Katra, May 07: A team of students from the School of Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE), Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU), has achieved national acclaim by securing first position in the Innovation Challenge Track and third overall at the IEEE YESIST12 2025 prelims. In recognition of their outstanding performance, the team was awarded a cash prize of Rs 5,000.
Team “Major”, comprising sixth-semester B.Tech. (ECE) students Harsh Raj (Team Leader), Amit Kumar Amar, Aman Singh, and Nitesh Kumar Dubey, was mentored by Prof. Sumeet Gupta. They presented an innovative assistive hardware project titled “Gesture Speak”, which leverages Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) technology to translate sign language into spoken words—dramatically enhancing communication for individuals with hearing and speech impairments.
The project was lauded for both its technical sophistication and its potential social impact, earning the team a spot in the IEEE YESIST12 2025 Grand Finale, scheduled to take place in Malaysia, where they will represent India and SMVDU on an international platform. Prof. (Dr.) Pragati Kumar, Vice-Chancellor of SMVDU, commended the students, stating that, “Designing innovative and state-of-the-art solutions for the benefit of society is the truest test of technology. I congratulate the students on their remarkable performance and wish them success at the global level.”
