Mysuru:  The Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering (VVCE), has constituted ESPIN – Electrical Students Project Inventory Network to provide a platform for innovative idea presentation, project development and presentation skills. As part of ESPIN, the Department had organised a 24-hour “State-level Hackathon” on “Save farming, save forest and save India” recently.

The main objective was to identify problems through the event “Ride for a Cause” which was held in October this year where students interacted with farmers of Nanjangud, Gundlupet and Bandipur and got an idea about challenges and problems. In continuation with this, the Department organised hackathon in order to find suitable solutions.

It was basically an event where problems are defined and specific time is given to students to come up with solutions. The solution may be in the form of hardware modules, software simulation or oral solution. This event provided a platform for students to enhance thinking capability, project building ability and communication.

The event was inaugurated by VVCE Principal Dr. B. Sadashive Gowda and the chief guests were organic farmer from Hunsur P.P. Thammaiah and Researcher, Agriculture and Environmental Sustainability M.K. Kailas Murthy. 

Speakers focused on topics like role of engineers in manures, fertilisers and biocides, land sealing, soil degradation, water resources degradation, Irrigation and power supply system, protection of machineries, challenges of lack of electro-mechanisation, agricultural marketing, scarcity of capital and engineering as the enabler for existing agro eco systems. 

Students were given 24 hours to develop the solution and they came up with hardware modules, software modules and electromechanical systems. In all, 16 teams consisting of 64 participants took part in the event from various colleges. Entrepreneur and alumni of VVCE Nuthan Prasanna provided technical assistance to the teams.

Guests for the valedictory were Dr. M.R. Ranganath, Professor, Smart Academy, Bengaluru and B. Sagar, Renewable Energy Consultant and Founder, Greenyuga, Bengaluru.