KL Deemed to be University, one of India’s leading private universities, launched its community service program 'Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS)' the innovative program was launched at its Hyderabad branch in partnership with Purdue University, one of the United States' prestigious universities, following the signing of a MoU between the two reputed education hubs.
EPICS, a patented initiative of Purdue University EPICS, is a unique program in which teams of undergraduates are designing, building, and deploying real systems to provide engineering-based solutions for local community service and educational organizations. Aimed at fostering a connection with the local community including villages, KL Deemed-to-be University launched the program to identify the problems faced by the local community and subsequently provide the solutions developed by KL Engineering students, through a detailed survey with the community partners Swetcha, Redcross, and Ekalavya foundation.
As part of the EPICS initiative, a total of 650 KL University students from the B.Tech discipline were segregated into 85 teams to engage with the local community through in-person visits to nearby villages to identify the local communities’ problems across different domains. From agriculture, child education, women empowerment, and transport to sanitation, the thorough survey conducted by students brought different problems being faced by locals to the forefront. At the behest of the information collected by the survey, projects like 'Smart Glasses' for blind people, 'Voice-controlled Home Automation' for old and disabled people, and a Density-based Traffic Control System among others are now in process.
Commenting on the initiative, Er. Koneru Satyanarayana, Chancellor, KL Deemed-to-be University said, “Apart from academic excellence, KL Hyderabad Campus is also a pioneer in community-based activities. Continuing the social service legacy of our founders, we have introduced EPICS. Aimed at bridging the information and technology gap between the urban and rural sectors, the university introduced EPICS as a full-fledged course that also connects the project assessment process phase to deliverables. Through our latest initiative, students would also get an opportunity to not only hone their skills but also do well for society. By identifying the local engineering problems, students can put their knowledge of the course to use and come up with workable solutions in a bid to make the university and locals feel proud. This, in turn, will act as an experiential learning curve for our students to develop real-life solutions for future challenges.”
Upon the successful completion of the initiative, the students will hand over the prototypes to the concerned communities, societies, or government authorities and help the government agencies by providing suitable solutions. Each student would be allotted two credits, as part of the 'Social Internship', after the completion of the project. During this process, all the expenditure which is incurred in creating the prototypes will be borne by the KL Deemed-to-be University.
The occasion witnessed the presence of Prof. William Owakes, Director, EPICS, Purdue University, US, Dr.L.Koteswarrao, Principal, KL Hyderabad Campus, Dr. Kishorebabu, Dean, MHS, Dr.M.Saidireddy, EPICS Coordinator, KLH, Mr.Kanthareddy, EPICS coordinator, India, Dr.M.Goutham, HOD, ECE, Dr.SandeepChitreddy, HOD, AIDS and KLH EPICS in charges and other officials.
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