Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research (WeSchool) has collaborated with NASA International Space Apps Challenge as an academic partner for conducting the national-level hackathon for the states Maharashtra and Karnataka virtually in the first week of October. The e-inaugural witnessed over 800 participants and respective institutes from Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana.
In the ninth edition, the international hackathon invited participant such as coders, scientists, designers, storytellers, makers, builders, technologists, and others in cities across the globe. The participating teams engaged with NASA’s free and open data to address real-world problems on Earth and in space.
Space Apps Covid-19 Challenge 2020, had over 20,000 participants from India in the pre-qualifier round and 100 groups (each group of 4-6 participants) contested in the national-level hackathon from across different states in India.
Student achievements
Two groups from WeSchool were shortlisted in the national top ten. These groups will get a chance to visit the ISRO post-pandemic.
WeSchool's Team 'The Clifton' led by Shreya Palande, PGDM, Batch 2019-21, under the theme 'Sustaining the planet for future generations', proposed a web portal with a gamification approach to sensitize the impact of climate change on the user's immediate surroundings.
Another team 'Game Changers' led by Saaransh Malik, PGDM Healthcare, Batch 2019-21, WeSchool under the theme of ‘invent your own’ challenge suggested a senior citizen-friendly mobile digital platforms offering toll-free number, website, and a mobile application for order and delivery of essential services to senior citizens residing alone and are facing challenges during this pandemic.
Driving functional knowledge
Prof UdaySalunkhe, Group Director, WeSchool, addressing the participants, said “Emerging technology is not only an enabler but a game-changer. WeSchool is delighted to host the NASA International Space Apps Challenge which invites — tech and non-tech students to create, inform, connect, and inspire others to make a difference. Through this open innovation platform, WeSchool aims to advocate technology-related hackathons among the student community to promote innovative use of data to solve real-time problems on earth and in space. The learning outcome of this initiative will drive functional knowledge enhancing their competencies.”