India,8th June ,2021-A study by non-profit organization Quest Alliance says women constitute only 14% of the nearly 280,000 scientists and engineers in research and development institutes in India. India sees low participation from women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.

In a bid to arouse interest in these fields, Quest Alliance, in partnership with IBM, is trying to tackle gender disparity by designing and organizing programs like the STEM for Girls Hackathon. The initiative saw participation from 90 students across Karnataka, Telangana, and Odisha, over two months. The hackathon aims to encourage students to ideate, innovate, use science to improve their future.

Following are some innovations from the Hackathon that are geared towards promoting sustainability.

De-stoner for rice

De-stoning rice is a time-consuming chore. The students researched and came up with the idea of a device that helps separate stones from rice. They developed a battery-operated machine that consists of a vibrating sieve which filters out stones from rice.

Vaccum garbage collector

A group of students at the hackathon presented a garbage collection device which not only picks up garbage through a vacuum but also separates it into dry and wet waste.

Sanitary napkin disposal machine

Sanitary napkin disposal pollutes as incinerators release a lot of toxic smoke upon burning. A group of students decided to work on developing a machine that burns napkins in an eco-friendly manner, reducing toxicity, releasing less smoke minus the foul smell. The machine can burn about six napkins at a time, and the ash released should be reheated to remove toxins.

Wet household cleaning device

Cleaning wet floors is arduous. Students working on this project devised a multipurpose wet cleaning tool. Christened ‘Hawa Hawaii’, this battery-operated machine cleans the floor, eliminating back pain. The machine has a handle connected to a scrubber to clean the floor. It also regulates water needed to clean the floor, allowing just the right amount of water to clean surfaces, eliminating water wastage.

Self-operated dishwasher

Doing the dishes can be a real pain. Some students developed a battery-operated spinning scrubber that removes stains from dishes just by holding the utensil against the scrubber. The scrubber is cost-efficient and can be operated on solar power.