Research Quest: Unfold the Mystery

The IEEE Student Branch at Marathwada Mitramandal's Institute of Technology (STB60226400) had organized A College Level Research Competition- “Research Quest: Unfold the Mystery” on 8^th February 2025. 

The idea of this competition was as follows:

• Get a Mysterious Topic
• Do Extensive Research
• Create an Impactful Powerpoint Presentation
• Present the findings of the research

The competition was conducted at Lab C109 Computer Centre from 11.00 AM to 3.00 PM. The total duration given to participants for this activity was 1.5 Hours and the reporting time for the participants was kept flexible from 11.00 AM-1.00 PM.   The participants had to pick a Research Topic from around 40 Topics enclosed in a Mystery Box, work on the research statement, make an impactful ppt and present the findings of the research to the Jury Members.

The competition was open to all the students of the college from First Year to Final Year.  36 students participated in the competition, out of that 14 were IEEE members. The Generative AI tools like Chatgpt and other document generating tools were not allowed and students were encouraged to apply their own thought process and come up with conclusions. The competition was evaluated by Branch Counsellor-Dr Monika Dangore, HOD Computer Engineering-Dr Subhash Rathod, Senior Faculty Member Dr Jayashri Shinde.  The Branch Officers Vedika Mudhliar and Pranav Zadbuke coordinated the activity.

Following are the Winners of the Competition:

Winner: Omkar Kadam (First Year Mechanical) 

Research Question:  "The missing AI Experiment records (late 1980s)" 

Why might key records from early AI experiments have gone missing? Could these lost records have influenced AI development in ways we can’t predict?

First Runner up: Gargi Shinde (Second Year Computer) 

Research Question:  "Burari Deaths"  

How do you think the family’s belief system played a role in creating this chilling mystery? Could there be another explanation for why such detailed instructions were followed?

 Second Runner up: Raj Thombre (Second Year Computer) 

Research Question:  "Sailing Stones of Racetrack Playa, USA" 

How can heavy stones move across a flat desert without human or animal interference? Could there be more to this phenomenon than the scientific explanation provided?

The competition was a brainstorming and intensive learning experience for all the participants.