SHOWCASING TECHNICAL PROWESS
IIT- Roorkee hosted Cognizance, a three-day tech extravaganza where science and entertainment came together under one roof. By Mridu Rai
For three days, from March 21 to 23, 2014 the sprawling campus of IIT Roorkee transformed into a tech haven when the prestigious institute hosted its annual — and one of India’s biggest technology festivals — Cognizance. This was the twelfth edition of the fest and in a bid to encourage innovation, the theme this year was ‘ Imagineering Change’. Cognizance witnessed over 20,000 participants from all over the world who were involved in over 180 events which were held both on- campus and online.
Placing emphasis on the educational, cultural and financial impact of science and technology in our day- today lives, the fest saw a host of interactive demonstrations, hands- on activities and lectures by well- known speakers from the field of science and technology. Popular events at the fest included Armageddon- the ultimate battleground of robots, Aeronave where engineers and aero designers put their technical skills to a test, Silence Calling which focused on game development and Finesse which saw students discussing how to develop a business strategy for nurturing rural- centric occupations.
“This year’s Cognizance provided a glimpse of the future of technology and made an attempt to reduce the gap between researchers and engineers. Students also got an opportunity to acquire new ideas, develop their skills, create networks and interact with some of the world’s great minds,” says Pradipta Banerji, director, IIT Roorkee.
The festival hosted several guest speakers from India and abroad, including Alberto Levy, an internationally renowned technology advisor who shared experiences from his professional career with students and Ravi Sandhu, executive director, Institute for Cyber Security, the University of Texas at San Antonio who threw some light on the methods for protecting the privacy, integrity and functionality of computer and communication systems.
But it wasn’t all work and no play at Congnizance. There was plenty of entertainment in store for students and guests in the form of an electronic dance music night hosted in association with Sunburn Campus, speed painting by Vilas Nayak, winner of India’s Got Talent Season 3, and Hula B Boys, winners of another reality show Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega.