(1/17) After completing her degree in Interior Architecture, Upasana Pandey began working in a digital fabrication firm, where she says she learnt many tools.
(2/17) “I learnt the application of laser cutting machines, CNC machines, 3D printing techniques to design cool products, which helped me co-found my startup,” she recounts.
Upasana defines this as the inception of her ‘maker’ journey.
(3/17) Coming from an architecture background, I didn’t think something like Maker’s Asylum would be right for me. But I wanted to do exciting things, meet more people and work on complex world problems…
(4/17) So I decided to sign up for a 10-day programme, which set me on my path to working on social impact projects.
(5/17) Maker’s Asylum is a community platform started by engineer Vaibhav Chhabra, which has encouraged thousands across India to collaborate and innovate in the spaces of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM)
(6/17) By “providing them the confidence, tools, knowledge, space, and communities they need to change the world and become globally-conscious problem-solvers”.
(7/17) In 2016, they launched the SDG School to combine people’s love for innovation with the sustainable development goals (SDG) set by the United Nations.
(8/17) The result is a host of ideas and solutions that cut across sectors like healthcare, education, energy, waste management, and more.
Upasana is an alumnus of this programme, where she designed a board game to improve financial literacy.
(9/17) “My work is more interdisciplinary than before, and I’d give Maker’s Asylum credit for that,” she notes.
“Validating your prototypes and building products with actual impact was fulfilling. It was not theoretical nor academic; the work was purpose-driven,” she explains.
(10/17) After the conclusion of the programme, Upasana and her team received calls from banks like HDFC to use the game for their CSR activities. “Our prototype was featured in TedXGateway and The Inventors’ Challenge on Colors Infinity, Viacom18.
(11/17) I also had the chance to volunteer with Harvard-MIT students after the programme to work on another innovative project. Today I work as a design researcher with one of my mentors from the programme — it has been like coming full circle.”
(12/17) For Upasana, the SDG School also led to the understanding of how different disciplines could join to make something more meaningful.
(13/17) “The biggest takeaway from this was the real-life application of design thinking, not only for projects but to build empathy and understand the problem in actuality.”
Upasana advises budding innovators looking to join the programme,
(14/17) “The platform is good to get you started on your journey, and even two or three projects here can help change the world. Deviating from a set [career/academic] path is absolutely okay, so don’t be afraid to take those risks.”
(15/17) SDG School is a 2-weeks-long experiential learning program that brings together a talented tribe of #innovators and #changemakers to work on global problems.
(16/17) What’s more, it gives you special access to an international network of organisations, mentors and peers to kickstart your own journey as a purpose-driven leader.

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with The Better India

The Better India Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @thebetterindia

Feb 6
Do you think your innovation can change the way people live?⁠

APPLY NOW! ⁠
The Infosys Foundation will commit up to INR 50 lakh per winner. If your innovation can transform lives, then Aarohan Awards can help you scale up.⁠
Visit the link : bit.ly/3HK8LKI to submit your application TODAY!⁠

Read one such story here:⁠

“In India, the post-harvest loss of fruits and vegetables is close to 60 million tonnes,” says Vaibhav Trike.
His #solardryer helps extend the shelf life of products without adding chemicals and preservatives.⁠

Hailing from a farmer family in #Maharashtra, Vaibhav saw farmers struggle due to a lack of storage options and facilities.
Read 4 tweets
Feb 6
#EntrepreneursOfIndia
"In India, from carrying goods to setting up shops on two wheels, many people use their two-wheelers for more than just mobility, risking their own safety," says EV,” says Pritesh Mahajan.
@revampmoto

#EV #Sustainable #EcoFriendly #SharkTankIndiaS2
He, along with Jayesh Tope and Pushkaraj Salunke in January 2021, launched #RevampMoto which provides swappable attachments catering to customers' needs, making our vehicles truly transformable vehicles.⁠
A ‘Made in India’ product, the Nashik-based startup 'RM Buddie 25' is accompanied by swiftly swappable attachments like a child seat, saddle stay and saddle bags, insulated box, carrier, base plate and base rack.⁠
Read 5 tweets
Feb 6
Do you think your innovation can change the way people live?⁠

APPLY NOW! ⁠
The Infosys Foundation will commit up to INR 50 lakh per winner. If your innovation can transform lives, then Aarohan Awards can help you scale up.⁠
Visit the link bit.ly/3HK8LKI to submit your application TODAY!⁠

While visiting one of the blind schools in his city, Kaviraj Prithvi interacted with the students and teachers and understood that the institute lacked a cost-effective mechanism to print texts.⁠
“Even the basic braille printers, which are mostly imported, cost between $2,000 – $3,000 (~Rs 1,50,000 – 2,50,000). The majority of special schools in India run on a tight budget which makes it impossible for them to import printers.
Read 5 tweets
Feb 6
While most of us throw away the tiny pumpkin seeds, did you know that these seeds are loaded with nutrients?⁠

#FoodScience #Health #Lifestyle #IndianFood
Science says several antioxidants in #pumpkin help boost immunity and are a good source of unsaturated fats like alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), lowering the risk of several heart diseases.⁠
High in magnesium, these can help regulate blood sugar levels, lower the risk of diabetes and also aids in weight loss with a rich protein and fibre content.⁠
Read 4 tweets
Feb 6
Aakash Bhadana, Vasu Kaushik and Rahul Gupta from Haryana have created ‘Caeli’, a smart automated drug delivery and anti-pollution mask for respiratory patients.⁠

#infosysfoundation #innovation #awards #Aarohan #aarohaninnovationawards #education #healthcare #innovators
#AarohanReturns #aarohanisback
Patients dealing with respiratory diseases are at maximum risk from air pollution. According to statistics by WHO, more than 90% of the global population today breathes toxic air & air pollution is the reason for over 7 million deaths every year.⁠
#Caeli is a smart, automated drug delivery and anti-pollution mask for #asthmatic and other chronic respiratory patients. It can significantly improve the quality of life for #respiratory patients living or travelling in polluted areas.⁠
Read 7 tweets
Feb 6
(1/6) BTM constituency in Bengaluru generates close to 120 tonnes of waste per day, of which 55 percent is organic. Often, most of the organic waste that ends up in landfills produces methane, which is a big contributor to greenhouse gases!
(2/6) The residents wanted to change that. The idea was to prevent organic waste from exhausting landfills and find the right solution that incorporated principles of the circular economy.

This is when Som Narayan’s Carbon Masters came into action.
(3/6) Carbon Masters has been working in renewable energy space and reducing carbon emissions for nearly six years.
Read 6 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

:(