The University of Engineering and Management (UEM) turned into a space for innovation with Ureckon, their annual techno-management conclave. This year, the event drew more than 50 colleges, and they projected a footfall of 16,000 visitors over two days.
Organised by undergraduate students, the event had volunteers running about with walkie-talkies. Participants clutched their prototypes and laptops, and applause erupted intermittently from auditoriums, punctuated by the whirr of motors and competitive banter.
Innovation unlimited
Teams hovered over control panels, recalibrating sensors, tightening bolts, and discussing last-minute strategies.
“Efficiency matters as much as correctness,” shared Ankur Mukherjee, a coding contest participant from Sister Nivedita University. “In industry, an algorithm that works is not enough. It must scale. I enjoyed participating in this fest with my teammates.”
The intellectual centrepiece of the fest was the innovation project showcase, where ideas gestated in classrooms confronted the test of public scrutiny. One of the most discussed exhibits was MedVision AI, created by Ditipriya Laha, Priyanshu Chandra Sarker, and Pritim Mondal of UEM. Their system reimagined the pharmacy workflow.
“The software reads handwritten prescriptions, compares vendor prices of medicines to optimise for affordability or delivery speed, schedules follow-up consultations, and reminds the patient via Google Calendar,” said Priyanshu.
A few aisles away, Saheli Ghorai and Samaresh Kundu presented an AI-powered smart kitchen safety system to detect gas leaks and modulate ventilation automatically. “Safety mechanisms are typically reactive, but we are proposing a system that anticipates danger,” said Saheli.
Game for gaming
The gaming arenas throbbed with spectacle. The BGMI (Battlegrounds Mobile India) tournament drew hundreds of spectators whose cheers ricocheted off the walls. Harshdeep Singh, the e-sports caster and gaming content creator better known as Sardarji YT, was invited as the chief guest. “The scale and enthusiasm here is brilliant,” he said. “What stands out is the hunger of the players.”
Parallel to this, the Valorant tournament featured 16 teams of five players each. “The emotional spectrum in this game is enormous; the excitement and the disappointment are equally intense,” said one of the event heads, Ankit Mukherjee.
Photography, quiz, non-fire cooking, and a plethora of other non-technical events offered interludes. Visitors also flocked to the selfie corner.
Abhinandan Das, a member of the gaming task force, explained that preparations for this event commence soon after the Pujas every year. “With colleges and independent teams travelling from all over the state, logistics demand foresight,” he said. “Each year the event grows, and with it our responsibilities.”
saltlake@abp.in