VC JU FELICITATES DYD STUDENTS FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS IN NATIONAL, STATE-LEVEL COMPETITIONS

Jammu, December 5: The students of the Design Your Degree (DYD) program, University of Jammu, have once again demonstrated exceptional technical excellence by securing remarkable positions at both national and state-level cybersecurity and innovation competitions. These achievements reflect the institution’s growing prominence in emerging technologies and its commitment to nurturing future-ready talent.

Two teams from Design Your Degree (DYD) delivered outstanding national-level performances at the prestigious Annual Information Security Summit (AISS) 2025) which was India’s leading cybersecurity conference and hackathon organized by the Data Security Council of India (DSCI), Delhi.

The first team from DYD achieved a national 7th rank in the final round of the OT Security Hackathon 2025, held on 3rd of December 2025.

They had earlier secured 4th place in the online elimination round on 2nd December 2025, outperforming more than 150 teams across the country. The team — Tavishi Amla, Bhoomi Samnotra, and Suhani Behl — represented DYD in the event organized by the Data Security Council of India (DSCI), Delhi, in collaboration with Siemens.

The second team, represented by Adil Mahajan and Avichal Badyal, secured a position among the Top 35 teams nationwide from a pool of more than 10,000 participants in the EY–DSCI National Cybersecurity Hackathon.

Competing offline without AI tools or internet access and facing postgraduates, master’s students, and experienced cybersecurity professionals, the duo demonstrated strong analytical skills and real-time problem-solving abilities.

These national accomplishments come shortly after another notable achievement by DYD students at the State-Level Hackathon organized by the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST), Awantipora, where the team secured the Runner-Up position. The winning team included Adil Mahajan, Tavishi Amla, Avichal Badyal and Gourav Sharma, who demonstrated innovation, teamwork, and technical proficiency throughout the event.

Elevating the University’s reputation on the national stage, students of the innovative Design Your Degree (DYD) program namely Narayan Choudhary, Divya Verma, Sarnish Kour, and Radhey Sharma secured the First Prize along with a cash award of ₹11,000 at the prestigious National Level Business Plan Competition, “Spark Tank – The Entrepreneurship Club SAMADHAN 2025.” Organized by the University Business School at Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Technical University, Bathinda. Their groundbreaking proposal, “Agri-Vimaan: The Shared Drone Network,” impressed an elite jury of national experts, reinforcing the University’s leadership in innovation-driven education.

Adding to these accomplishments, the University of Jammu recently organized an intensive 48-hour Hackathon, offering students an immersive platform to ideate and develop real-world solutions through continuous coding, teamwork, and rapid prototyping. Interdisciplinary teams worked tirelessly to build impactful products, while the event emphasized the importance of safeguarding innovation through Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), encouraging participants to pursue IPR filings for their original projects.

In a separate student-led initiative, YuvaVerse, a startup under SIIEDC, organized Youth Converse, the University's first MUN-inspired dialogue forum. Led by Fatima Sayed, Shailja Sharma, Harshita, Vishali, Dhwani Gupta, and Mehak Shan, the event brought together participants from multiple institutions for policy discussions and collaborative diplomacy.

These consecutive achievements reflect the dynamic ecosystem cultivated at the University of Jammu, an ecosystem that nurtures technical excellence, entrepreneurial mindset, leadership capacity, and transformative innovation.

The Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, Prof. Umesh Rai, University of Jammu congratulated the students for their remarkable performances at both national and state levels, praising their spirit of innovation, discipline, and excellence. Prof. Rai described their achievements as a matter of great pride for the university and a testament to the growing capabilities of students in cutting-edge domains like cybersecurity and AI.

Prof. Rai emphasized that these achievements “underscore the University’s commitment to fostering an environment where ideas are encouraged, talent is nurtured, and students are empowered to excel nationally and globally.”

Prof. Alka Sharma, Director SIIEDC, University of Jammu, expressed deep admiration for the students’ innovation-driven mindset and their remarkable ability to excel in some of the most demanding national competitions. She highlighted how their achievements reflect the growing strength of the University’s entrepreneurial and skill-development ecosystem, noting that the students’ creativity, preparedness, and forward-thinking approach have set a powerful benchmark for future cohorts. Prof. Sharma affirmed that SIIEDC will continue to provide platforms that challenge students intellectually and inspire them to convert their ideas into real-world impact.

Dr. Jatinder Manhas, Associate Director SIIEDC, University of Jammu, said,

“I am extremely proud of our students for demonstrating exceptional technical competence, discipline, and the ability to perform under pressure. They have proven that they can stand strong among top-tier institutions and seasoned professionals. Their achievements truly reflect the rising technical excellence within the University of Jammu.”

Furthermore, Prof. K. S. Charak, Prof. Anil Gupta, Prof. Sadaf Shah, Dr. Shallu Sehgal, Dr. Sandeep Arya, Dr. Sunil Kumar, Dr. Pallavi Sachdeva, Dr. Manish Kumar, Dr. Sarika Verma, Dr. Ripu Daman Parihar, Dr. Harish Chander Dutt, Dr Sandeep Singh, Dr. Chinmoyee Maharana, Ms. Ayushi Kotwal, Ms. Aparna Sharma, Mr. Arun Katoch, Dr. Urvashi Gupta, Dr. Rajat Singh, Dr. Sana Farooq Lone and Mr. Mohsin Hassan were present during the felicitation meeting and extended their heartfelt congratulations to the students for their remarkable achievements.