PES University Hosts Kalpana 2026 – “Hack for Humanity” Hackathon

Kalpana 2026, the flagship 9‑hour hackathon organized by the IEEE Student Branch, PES University Electronic City Campus, was held on February 22, 2026 at the MRD Student Centre, PESU EC Campus. With the theme “Hack for Humanity,” the event brought together creativity, technology, and social impact.

The hackathon attracted 220 participants, supported by 20+ volunteers and 6 core organizers, all working across domains such as Healthcare & Telemedicine, Education, Waste Management, Water & Sanitation, Agriculture, Mental Health, and Open Innovation. Participants conceptualized and built AI‑powered solutions aimed at addressing real humanitarian challenges.

The event was overseen by Dr. Farida Begam, Branch Counsellor, and provided participants with meals and refreshments throughout the day, ensuring an energizing and collaborative experience. Students from both RR and EC campuses took part, making the atmosphere vibrant and competitive.

Winning Teams

• First Place – Team Kyuka
  Project: City Resilience Simulator — An AI‑powered digital twin platform for disaster preparedness.
• Second Place – Team Zenith
  Project: DRISHTI — A real‑time environmental awareness and narration system for the visually impaired.
• Third Place – Team CTC
  Project: ML‑powered green corridor system enabling delay‑free ambulance movement through real‑time V2V signaling.
• Best All‑Women Team – Kernel Panic! At the Disco
  Project: Deepfake detection using multimodal architectures.
   

Kalpana 2026 concluded successfully, leaving participants inspired and motivated to continue building technology for social good. The event strengthened PES University’s culture of innovation and problem‑solving while empowering students to address pressing societal challenges through technology.