The Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India, and
Bentley Systems, Incorporated today announced that the project
designed by students of Team 1 at the Apeejay School, Sheikh Sarai,
Delhi, has won top honors in the inaugural Future Cities India 2020
competition. The programme, which was launched last year by the
Ministry of Science & Technology and Bentley, is a partnership among
government, universities, and the business community. It encourages
students to use their design skills - along with Bentley's software
for the world's infrastructure - to help prepare India's cities for
the year 2020.
The winning student teams received their awards at a ceremony
presided over by Hon'ble Minister for Science & Technology & Earth
Sciences Shri. Kapil Sibal. "The goal of Future Cities India 2020 is
to focus the attention of India's young minds on the infrastructure
requirements of our country and engage them in the development of
solutions to real-world problems. In doing so, we hope to nurture
budding talent in our great nation, while inspiring the creation of
infrastructure to help us sustain our vigorous economic growth," said
the Minister.
The Minister announced the winning team and said, "In recognition
of their imaginative design and superior work, I am delighted to
present the first Future Cities India 2020 top award to the student
team from Team 1, Apeejay School, Sheikh Sarai. Second-place honors go
to the team from Team 1, Apeejay School, Saket."
Commenting on the team's win and his experiences during the
six-month competition, Ish Goel, Team Leader, Team 1, Apeejay School,
Sheikh Sarai, said, "Future Cities India 2020 has given us a great
opportunity to serve our nation, our India. The initiative taken by
the Ministry of Science and Technology and Bentley is absolutely
fabulous as it gives us the required practical exposure that makes us
different from others. The competition helped bring out our innovative
ideas.
"To tackle a real-life problem was not easy," he continued. "But
under the guidance of learned people from Bentley and all our beloved
teachers, we were able to complete our project successfully. Apart
from technical knowledge, this project has taught us teamwork and
dedication. Working with world-class software like MXROAD and
MicroStation was a tremendous experience. We have already started
feeling like engineers and architects."
Fifteen student teams representing eight high schools participated
in the competition. Their challenge was to design a roadway between
the Lakshmi Nagar and Noida Turning rail stations capable of
accommodating the extremely heavy traffic expected during the
Commonwealth Games 2010. The students were guided by teachers and
industry mentors, and all of the projects were designed using advanced
software provided by Bentley. The students' project presentations were
judged by a panel of distinguished experts from the infrastructure
community.
The student team from Apeejay School, Sheikh Sarai, will take its
winning project to the next level of the competition for validation
and refinement by college teams. These college teams will develop more
detailed simulated models of the winning solution, which also will be
judged.
Dr. T. Ramasamy, Secretary, Department of Science & Technology
(DST), congratulated the winning team and appreciated the efforts of
all participating students. "It is one of the most innovative schemes
that the DST has introduced to capture the outside-the-box ideas of
the young for the benefit of society," said Dr. Ramasamy.
Dr. R. Siva Kumar, Head, Natural Resources Data Management Systems
(NRDMS), a Division of DST, which is the sponsor of the programme in
India, said, "The selection of right technologies, right people, and
the commitment to address a common cause are the needs of the hour. In
this competition, young students were provided with the appropriate
tools and the freedom to experiment. The results are beyond our
expectations."
Said Bhupinder Singh, Managing Director, Bentley South Asia, "We
are delighted by the results of the pilot programme in Delhi,
including the enthusiastic response of the students and the quality of
their projects. The pilot programme's success means we and the
Ministry of Science & Technology can go forward with our plan to turn
Future Cities India 2020 into a national competition.
"Through this programme we hope to engage the minds of thousands
of students across India and apply their creative imaginations to the
vast infrastructure challenges India faces. In addition, the
competition will help foster a wider interest among the young people
of India in engineering professions. India's economy requires many
more engineers to sustain its tremendous growth, and we believe Future
Cities India 2020 is an important step in addressing this need."
