Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) is all set to host the 26th Edition of Shaastra, one of the largest student-run Tech Festivals in India, from 3rd to 7th January 2025.
Entirely managed by students, this massive event has over 750 students of IIT Madras working in various organizational roles. This ISO 9001:2015-certified festival will feature a lineup of 80 events, 130 stalls, and an expected footfall of over 70,000 across five days. Shaastra celebrates science and technology through competitions, summits, lectures, exhibitions, and workshops.
Addressing a Press Conference on the campus today (30th Dec 2024) to announce Shaastra 2025, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “Organizing a massive event like Shaastra inculcates valuable traits in students like management skills, commitment, responsibility and the ability to work in large teams towards a common purpose. Further, IIT Madras students gain valuable exposure through such national events as many Government agencies, industries, corporate firms, startups and entrepreneurs besides eminent personalities are invited to participate in the event. The students learn how to interact and deal with all of them.”
Further, Dr. Balaji Ramakrishnan, Director, National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), which is one of the collaborators of Shaastra 2025, said, “NIOT is proud to support Shaastra 2025, IIT Madras, as it aligns with our vision of fostering innovation and encouraging young minds to address real-world challenges in technology and ocean sciences. This collaboration provides a unique platform for knowledge exchange between academia and NIOT's expertise, enabling collaborative research and skill development in cutting-edge fields such as AI, robotics, and sustainable ocean technologies.”
Dr. Balaji Ramakrishnan added, “By engaging with a premier technical event like Shaastra, we aim to inspire the next generation to explore solutions for sustainable ocean exploration and climate resilience while promoting STEM careers that advance India's technological and scientific capabilities. This partnership underscores our commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals and highlights India's vision of becoming a global leader in ocean technology and development.”
There are multiple tech events being held for the first time including:
Shaastra Aerial Robotics Challenge: Involves autonomous drone delivery. Drones autonomously navigate a geo-fenced area to locate a target and drop a payload accurately, demonstrating their programming and sensor capabilities.
RoboSoccer: This event will feature teams presenting their custom-designed robots in competitive soccer matches. Demonstrating advanced programming and strategic gameplay, these robots will exhibit impressive skills, including dribbling, passing, and scoring
Algo Trading: It offers a unique platform for participants to design and implement trading algorithms. Teams will compete on the AlgoBulls platform, showcasing strategies in an event that merges coding and financial acumen.
Petri-dish Challenge: The event involves identifying an unknown bacteria through a series of rigorous laboratory experiments. The wet lab competition is being conducted for the first time in Shaastra, taking place in the laboratories of IIT Madras Biotechnology department, sponsored by NIOT.