With a vision to expose students of Dronacharya College of Engineering, Gurgaon to various facets of entrepreneurship, an Entrepreneurship Awareness Camp (EAC) was organized at the college campus from 10th to 12th August, 2016 in association with Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI), Ahmedabad under DST-NIMAT Scheme. The three day camp was organized to cover various aspects of entrepreneurship.

DAY 1: 10/08/2016

On the first day of EAC a guest lecture was organized for students of CSE, EEE, ECE, CSIT and ECS branch. Mr. Anish Saini from Global Tech Training and consultancy services was invited as the guest for expert talk. He has done specialization in Networking from YMCA University, Faridabad and guided many students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels for industrial projects. Mr. Saini started with an inspirational quote that Entrepreneurs believe in making a new chance. One needs to follow his dream with innovation and technology to be a successful entrepreneur. With the emphasis on technology the talk gained its pace with “Internet of Things (IOT)”. Earlier, the Internet was invented with a vision to connect people at distance and now technological advancements have made it possible to connect things that are distant which is termed as IOT. The focus has shifted towards dynamic global network infrastructure. Renowned companies seek for employees with experience in the field of work, who could be replaced by a fresher with dedicated and hands on training. Therefore it mandates the future technocrats to work with projects that expose them to technological advancements. The applications of IOT are widespread in industrial automation, smart heaters, smart home, smart grids and many others.

One of the key learning platforms for IOT is the Raspberry Pi. It is a popular platform as it offers a complete Linux server in a tiny platform for a very low cost. It was developed in UK in 2009 and was initiated by Eben Ubton. The project was supported by University of Cambridge computer laboratory and Broadcom. Usage of Raspberry Pi is increasing as it is small in size and consumes less than 5V power. There have been three models of Raspberry Pi i.e. Model A, Model B and Model B+.

A DHCP server can also be created using a Raspberry pi for home and small offices. There have been many projects with Raspberry Pi like Pi Face, Raspberry Wall mounted, Pi pad, Pi Phone, Google web server, low cost high definition surveillance camera.

The expert talk enlightened students with concept of Internet of Things and how raspberry Pi is used in implementing it.

DAY 2: 11/08/2016

On the second day, 69 students from Dronacharya College of Engineering, Gurgaon attended “TECHINDIA 2016” 6th International Exhibition, which is based on Engineering and Manufacturing, at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.

The main agenda for the visit was to make students witness the exhaustive range of innovation and technological refinements in the products segments of pumps, valves, compressor, bearing and other allied sectors. The exhibition had a lot of working models on display, which not only grabbed the attention of everyone but also give a lot new ideas that could be undertaken innovatively and come up with better projects for students. The exhibition showcased the latest advancement and technological development in the field of Engineering and Manufacturing. The exhibition even involved active participation from various international companies. The officials of different countries also briefed about the significant working of their models along with the working of the every component present in the models and how it could have effect on the productivity rates if any of the components were replaced.

The exhibition was highly knowledgeable and enlightened students about many new concepts. The students were also able to seek valuable suggestions by interacting with various company officials and also discussed about what’s lined up in the near future in the field of manufacturing. The company officials even evaluated the project ideas of the students and stated the commendations as well as the recommendations for the same. They encouraged the students to experiment with new ideas in the projects which may lead to a whole new innovation.

This healthy discussion with experts of various domains ended up with lot many apt solutions along with feasible rectifications that could be undertaken to enhance the productivity of the projects. The students also got a chance to explore various sources of investments & funding. The visit was organized to bring the students in direct touch with practicing entrepreneurs.

DAY 3: 12/08/2016

On this day of the camp the students were engaged in interactive activities. The event was attended by students from various engineering branches. Nishant Kumar (17096) started the presentation by introducing the aspects of entrepreneurship. He signified how thinking differently could enable one to be an entrepreneur and manage a startup with innovative ideas. The only way to be successful in life is to start working on our dreams, plan, analyze and keep on trying to the climb the ladder towards being successful. He then talked about stories of entrepreneurs who have became victorious with their aims like Asif Khan Dehlvi of Delhi Karawan and Mr. Yogesh Saini from Delhi Street Arts.

This was followed by a “Business Plan Activity” in which the students were divided into groups of 5 and were asked to make a plan for business with innovative ideas. The activity was done because the process of making choices is important for anyone to learn how to write a business plan. It was to make them think of themselves as business owners, to dream about their success, and to talk about ideas. This included stimulating students to think about the processes of business. It can reinforce skills that are being taught to them in math, communications, art and computers.

The business plan is a tool that is designed to help students find and explore opportunities. When the teams proposed their ideas to the classroom they were asked a number of questions about their products and services, which segment of the society they focused upon, where the business will be located, how customers will be attracted, strategies to face the market competition, factors affecting the price of the product or services, how the managers and workers will be organized, profit splitting, amount needed to start the business and many others. Business Plan Activity was one tool that was used to provide learning experiences that open students to the opportunities in their own community.

Entrepreneurship Awareness Camp was a platform to expose students to different aspects of entrepreneurship, including opportunity guidance, services offered by agencies of support system etc.

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