IIT Ropar team wins IIT Roorkee's Power System Cybersecurity Hackathon 2024

NEW DELHI: Recently, IIT Roorkee’s Power System Cybersecurity Hackathon 2024 was concluded with a two-day event including innovation, collaboration, and technical excellence. The hackathon focused on finding innovative solutions for securing power systems from cyber threats, the official IIT Roorkee statement said.

The event was hosted by the Department of Water Resources Development and Management (WRD, M), and Centre for Sustainable Energy at IIT Roorkee, in association with iHub DivyaSampark and THDC India Limited.

Participants from across IITs, NITs, and various government and private institutions across India, reflected a broad spectrum of talent and expertise, the IIT Roorkee statement added.

Power System Cybersecurity Hackathon spanned over a month and a half. Participants were tackled various rounds of online scrutiny. Ten teams were shortlisted from among the highly competitive entries, showcasing the best of innovative cybersecurity solutions. The final phase of the hackathon took place on October 14-15 at IIT Roorkee.

Power System Cybersecurity Hackathon 2024

The ceremony featured a book titled ‘Research Metrics of Hydro-Electric Systems Group of WRD&M Dept.’ by the guests highlighting research accomplishments of the Hydropower Simulation Lab (HSL) and Power Electronics and Hydroelectric Machines (PEHEM) Laboratories.

The top three team winners were recognized for their outstanding contributions, with prizes awarded by Professor Deepak Khare, chief guest and dean of Finance and Planning at IIT Roorkee. Professor Khare delivered a speech emphasizing the national importance of cybersecurity in the power sector.

The hackathon concluded with the announcement of the winners for their remarkable efforts.

• Winner: Subal Beura and Amit Kumar from IIT Ropar, received a prize of Rs 40,000.

• First Runner-Up: Shewtank Agarwal and Ashish Kumar from IIT Roorkee, were awarded Rs 25,000.

• Second Runner-Up: Prabhat Kumar Vidyarthi and Sugandha Kumari from NIT Patna, won Rs 16,000 as prize.

The ceremony was commenced by professor Thanga Raj Chelliah, Hackathon Coordinator and Head of WRD&M began the ceremony with a welcome speech. He spoke about the importance of cybersecurity in protecting the nation's critical infrastructure. He also highlighted how such initiatives can drive innovation and strengthen the power sector.

Following this, Professor Soumitra Satapathi, head of CFSE, introduced the participants to the Centre for Sustainable Energy's ongoing research activities and encouraged collaboration on future projects in the field of cybersecurity and sustainable energy.