“A Professions-Oriented Gathering over Educational Experience” or APOGEE is the annual technical symposium of BITS Pilani. The 37th edition of India’s oldest college technical fest will be held in the Pilani campus, between 28th and 31st March 2019.
Today, technology takes many forms. And all of these forms are expressed, if not through actual designs, through fiction. In the 60s and 70s, this manifested in the form of a new genre of science fiction, cyberpunk, which was probably best characterised by, “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” From this concept, new ideas and themes began to emerge. From the clear engine-based design of steampunk to the vivid, popping design from the retrofuture. From the futuristic, body-altering nanites of nanopunk to the metallic airships of dieselpunk. Each of these interpretations of design carry with them their own flavour.
And this is what APOGEE-2019 is all about.
With the theme ‘Reality Roulette’, APOGEE aims to appreciate all forms and interpretations of technological design. Be it steampunk in the Victorian era or dieselpunk after World War-I, from the speedy edges of the DeLorean to the futuristic points of the Mach 6, and from Fallout’s retrofuture to Bioshock’s biopunk dystopia, APOGEE-2019 has you covered. Because this time, it’s about all the technology.
APOGEE plays host to the Think Again Conclave, where celebrated personalities come and share their views and work. Some of the past speakers include Late President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, free software stalwart Richard Stallman and Head of Photography, Pixar, Danielle Feinberg. This year’s speakers include, the Codefather Alan Emtage, the only Indian to go to space, Rakesh Sharma, Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Planning and Systems) Lt. Gen S.S. Hasabnis, and Stephen P. Morse, the architect of the Intel 8086 microprocessor. The Think Again Conclave 2019 promises to edify, enlighten and entertain all.
Papyrus Trails, the annual literature festival of BITS Pilani, is also conducted at the same time. Eminent speakers, such as Sheila Dixit, Vasu Primlani and Jayaram Ramesh have presented their views in lecture series and Q&A sessions. This time, the Indian Dan Brown, renowned author Ashwin Sanghi and reputed Indian director Vikramaditya Motwane, of Sacred Games fame, will share their thoughts this year. Papyrus Trails will also play host to a number of events, including ‘A Novel Idea’, where people will be able to buy second hand books by the box, ‘Wheel of Fortune’, a game in which participants solve puzzles related to a randomly allotted category such as games, movies or books, and ’Conspiring Minds’, wherein students will be asked to justify bizarre theories related to popular franchises like Harry Potter or Game of Thrones, among others.
QED, the debating competition and BITSMUN, our own Model United Nations, will play host to a number of participants who aim to convince the audience and judges through their oratory abilities.
The cardinal events of the fest are the paper and project presentations, wherein the leading young minds of India publicly share their ideas and solutions to everyday problems. In 1983, APOGEE was conceptualized as a forum where students could present their ideas to the world and it strives to do the same even today. Another integral part of the fest since its beginning has been its quizzes. With a multitude of quizzes on a variety of topics, APOGEE promises to tickle the minds of even the wittiest amongst us. Some of the quizzes include Overhead Transmission (a general quiz), India Quiz, Business Quiz, Sci-Tech Quiz, Jeopardy (based on the TV show), Dopers’ Quiz, Anime Quiz, and 42 (an astro quiz).
APOGEE also plays host to a number of technically oriented kernel events, like Armageddon, International Coding League, Robots at War, Robo Soccer, Stock Market Simulation, Junkyard Wars, Reverse Engineering, APOGEE Innovation Challenge and the Business Plan Competition. Conferencia de Youth, a youth conference by NSS, BITS-Pilani, will also be held at the same time and will play host to a series of other events.
But APOGEE is more than just a technical fest; professional shows have established themselves as an integral part of the itinerary of the fest. This time, Ritviz, of “Udd Gaye” fame, is set to enthral the crowds as his tunes fill the air. The professional comedy show N2O promises to tickle your ribs, as it features Kumar Varun, and Karunesh Talwar, with a brand new set.