Research and Development Showcase Goes Online

The Research and Development Showcase is an annual event for faculty and researchers at IIIT’s research labs to display ongoing/past projects to the public. The event was held online this year on the 6th of March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was centered around Technology and Social Impact and witnessed over 300 research demonstrations, across 22 research centers. Students were required to submit pre-recorded demos that were presented during the event. The inaugural keynote was delivered by Prof. Ashok Junjhunwala of IIT Madras.

The major highlight of the event was the portal, designed as a virtual exhibition hall for easier accessibility to the viewers. The portal is still live and can be viewed here. What was missing in this year’s edition was a real live component. There were no interactive sessions and the audience wasn’t able to interact with any faculty/ researchers in any way. However, in case of any queries, attendees could mail the students in charge of the project.

The event typically serves as a channel for undergraduate researchers to learn more about the research being done at the different labs. This is typically important for deciding their line of research and advisor for their honors program/masters. The event also plays an important role in interfacing with members of the industry, academia, and the media.