TechFest 2008 - Asia's Largest Technology Festival

Come January 25th and IIT Bombay shall be a hub for all the aspiring engineers of the country. A confluence of students, academia and the industry, Techfest has something to offer for people of all age groups, students of all departments and professionals from all sectors. Having already established itself Asia’s Largest International Science & Technology festival within a decade, one can expect it to get bigger and better. This year at Techfest events have primarily been classified into Competitions, Lecture Series, Workshops, Exhibitions, Ozone and Technoholix.

Lecture Series provides a platform for students to interact with eminent personalities from all across the globe. The popular lecturers which are going to be held this year include a talk on the history of Wikipedia will be delivered by the founder himself, Mr. Jimmy Wales. Dr. Rajendra Pachauri (Chairman, IPCC) will discuss the issue of climate change via a video conference. Other speakers include Mr. Robert Kahn (Father of Internet), Mr. Blaise Aguera y Arcas (Architect, Microsoft Live Labs), Prof. Henry Schaefer (Director, Centre for Computational Chemistry, Univ. of Georgia), Dr. Dinesh Keskar (Vice President, Boeing) and Prof. Slyvester James Gates, Jr. (Director, Centre of String and Particle Theory, Univ. of Maryland). Apart from these popular lectures, interactive lectures catering to niche audiences will also be held. They will cover topics like nanotechnology and bio-medical engineering.

A panel debate on Free Software, Open Source Software and Proprietary Software will also be held at Techfest. The debate will touch issues such as differences between the different forms of software, collaborative development of software and financial structure of Open Source Software. The elite panel will consist of Mr. Jon ‘maddog’ Hall (Executive Director of Linux International), Mr. Atul Chitnis (Founder of FOSS.IN), and Mr. Venkatesh Hariharan (Head of Open Source Affairs, Red Hat, India).

Every year Techfest presents a unique collection of exhibits from across the world showcasing the recent breakthroughs in the field of science and technology. Exhibits from The Royal Society’s Summer Science Exhibition will be displayed once again at Techfest after the overwhelming response they received last year. The exhibits include eco-friendly color changing paints, a study on spinning objects that defy the laws of physics and an interactive calculator in the form of a classroom whiteboard amongst others. Cutting edge research carried out by students and professors of IIT Bombay will also be displayed alongside. The exhibits will range from anti-malarial drugs to wireless communication for agriculture. The most advanced robotic hand in the world will be showcased at the exhibition venue.

A variety of competitions with their unique problem statements form the backbone of Techfest and witness fierce competition from students coming from all corners of India and abroad. This year Techfest has four international competitions namely Full Throttle: Grand Prix, Micromouse, Pixel and Blitzkrieg with total prize money of USD 3500. Participants from Sri Lanka, Dubai, Iran and USA have already confirmed their participation. In a unique first a complete section of competitions called Life 2.0 is devoted to technologies that will promise a ‘better life’ to the future generations. Various exciting on-the-spot events like Junkyard Wars and Jack of All Trades will add to the plethora of competitions happening at Techfest. With a total of more than 25 competitions prizes in excess of a whooping 15 lakh can be won. Apart from the regular events many new and exciting events like aero-modeling show, SciTech: Inter Collegiate Quiz Challenge and BarCamp will also be held during Techfest.

After a day full of competitions and workshops, Technoholix brings together art and technology to provide three action packed nights. Special troupes from Switzerland, Israel and USA will perform for the first time in India at the Open Air Theatre of IIT Bombay. The shows that will be performed include Lumen, a show which fuses techno-juggling with 3-D projections to put forward a visual treat. Pyromania from Israel is an adrenaline pumping, fast paced show that combines pyrotechnics and acrobatics to convey a story. The grand finale for Techfest will be provided by Laser Floyd, a show brought specially from USA. Multicolored lasers programmed to the tunes of Pink Floyd will fill the foggy air with a psychedelic haze.

With an expected footfall of more than 30,000 students, Techfest 2008 promises to be bigger and better than ever. Come and join us in this celebration of technology from the 25th – 27th of January. For further information please visit www.techfest.org

Media Contact:
Parasvil Patel,
Manager, Media,
Techfest 2008,
IIT Bombay.
Phone No. : +91 98696 98764
Website: http://www.techfest.org