Nilharsh Patoliya
(25020542118)
Event 1 - Workshop Series
Nilharsh Patoliya
(25020542118)
Event 1 - Workshop Series
"AI for Rural Empowerment" Workshop Series
Objective: Reduce the urban-rural technology gap with AI to address rural challenges
(example: agriculture, healthcare, education).
Format:
Phase 1: A virtual ideathon (2 weeks) in which groups of teams submit AI based solutions for rural issues
for example illness detection in crops, or other solutions for rural problems.
Phase 2: An in-person hackathon at a partner village (3 days) to help groups of teams to prototype
solutions with mentoring from IEEE experts.
Phase 3: A pilot implementation with local NGO's followed by a showcase at Sidtm.
Target Audience: engineering/management students, IEEE members, rural innovation professionals and
NGOs.
Expected Outcomes:
5 deployable AI prototypes (example: apps that detect crop disease)
Skill development in ethical AI, and sustainable technologies.
Long-term partnerships for scalability of the solutions
Opportunities to collaborate:
IEEE Special Interest Group on Humanitarian Technology.
State departments of agriculture i.e. Maharashtra Agro
NGO's such as Digital Green and Pratham.
Event 2 - Symposium
Symposium: "Blockchain for Transparent Governance"
Objective: Educate students about the use case for blockchain as a means of increasing transparency in
the public-sector domain (voting, policy making).
Format:
Morning: Panel Keynotes by government representatives and the IEEE blockchain expert speakers.
Afternoon: Hands-on labs (example: building simple smart contracts), case-study discussions, etc.
Evening: Panel debate around the ethical implications; co-moderated by faculty from SIDTM.
Target Audience: Tech and management students, policymakers, social entrepreneurs, IEEE Young
Professionals
Expected Outcomes:
100+ Registered participants educated/trained on blockchain fundamentals
A policy white-paper that is co-authored with IEEE
Projects student-led submissions to the IEEE journals
Potential Collaborations:
IEEE Blockchain Initiatives
Government agencies (example: NIC Maharashtra)
Industry partners (example: Polygon - India-based blockchain company)
Event 3 - FMCG Accelerator
"AI-Powered FMCG Accelerator: From Shelf to Supply Chain"
Objective: Equip students with AI/ML skills to solve real-world FMCG challenges (demand forecasting,
personalized marketing, sustainable logistics) while fostering industry-ready solutions.
Format:
Phase 1: Industry Immersion Week
1. FMCG Deep Dives: Workshops by Unilever/P&G experts on sector pain points.
2. Tech Bootcamp: Hands-on sessions with PowerBI for sales analytics and supply chain
optimization.
Phase 2: 72-Hour AI Sprint
1. Teams tackle corporate-sponsored challenges.
2. Mentorship from IEEE data scientists + FMCG ops leaders.
Phase 3: Boardroom Pitch
1. Teams demo AI tools to FMCG CXOs; top solutions fast-tracked for pilot testing.
Target Audience: SIDTM MBA/tech students, FMCG analysts, supply chain startups, IEEE Data
Engineering members.
Expected Outcomes:
1. 3-5 deployable AI tools (example: dynamic pricing algorithms, waste-reduction dashboards).
2. Industry adoption: Winning solutions piloted with partner FMCG firms.
Collaboration Opportunities:
1. FMCG Giants: Nestlé, Dabur, or ITC for datasets/challenges.
2. Tech Partners: Microsoft (Azure AI), NielsenIQ (retail analytics).
3. IEEE Groups: Computational Intelligence Society + Council on Electronic Design Automation.
