As a part of IISF 2020, CSIR-CEERI organised the Students Engineering Model Competition (SEMC) & Exposition, in association with Vigyan Bharati Rajasthan during 23-24 December 2020. The SEMC control room was established at CSIR-CEERI Jaipur Centre for coordinating this event. SEMC has been part of IISF for three years and has been quite popular since its inception. The event aligns naturally and strongly with the core objectives of IISF by providing a platform for the students to showcase their innovative ideas through working engineering models under various themes.
After pre-screening by the Jury members, the top hundred entries were invited to exhibit their models through the virtual portal of IISF during 23-24 December 2020.
The IISF-SEMC event was spearheaded by Dr P.C. Panchariya, Director, CSIR-CEERI and Dr Meghendra Sharma, Secretary, Vigyan Bharati Rajasthan. The IISF-SEMC team also organised several Curtain Raiser ceremonies from 3-19 December 2020 for celebrating this festival of science with national fervour and for propagating the message of IISF. The SEMC team was also closely associated with the webinars and outreach activities organised by various institutes. Numerous luminaries, academicians and administrators delivered inspirational talks during these outreach programmes and inspired the online audience.
Each year Vigyan Yatras are also organised as part of IISF outreach. This year the Yatras were also conducted in virtual mode. The West to Delhi leg of the Vigyan Yatra was named Homi J. Bhabha Yatra, and it arrived at Jaipur on 19 December 2020.
The SEMC & Expo was inaugurated on 23 December 2020 by Honourable Minister of State for Education, Communications and Electronics & IT, Shri Sanjay Dhotre. Shri Dhotre highlighted the firm determination of the current government to encourage traditional enterprises and institutions together with the start-ups. He urged the scientific community, teachers, entrepreneurs along with the start-ups and investors to visit this mega virtual event and join hands with the participating talent to enhance and develop their innovative ideas into successful products that can be the means of effective technological interventions for the problems of the society.
In his keynote address, Prof. Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairman of All India Council for Technical Education, highly appreciated Vigyan Bharti Rajasthan and CSIR-CEERI for organizing this mega-event. He stressed the importance of such programmes to inculcate scientific temperament in the country. He strongly opined that the models in IISF-SEMC, as noticed by him over the years, are of very high quality and expressed his belief that rest of the models enlisted in this competition would also be of high standards.
Other dignitaries, such as the guests of honour, Prof. Sandeep Sancheti, Vice-Chancellor SRM University, Dr R.L. Raina, Vice-Chancellor JKL University, Sh. Rakesh Chopra, CMD, Rajasthan Electronics Instruments Limited, Sh. V.P. Rathi, TEMPSENS Instruments and Sh. K. Vikram Rastogi, Stone consultant, conveyed their wishes for a very successful event and appreciated and thanked the competitors for their participation. Prof. Sancheti, who also chaired the National Jury of SEMC-2020 said that only 100 models had been shortlisted in the competition.
Sh. Omkar Rai, Director General, Software Technology Park of India, explained the relevance of events like IISF and praised the youth of our Nation and also pointed out that this event provides a platform for the youth to showcase their talent.
At the beginning of the event, the Director of CSIR-CEERI, Dr P.C. Panchariya welcomed the honourable chief guest, key-note speaker and guests of honour and all other dignitaries in his welcome address and wished every success to this event. Dr Meghendra Sharma, National Coordinator, SEMC & Secretary, Vigyan Bharati Rajasthan briefly explained the outline of SEMC to the guests and dignitaries, as well as to the students who were digitally connected to this event. Dr Lakshman Singh Rathore, Vice President, Vigyan Bharati and Ex-Director General, Indian Metrological Department extended the vote of thanks.
The model creators explained their innovative models through presentations, demonstration and responded to the queries by the Jury. The winners were selected and their names were announced at the end of the Valedictory session of SEMC on 24 December 2020.
Hon'ble Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, was the chief guest of the valedictory ceremony. He recalled that former President of India, the great scientist and Bharat Ratna, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, used to lay heavy emphasis on developing scientific temperament among students. He also highlighted the great contribution of Maharishi Aurobindo and Swami Vivekananda for nation-building. He re-emphasised that development of scientific temper among the students is of utmost importance, because only by inculcating this temperament amongst the youth, new industries, MSME and start-ups will be developed in the country to achieve self-reliance. Shri Meghwal, while outlining the new National Education Policy in his address, stressed that the events like Hackathon and IISF are very important for discovering new talent.
In his presidential address, Dr Lakshman Singh Rathore lauded the youth power of the country and highlighted the relevance of festivals like IISF in the country. Underlining the Chief Guest's address, he said that such events provide a platform for the youth to showcase their talent.
On this occasion, Dr Mrityunjay Mohapatra, Director General, India Meteorological Department; Dr Nakul Parashar, Director, Vigyan Prasar and Shri V.K. Sharma, Director, MSME Development Institute, Jaipur delivered their Keynote addresses and congratulated all the winners. The founder Chairman of Arya College of Engineering and IT, Shri Anurag Aggarwal was present as a guest of honour on this occasion. He congratulated the winners and their respective institutions and motivated them to move ahead by setting goals for the future.
