Contests galore at Kurukshetra

[dwarakesh]

CHENNAI: Kurukshetra 2009, the annual techno-management festival organised by students of the College of Engineering, Guindy, will be held from January 21 to 24. Students of more than 350 colleges are expected to gather for the technical and management contests, besides workshops and guest lectures.

Prize money worth Rs.1.2 million is at stake at the event, which is being conducted under the patronage of UNESCO. With wind power major Vestas India as lead sponsor, the event will host a two-day energy conclave, with experts discussing economical and eco-friendly ideas to deal with the energy crisis. The event's showpiece contest is Vestas Innovation Challenge, in which participants will develop a solution or device to convert the available wind into power in order to provide additional energy to a self-contained island prone to strong winds for half-a-year.

The other innovative events include Prof Challenge, in which students will don the role of teachers and explain complex concepts to the layman, and GodSpeed, in which racing aficionados will design and race their own Radio Controlled IC engine car on a multi-terrain track. Xceed, the robotics event, includes contests such as Robo Soccer and Line Tracer. It received a good response at the nationwide prelims. In Alcatraz, participants assume the role of prisoners escaping the prison island, armed only with a series of pseudo-clues. The Business Quiz, raking up facts about corporate histories, mergers and acquisitions, is open to the public.

The guest lecture list includes such eminent personalities as John C. Mather, NASA senior astrophysicist and winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics, M. Annadurai, ISRO scientist and Project Director of Chandrayaan, Nasscom chairman Ganesh Natarajan and Boeing India vice-president Naveed Hussain.

Workshops will also be held on various topics such as entrepreneurship, open source, GPS, robotics and math. The animation workshop will be handled by Oscar nominee Brian Jennings, who created the visual effects for 'Man on Fire' and 'Dasavatharam.'

Kurukshetra 2009 also features exhibitions such as the Vintage Auto Show that will showcase the machines of yesteryear, and Inspiring India Exhibition that will highlight the inventions of ancient India.

Registrations are mandatory for all events. Visit www.kurukshetra.org.in for details.