Classrooms are facing forced closure due to Covid-19 that has paved the way for online education.
Using this as an opportunity, a Muscat-resident and some enthusiastic students of Netaji Subhas University of Technology (NSUT) Delhi formed a team to explore space technology and its benefits by participating in the prestigious CanSat competition.
The team, co-led by an Indian student from Muscat, made a mark in the competition by reaching the finals and achieving world rank 2. The competition is organised by the American Astronautical Society (AAS) and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), sponsored by Nasa, Lockheed Martin, Virginia Tech.
Team ‘Gagan’ (pictured), co-led by Dhruv Tewari, an ex-student of Indian School Ghubra, and Vaibhav Sharma comprising other eight team-mates — Tushar, Yogesh, Shivanshu, Khushi, Deshraj, Vicky, Kabir and Piyush — worked under the guidance of faculty in-charge, Prof MPS Bhatia of Netaji Subhas University of Technology (NSUT), and bagged world rank 2.
“The very thought of being able to make something that could transform billions of lives around me, and the power of changing life scenario by writing just a small code, was significant for me. It was very fascinating to me, and that is what inspired my team members and me,” jubilant Dhruv told the Observer.
CanSat is an annual student design-build-launch competition for space-related topics to teach space technology and let the students take their first steps in space. These are worthwhile as they do give students the satisfaction of end-to-end life cycle of a complex engineering project. It tests students’ analytical, creative, decision-making, problem-solving and collaborative skills besides their domain knowledge and expertise.
It also calls for the utilisation of unique skills from different disciplines, which help augment the contestants’ skills.
In the annual competition that is open to teams from universities worldwide, teams have to build a space-type system, following the approved competition guide, and then compete. Reaching the finals as world rank 2 is a massive accomplishment and a reflection that they are the future faces to look for in space research. The team is focusing hard for the finals in June on winning the contest this year.
Dhruv Tewari attended Space School at Houston Nasa in 2014 after acquiring numerous accolades and scholarships across his educational journey and developing his interest in space technology, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and computer engineering. This led him to work hard and secure a seat in of Netaji Subhas University of Technology (NSUT), Delhi, one of India’s leading Engineering Universities.
He did his first training and internship in ML and Data Science with the very prestigious IIT — Kanpur last summer.
He has covered a wide range of future technologies about Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence.
Very recently, as a part of IOSD (International Organisation of Software Developers), he was instrumental in launching NSUTx a cross platform app made by and for the students of NSUT, which facilitates access to information and latest college updates. It turned out to be one of the finest and indigenous IT developments. He is currently a Sophomore B Tech (COE).
“My message to all students in Oman who have interest in computers, Artificial Intelligence, space research would be to keep your Maths strong because Maths is extremely important in this field. In general, for computer engineering, starting with web development would be a good way to begin with.
It worked for me, but you can plan what suits you better. Speaking in a broader perspective for all students, study all your subjects and work hard on your shortcomings. Practice and hard work are the keys to success.
“Strike a balance, study hard but pursue a hobby, read books other than your course. In your free time, do what makes you happy. Don’t hesitate to learn new things or ask questions,” Dhruv leaves a message for his peers.
KABEER YOUSUF
@kabeeryousef
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