Added Scott Lofgren, Global Director of Bentley's BE (Bentley
Empowered) Careers programme, "India isn't alone in its need for more
engineering graduates. The entire world faces a critical shortage of
engineering resources."
He continued, "Future Cities India 2020 is an extension of
Bentley's broader commitment to expose students around the world to
programmes that involve math, science, engineering, and design. The
goals of these programmes, and other initiatives supported by the BE
Careers Network, include encouraging students to pursue careers in
engineering and helping those that do choose this course of study to
graduate with market-ready technology skills."
Future Cities India 2020 was inspired by the U.S.-based National
Engineers Week Future City Competition, which is now in its 15th year
and reaches more than 30,000 students annually. Bentley sponsors the
Future City Competition and also serves as chair of its Leadership
Council. The winning Future Cities India 2020 team will receive an
all-expense-paid trip to this year's Future City Competition finals in
Washington, D.C.
About the Ministry of Science & Technology
The Department of Science & Technology (DST) was established in
May 1971, with the objective of promoting new areas of Science &
Technology (S&T) and to play the role of a nodal department for
organising, coordinating and promoting S&T activities in the country.
The DST has major responsibilities for specific projects and
programmes as listed here: formulation of policy statements and
guidelines on science and technology and coordination of areas of
science and technology, in which a number of institutions and
departments have interests and capabilities; support of basic and
applied research in national institutions throughout the country and
provision of minimum infrastructural facilities for testing and
instrumentation; support of critical technology programmes; support of
autonomous research institutions, whose specialisation ranges from
advanced medical research materials to astronomy; fostering
international cooperation and establishment of special joint
centres/projects; support socially oriented S&T interventions in rural
areas for weaker sections; support knowledge-based and
innovation-driven entrepreneurship development to create
self-employment opportunities; popularisation of science and
technology; providing scientific services in terms of surveying and
maps for defence, external affairs, state governments and several
other developmental agencies through Survey of India (SOI) and
National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organisation (NATMO); providing
meteorological services for agriculture, water resources management,
disaster warning, and civil aviation; and Management of Information
Systems for Science and Technology and Natural Resources Data
Management Systems (NRDMS). The present programme was initiated by
NRDMS, which has a mandate of developing spatial infrastructure, GIS,
and natural resources data collection for social and economic
development. NRDMS, in its initiative to harness young minds' creative
skills to address local issues by way of design, interaction,
communication and spreading awareness, developed the Future Cities
India 2020 programme in India in collaboration with Bentley. More
details about the DST are available at www.dst.gov.in and
www.nrdms.gov.in.
About Bentley
Bentley Systems, Incorporated provides software for the lifecycle
of the world's infrastructure. The company's comprehensive portfolio
for the building, plant, civil, and geospatial verticals spans
architecture, engineering, construction (AEC) and operations. With
2005 revenues of $336 million and more than 2000 colleagues around the
world, Bentley is the leading provider of AEC software to the
Engineering News-Record Top 500 Design Firms and major owner-operators
and was named the world's No. 2 provider of GIS/geospatial software
solutions in a recent Daratech research study. To receive Bentley
press releases as they are issued, visit www.bentley.com/bentleywire.
For more information, visit www.bentley.com. To view a copy of
Bentley's May 2006 Annual Report online, go to
www.bentley.com/May2006annualreport.
About National Engineers Week Future City Competition
Future Cities India 2020 is not affiliated with the National
Engineers Week Future City Competition. The mission of the National
Engineers Week Future City Competition is to provide a fun and
exciting educational engineering programme for seventh- and
eighth-grade students that combines a stimulating engineering
challenge with a "hands-on" application to present their vision of a
city of the future. For details, visit www.futurecity.org.
For more information on Future Cities India 2020, visit
www.futurecitiesindia2020.co.in.
Bentley, the "B" logo, MicroStation, MXROAD, and BE Careers
Network are either registered or unregistered trademarks or service
marks of Bentley Systems, Incorporated or one of its direct or
indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries. Other brands and product names are
trademarks of their respective owners.
