Considering the fact that societal problems are one of the major concerns of future Engineers, the Tomorrow’s Engineers Club (Engineering Solutions to Societal Problems) of MVJCE, in association with IIC & IQAC, conducted a 3-day Workshop on Creative Thinking, Innovation and Problem-Solving’ with the Theme ‘Waste Management, at Seminar Hall 5, MVJCE, from 17th to 19th April, 2023, between 10:30 am and 3:30 pm. The main objective of this Workshop was to provide a platform to students from all the disciplines to work together, utilize the skill sets of each discipline, think out-of-the-box, and present solution ideas to various open-ended societal problems that are present in our surroundings. 101 students from various Engineering disciplines participated in the Workshop. 10 interdisciplinary groups were formed, each group identified a societal problem, and presented a solution idea.
The inaugural function was graced by Dr. M. Brindha (Vice-Principal, MVJCE) and Dr. P. Mahabaleswarappa (Principal, MVJCE).
Day 1 (17.4.2023)
The Faculty Mentors for the 1st day of the Workshop were Prof. Jeeva B (Assistant Professor, ECE Dept.) and Prof. Muralidhara R (Associate Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering). The session started with a brief introduction to the Workshop by Prof. Muralidhara R, who gave a brief outline on creative thinking, innovation and problem-solving process. Following this, Prof. Jeeva B highlighted the role of Engineers in solving various societal problems.
The 10 interdisciplinary teams then presented open-ended problems.
Group 1: SES BIN
Group 2: Production of fertilizers using fruit peels
Group 3: Paper Recycling
Group 4: Noise absorbing materials using Agro waste products
Group 5: Garbage Monitoring App
Group 6: PISZZIBUS
Group 7: Domestic Thermal insulation using sugarcane composite
Group 8: Production of Biofuel using algae
Group 9: Production of Concrete bricks using marble waste
Group 10: Generating Electricity using Plastic waste
Day 2 (18.4.2023)
The Facilitator for the 2nd day of the Workshop was Prof. Jeeva B.
The second day of the Workshop started with a brainstorming session on the identification of the issues around us, by Prof. Jeeva B. Through this session, the participants understood the importance of a systematic approach to solving a problem. Following this, the student teams were asked to find the solutions for the open-ended problems chosen by them. The teams then presented their solutions to the Faculty Mentors.
Day 3 (19.4.2023)
The Facilitators for the 3rd day of the Workshop were Prof. Jeeva B and Dr. Sunil Shankar (Associate Professor, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering).
A lecture on ‘Types of stakeholders and their importance in problem-solving’ was delivered by Prof. Jeeva B. Dr. Sunil Shankar explained how to set an objective and an action plan to implement the proposed idea, and to finally create a market-ready product. After this, the teams were asked to identify the stakeholders for the problem chosen by them. The team members then explained the importance of the stakeholders, in the context of their problem.
Outcome:
Students gained awareness on the thinking skills that have to be applied, for improving their solution ideas. They also understood the importance of thinking out-of-the-box, instead of following the traditional approach to solve a problem.