KOSMORENA 2021

Kosmorena is an annual event organized by SEDS Club of KCT to celebrate Space Week in order to create awareness about space science among school and college students. The event connects the students and enhances their skills to bring out the creativity in them through various insightful talks, webinars and other exciting events. Kosmorena’21 is a 7-day event from 04 to 10 October 2021 with four tech talks, two project webinars, one workshop, and a career guidance program that focuses on the advancement of technology in the space sector. The aim of the event is to provide the students with all necessary skills to build their career in space science.  Around 1350+ participants participated in this event.

Tech Talk 1: 

The first session of Tech talk on Guidance on Spacecraft Swarm was conducted to enhance the enabling teams of spacecraft robots to autonomously perform the complex task under uncertainty using tools form. Dr.Yaswanth Nakka, post-doctoral researcher, Caltech University, USA, served to be the speaker. During the session, he spoke about the space robot’s guidance and navigation system and the ways to calculate and determine the location algorithms. In continuation to that, he also spoke about the control and orbital placing of the spacecraft and the obstacle avoidance techniques used for space robots with the working proof of the projects they are currently carrying out. Finally, the session ended up with the subsystems used in space robots and thrusters that are used in the project. 

Tech Talk 2:  

The second session of the Tech Talk was on the Role of NASA Flight Controller in Human Spacecraft by Mr. Abbhinav Muralidharan. He started his talk by sharing his insights about Artemis-1. He then gave a description about the part of the flight controller in NASA and about Artemis 1. Further, he explained his role in NASA’s Johnson’s Space Center. He explained about the Flight Director who is the decision-making authority and about flight controllers and followed by front and back rooms along with the Plan Train Fly (PTF). He also shared about flight controller training and astronaut training. He also informed the participants about the flight controller training flow and flight control. He also shared the key “soft” skills of flight controllers and the risks involved.  

Tech Talk 3:  

The third session in Tech Talk series was Communication System Design for Satellite by Prof.Mahadevan, Scientist, ISRO / Professor, ECE Department, PES University, Bangalore. He started his speech by describing the importance of a communication system in satellites. Then he described the working of the transmitter, receiver, and antenna. He also spoke on uplink and downlink. He also described every part in transmitter and receiver. He gave a brief note on the other communication systems used in many other antennas and their applications. 

Tech Talk 4:  

The last session of the Tech talk series was on Our Universe from Quarks to Quasars by Mr.Rishabh Naakra, Physicist and Founder of “Secrets of Universe.” The participants were all astonished to know that how our universe evolved and how the quarks came into existence. He also took them through the theory of the Big Bang, aftermath of the bang, and how the evolution of our universe was split into four stages. The participants were fascinated by how the trillions of stars were categorized into seven by Annie Jump Cannon. He concluded the session with a quote saying that from twinkle-twinkle little stars to stars of the hot magnetic ball of plasma we all grew up and finally the session was open for questions. 

Career Guidance:  

The space career guidance was conducted to provide insightful guidance and to clarify all the doubts to set a well-defined path for the career in space. Ms.Nikhitha C, Co-Founder and CEO of the Society for Space Education, Research and Development served to be the resource person. She shared her experience to the participants, and then she continued to explain about the branches in aerospace and the fields that are in the space domains such as Space Scientist, Space Engineer, Space Lawyer, and Space Medicine. She also spoke about the non-space domain scholars who became astronauts and the ways to become an astronaut.

MATLAB Workshop:  

The session on MATLAB Workshop was conducted by Mr.Vinayak Desh to provide a clear view of Rocket Flight Dynamics and Guidance Navigation Control. He shared and explained the five points to be focused on as the reason for learning MATLAB. The first application is Rocket Flight Dynamics. He explained this along with the theoretical values of a generic launch vehicle. He also shared interesting points about the configuration parameters in Simulink and flight gear which is built-in with Simulink. He then explained the working of the open-source flight simulator. He also explained the codes used in the simulation. He shared some of the commonly used blocks and about the Aerospace block set. He also gave some illustrations. Later, he explained the Ports and Subsystems in Simulink. Following this, he started explaining the second application which is Missile Guidance and Control. He explained the proportional Navigation system. Then he explained the complete simulation with different event views and then about the guidance law, and finally, he gave a little recap on the complete simulation and about the debugging of the codes.  

Webinar 1:  

The first session of the project webinar was on CubeSat in collaboration with Team ENISAT of SEDS CELESTIA. This was conducted as a two-day session on 9 & 10 October 2021. The first day of the session covered the basic systems involved in CubeSat and the components involved in CubeSat like thrusters, ADCS, etc. This session also covered the basic design of the satellite and the params considered in designing the outer structure. The second day of the session started with a welcome note and our Chief Guest Mr.Abdul started explaining EPS and its working, application, and its components. He also explained some of the major challenges faced by CubeSat and its power production. The session was then taken over by Mr. Kaustubh. He explained the communication system, its applications, working, and objectives. Then Mr. Paurush explained about the On-Board Computing and its requirements, and its architecture, and he described the hardware and software components.  

