Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU) Mechanical Engineering students have won the coveted Forbes Marshal Outstanding Project Award 2024–2025. This competition, which honours innovation in engineering and technology projects, saw outstanding participation from the students of SMVDU.
The Forbes Marshal Outstanding Project Award is a prestigious competition that attracts top engineering minds from around the globe. It provides a platform for young innovators to present their projects to industry leaders and gain recognition for their groundbreaking work. This year’s competition saw a plethora of innovative projects, making the achievements of SMVDU students even more commendable. A cash prize of 50,000 INR and 25,000 INR was also declared for the winning and the runner-up team by Forbes Marshal.
Hriday Vasudeva, a standout member of the winning team, played a pivotal role in the project titled “Advanced Analytical Study on the Thermal Imprinting of Polymethyl Methacrylate for the Synthesis of Bulk Metallic Glass Moulds Aimed at Micro Lens Array Stamping.” In order to create bulk metallic glass moulds, this project pushed the limits of thermal imprinting technology by showcasing cutting-edge material science and engineering techniques. The creative method developed by the team has great potential for use in microlens array stamping, perhaps leading to improvements in precision engineering and optics. The project was overseen by Prof. Balbir Singh, School of Mechanical Engineering whose knowledge, guidance, and steadfast support were crucial to the team’s accomplishment. Prof. Singh’s extensive knowledge and supportive nature encouraged the team to investigate novel areas in their research, which greatly enhanced the quality of the project. The Project was carried out under the co-supervision of Prof. Soham Mujumdar from IIT Bombay.
Apart from the winning team, the SMVDU Runner-Up team also left a big impression. Haroon Fayaz, Jasmeet Singh Azrot, Vishal Pandita, and Vishal Samal received recognition for their outstanding project, “Effect of Heat Treatment on 3D Printed PLA (Biomimicking Prismatic Structure of Human Teeth Enamel and Collenchyma Tissue in Plants).” The study demonstrated excellent strength-to-weight ratios and effective packing materials with optimised weight-to-strength properties, offering useful insights for applications requiring strong and lightweight materials in 3D printing. The team’s success was largely due to the committed mentorship and technical direction provided by Dr. Mir Irfan Ul Haq, assistant Professor, SME who oversaw the project. The initiative was successful in large part because of Dr. Haq’s involvement and expertise in 3D printing and materials.
Dr. Yatheshth Anand, Head School of Mechanical Engineering congratulated the students and the faculty guiding the students. Prof. Pragati Kumar (Vice Chancellor, SMVDU) has also conveyed his best wishes to the winning teams and encouraged all students to take up such innovative projects so as to cater to real-world problems.
