UPES students qualify 1st round of tech contest

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 7

Students of the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES) have brought laurels to the state by qualifying in the first round of the innovative technology competition launched by Lockheed Martin Corporation. The UPES is among the five teams which got selected for the event.

The other four teams include IIT, Madras; IIT, Delhi; Delhi Technical University, and BITS, Pilani, Goa.

Lockheed Martin Corporation, world’s largest defense and aerospace company, launched a national-level competition to conceptualise, design and develop a prototype based on roll on/roll off payload system for deployment in disaster mitigation for the Cargo aircraft manufactured by them called “C-130 J Super Hercules Military Aircraft”.

In the first phase, all participating institutes across the country were required to submit their concept note. Only five institutes were shortlisted and invited to present their concept in detail to the jury.

Lockheed Martin Corporation awarded a sum of Rs 15 lakh to the UPES team to facilitate and fund the expenses which the team would be incurring in developing the detailed design of their concept including site visits to Air Force stations, aeronautical research centres etc.

The jury comprised of Dr VK Saraswat – a “NITI Aayog’ member and former Director General of DRDO; Dr SK Sati – Director, ADRD, Agra ; Air Marshal (retd) PK Mehra; Wg Cdr (retd) Rajesh Dhingra; Prakash Sesha – program manager technology and operations with Lockheed Martin and Richard L Cree – senior staff systems engineer for C-130 J at Lockheed Martin.

Dr Ray O Johnson, chief technology officer and senior vice-president at Lockheed Martin, praised the UPES team for their professionalism and presentation skills.

Arun Dhand, Director of Media Affairs with the UPES, said the UPES team comprising 13 students from various BTech streams along with their mentors were now working towards the detailed design of the proposal and would shortly be visiting Hindon Air Base, Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment in Agra and TATA advance systems in Hyderabad.

The detailed design would be presented before a larger Bench of Jury in December 2015. If this team qualifies the second phase, it will be given a financial assistance of Rs 30 lakh to develop the prototype and will also be attached with relevant industries for rendering assistance in this endeavour.