Webinar 2:  

Day 2 of the project webinar was in collaboration with Team Ardra of SEDSVIT on Autonomous Drones. It was indeed a splendid session where the speaker walked the participants through the basics such as Types of Aerial Systems, the flaps and wings, and how they generate thrust. Then the session continued with the types of motors and batteries that are to be used in drones. The participants were also informed about the factors that affect the drone’s weight and flight. Finally, a brief description of the electronic speed control, Ground control stations, and the Telemetry Communication between the drone and ground control station was given.  

The young budding space aspirants got complete guidance through the Space Career Guidance Program. The overall motive was to enhance the skills and enrich the knowledge of the participants.  

ICAECA 2021 

Kumaraguru College of Technology organized IEEE Sponsored International Conference on Advancements in Electrical Electronics Communication Computing and Automation, ICAECA2021, jointly with Kumaraguru Institute of Agriculture on 08 & 09 October 2021. The conference featured plenary talks and invited papers by distinguished researchers and technologists and special sessions on agriculture automation and women in science and technology along with panel discussion on Women Economic Empowerment towards Sustainable Development. 

Department Events 

Is your wardrobe robbing our planet? 

The Department of Fashion Technology, KCT, organized a Guest Lecture on “Is your wardrobe robbing our planet? – Implementing sustainability in a business model” on 04 Oct 2021 which focused on sustainability and how fashion industries can measure or quantify the sustainability of their products. The Chief Guests were Mr.Saravanan Parisutham, Co-Founder/ Chief Operating Officer and Mr.Ganesh Natarajan, Project Management Lead, TrusTrace. Mr. Ganesh Natarajan discussed about how the production of fashion goods is leaving tremendous carbon footprint due to the proliferation of technology in fashion industry in the recent past. The impact of fashion brand on carbon emissions on environment was presented and the UN’s enactment to reduce the carbon by 2030 was highlighted. Improvement on awareness of water, ozone depletion, fashion brands under regulatory laws and behind the scenes in fashion brand including complexity of all suppliers were described. The production change, consumer awareness to promote sustainability and operation change in fashion business like getting to know the direct & indirect suppliers, collecting evidence and proof of compliance, transparency between brands and suppliers in production and distribution were discussed during the session. The team also briefed on the value process of cotton fashion products, agents, traders, material suppliers, etc., and the way for a sustainable development through transparency, sustainability footprint, knowledge of product specific information and details of fashion brands. In the last phase of the lecture, Mr.Saravanan Parisutham shared his thoughts on sustainability and how his company provides solutions to enable conscious consumerism and responsible production. The guest lecture provided exposure to students on one of the largest industries, the Fashion Industry which has a complicated supply chain and how it impacts the assessment of sustainability of fashion products.  

Space Tech – Talk Series 

The World Space Science Community is celebrating World Space Week during the first week of October every year to observe the milestones in space exploration. The theme of World Space Week for the year 2021 is Women in Space in commemoration of Valentina Tereshkova, who became the first woman in space on 16 June 1963. The Department of Physics, School of Foundational Sciences, KCT, celebrated the world space week in association with Vigyan Prasar from 04 to 07 October 2021. Space Tech Talk Series was organized for Faculty, Research Scholars and the students by inviting the experts from ISRO, DRDO, IIST and Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre. Also, various competitions such as quiz, ideathon and photography was conducted for both school and college students with cash awards. On the first day of the event, Professor T. K. Sundaramoorthy, Former Mission Director, Indian Space Research Organization, provided an insightful talk on Indian Space Program evolution and its future. He also elaborated about various missions accomplished in India. Professor Sarita, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, IIST, delivered a session on stars and its clusters, galaxies with many unknown facts on the second day. Dr.Ramiya, Assistant Professor, Department of Space, Indian institute of Space Science and Technology, Trivandrum, handled the session on Eyes from space, elucidated remote sensing, geospatial images and applications on the third day. On the final day of the event, an expert talk was given by Dr.B.Valsa, Former Deputy Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram, on the topic Women in Space – way forward. She shared her experiences during her role as assuring the Quality of the GSLV MK3 M1 Launch vehicle which was used to launch the prestigious Chandrayaan 2 Mission and her contributions in Mars Mission. She explained about the contributions of women in aeronautics and avionics.

