SOURCE : HINDUSTAN TIMES | PUBLISHED : 2 AUG 2024

Three girls students from BT Shahani Navin Hind English Medium School, Bhavani Peth, who had represented India at the Robotex International Championship 2023 held in Tallinn, Estonia, held a display of their projects at their school on Thursday which was attended by Mercedes Soria, US Consulate General Mumbai.

Soria held an interesting exchange with the students, where she explained diverse viewpoints on the impact of AI on society, girls’ education and its future growth trajectory.

The students who come from low-strata society have been learning robotics and coding under Robotex India’s programme “Girls Who Build Robots” funded by Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) partner BMC Software.

Arti Chavan and Ambika Thakore, Class 9 students, explained that they learned different nitty-gritty of how technology can be used for river cleaning activities. Their project “ River cleaning board with Smart App ’ was widely appreciated in Estonia.

“The NGO helped us build the project which is aimed at reducing and checking water pollution. The project has given us a much-needed boost to prepare for better versions than the existing ones in the future through which we can solve citizens’ problems,” they said.

Another Class 10 student Deepali Salve also participated in the international championship in Estonia where she showcased her project on the theme “Four layer authentication system,” aimed at preventing vehicle thefts.

“The project has been designed in a way which will prevent thefts of car spare parts and unauthorised access to any vehicle. I have learnt about how to install a surveillance camera, feed authentication details and many other finer nuances of the project which will be very helpful for my future,” she Salve.

During her address, valuable insights were shared by Soria on the topic ‘Green innovation: using technology to fight climate change and save our environment’ which instilled confidence and encouraged the students.

“The girls are lucky to be exposed to AI and emerging technology at such a young age and in a city which values STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education,” said Soria.

Soria praised the industrious spirit of the female students who devised robot solutions for simple everyday needs like fire extinguishers and corn-based ethanol cars to save the environment. “Nothing is impossible for the students learning AI so responsibly,” she said.

SOURCE : HINDUSTAN TIMES | PUBLISHED : 2 AUG 2024