Vertical Ventures!

ISTE student chapter of our campus hosted TANTRA, a national-level technical fest during 27, 28 February and 1st March 2026. Many technical events and competitions were held as part of the event. 

The student members from our department contributed to the tech fest by hosting an exciting structural design competition titled Vertical Ventures. This event was designed to challenge students’ engineering creativity, structural intelligence, and teamwork. 

The competition was conducted in the auditorium, where participants were tasked with designing and constructing a tower using ice-cream sticks and glue, within specified dimensions, capable of carrying the maximum possible load while maintaining aesthetic appeal. The competition emphasized precision planning, structural stability, innovation, and smart engineering design.

A total of 15 teams, including participants from other institutions, took part in the competition. Each team consisted of four students who collaboratively designed and constructed their towers using the materials provided, while adhering to the specified constraints. 

The load test of the models were conducted using the Universal Testing Machine (UTM) in our lab. The evaluation was carried out based on three main criteria: the vertical  load-carrying capacity of the tower, its aesthetic appearance, and compliance with the specified design requirements.

The event was coordinated by Ms. Annmariya Babu (S8 CEA)  and Ms. Ananya Ajith (S6 CEA) and the models were evaluated by Dr. Asha Joseph and Ms. Reshma Prasad, faculty members from our department.

 
The competition featured an attractive prize pool of ₹10,000 and  the prizes were distributed by renowned playback singer Mr. Sachin Warrier, our alumni. Mr. Adwin Antu, Alwin Pauly, Arjith Manoj and Govind K (S6 CEA) bagged the first prize worth Rs. 5000. 

Vertical Ventures turned out to be a thrilling experience for the participants, providing them with an opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge to practical structural challenges, while also fostering innovation, teamwork, and engineering excellence. 

The event successfully demonstrated how creative design combined with sound engineering principles can lead to structures that truly stand tall under pressure.

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Dr. Asha joseph, Professor, CE