Improving the Essential Computer and Life Skills of Government School Children  

The Department of Computer Applications, KCT, conducted an Outreach Programme titled Improving the Essential Computer and Life Skills of Government School Children on 09 October 2021. The resource persons were Ms.S.Vallikala, Student Counsellor, KCT, Dr.R.K.Kavitha and Dr.W.Jaisingh, Assistant Professor [SRG], MCA, KCT. Ms.Vallikala discussed on the topic Adolescence – Boon or Bane? where she provided valuable insights on how to face adolescence, the importance of knowing the self, needs and expectations of others, self-control of emotions to combine oneself with the world. Following that Dr.R.K.Kavitha discussed about the basic rules for Internet Safety and gave useful tips and suggestions on how to safeguard ourselves from internet scams, cyber bullying, and staying safe online. Finally, Dr.W.Jaisingh gave insights on the topic Useful Online Resources for School Students. Exposure on web resources was also given. After attending the programme, the students were able to understand the basic computer and life skills required for a successful life.

International Guest Lecture on Invitro and Invivo approaches to Nanotoxicity 

The Department of Biotechnology, KCT, conducted an International Guest Lecture on Invitro and Invivo approaches to Nanotoxicity on 11 October 2021. The Chief Guest Dr.Antony V Samrot, Senior Lecturer, MAHSA University, highlighted about invitro and invivo approaches to evaluate the nontoxicity of the materials, higher animal models and lower animal models that can be used for toxicity studies and also discussed with research outcomes from these fields.  

Explainable AI 

The Department of Computer Applications, KCT, conducted a webinar on Explainable AI on 13 October 2021. The resource person for the session was Dr.Viswanathan V, Professor, School of Computer Science and Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai. During the session, he introduced the concept of Explainable AI to the participants. Concepts related to machine learning, neural networks and need for XAI was explained. Concepts were explained with a case study followed by a demonstration using Python and LIME. The participants were able to understand the latest concepts in AI during the session. 

Sustainability in Engineering

The Project Based Learning Framework of KCT, School of Foundational Sciences, conducted a session on “Sustainability in Engineering” under the aegis of Scholastic Talk Series on 13 Oct 2021. The resource person Ms.Radhika Amashi, Assistant Professor, Centre of Engineering Education Research at KLE Technological University, Hubballi, threw light on Sustainable Development, Sustainable Leadership Matrix, Carbon Footprint Calculation, Life Cycle Analysis and Principles of Engineering in Sustainable Development.  She also demonstrated on how to calculate the carbon footprint during the session.  It served to be an eye-opener for the participants to carry out sustainable engineering projects efficiently.

Club Events 

Jungle Snap  

In commemoration of Wildlife Week, Nature Club of KCT conducted a webinar titled Jungle Snap on 06 October 2021. This webinar was conducted through Microsoft Teams. There were 30+ participants for the event. This webinar mainly focused on wildlife photography. The speaker of the webinar was Mr.Wewin Pandian J, Wildlife Photographer. He started his presentation with some basics in photography, tools, techniques, tricks and shared his personal experience on wildlife photography. This webinar gave an overall view about wildlife photography, future opportunities and career to the participants. 

WEB-O-FIT 

During these pandemic days, we were more anxious, less patient and our motivation was at an all-time low. To motivate students towards fitness, Runners Club of KCT conducted a webinar titled WEB-O-FIT on 09 October 2021 through MS Teams. The speaker for the session was Mr.Dheeraj Kumar, KCT Alumnus, Mr.Universe and International Men’s Physique Athlete. The webinar gave an insight about the career in fitness, the truth of some myths, journey from his schooling to fitness model, and provided a clear idea about the supplements and diet nutrition. The session was interactive where participants asked their doubts about fitness. The session helped them to connect with others and guided them to maintain a balanced diet.

Bike Around the Equator  

The Road Safety Patrol in association with Rotaract Club of KCT organized an event titled Bike Around the Equator on 09 October 2021. Rtn.Fedricks John, Director, EVPm and Site Head at Person, as well as a Harvard Business School Exec. Ed. Alumni, and a member of the NASSCOM National SME Council-Institute of Directors, was invited as the Chief Guest for this event. Mr.Dharanivel, III-year Electrical and Electronics Engineering Student, who is a dedicated motorcyclist and the youngest person to receive an award from the India Book of Records and Kalam’s World Records for lengthy trip while travelling solo on a motorcycle, was also invited as a speaker. They shared their experiences including how they first became interested in riding motorcycles, what were the challenges faced by them, how they intended to ride a motorcycle from one country to another, and how they reached their destinations. Participants were enthralled by their discussion and bombarded the speakers with questions and their experiences as well.

Oddity 

HAM Club of KCT organized an online event titled Oddity on 09 October 2021. This event was about finding the odd one out in the given questions. The event link was shared to the participants, where there were a set of 20 questions that are related to electronics. The participants were asked to choose the odd one out from the given questions.  There were around 60 participants for the event. The winners were awarded with cash prizes. 

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