to providing its students with an excellent, tech-driven learning experience and the much-needed global exposure. The university recently partnered with Coursera, the world’s leading online learning platform, to give its students free access to over 3,600 courses from renowned international universities. In February 2020, UPES launched ‘Shakti’, an initiative to empower women across the whole spectrum - from classroom to boardroom - and announced a 25% scholarship exclusively for female students enrolling at the university in 2020.  

The Bluegrass Journeymen visits UPES

Date: Mar 12, 2020

The University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun, hosted American band The Bluegrass Journeymen (TBJ) for a performance at its Bidholi campus recently.  The event was organized in collaboration with the US Embassy in India. Besides their regular tracks, the eight-piece band also sang Bengali Bluegrass songs. Their infectious music held the audience in thrall as the band’s lead Patrick Fitzsimons belted out a Bluegrass version of Shah Rukh Khan’s iconic romantic song ‘Tujhe Dekha To Ye Jaana Sanam’ from his magnum hit Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995). The crowd also got to enjoy country, old time, jazz, swing and plenty of other influences blended in their tunes.

The band line-up included the band’s founder Patrick Fitzsimons on the mandolin and vocals, Billy Cardine on the Dobro Resonator Slide Guitar, Shaun Nicklin on the banjo and vocals, Andrew Conley on the cello, Coleman Smith on the violin/fiddle, Summers Baker on the guitar and vocals, and Jean-Luc Davis on the bass. Also accompanying the band was Kolkata-based artist Nabanita Sarkar on the Ukulele and vocals, and the band’s manager Elliot Siff.

Bluegrass music has roots in traditional English, Scottish and Irish ballads and dance tunes, and African-American blues and jazz. It was developed in the 1940s in the United States region. This genre derives its name from the band Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys. Instruments like banjo, mandolin and fiddle are an integral part of the Bluegrass genre.The Bluegrass Journeymen is a collective of musicians from and around Denver, Colorado, with an aim to present traditional American Bluegrass Music to the world. They visited UPES as part of the US Embassy’s ‘Building Bridges through Bluegrass’ initiative.

The Embassy delegation was led by Catherine Fischer, Public Diplomacy Officer for the Embassy’s North India Office, and her colleague Robin Bansal, Cultural Affairs Specialist with the same office.The event concluded with a vote of thanks by (Prof.) Dr. Ajay Prasad, Head of Computer Applications, School of Computer Science, UPES.