Hon’ble Governor inaugurated Intel supported AI Skills Lab & Unveiled the curtain Raiser of upcoming Rural Science Congress

UCOST celebrated 7^th annual day RSC Dehradun in its premises at Vigyan Dham, in which Hon’ble Governor of Uttarakhand, Lt. Gen. Gurmit Singh, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, VSM (Retd.)was the chief guest. RSC is the center of edutainment in the Dehradun which works for science popularization and complementing science education. Prof Durgesh Pant, Director General UCOST welcomed Hon’ble Governor and guided him to the Intel AI Skill lab for inaugural ceremony. Hon. Governor interacted with Ms Shweta Khurana, Senior Director, Asia Pacific & Japan, Global Government Affairs Group, Intel and Prof Pant on objectives and various aspects of the lab.

Participants from all walks of life, will be able to learn and understand AI through its programs AI for Youth and AI for All. The lab offers resources necessary to develop AI-based social impact solutions alongside inculcating problem-solving skills among the youth of Uttarakhand. The lab will serve as a hub for outreaching the masses for creating public awareness about AI inclusively, through its program for citizens called “AI for All”. This AI Skills Lab comprise of three different corners such as Learning Corner where youth begin their 4-stage learning journey and develop foundational concepts by engaging in several fun, hands-on activities, experiments & games; Development Corner, where youth extensively work on python programming and AI modelling; and Inferencing Corner, where youth test their AI-enabled social impact solutions and transform them into working prototypes as evidence of achievement.

After inaugural, Hon’ble Governor visited various facilities of the center of which he appreciated Himalayan gallery the most. Thereafter in a formal welcome address in the auditorium, Prof Pant delivered formal welcome address and briefed about Rural Science congress, which is to be held from 10 – 12 February, 2023 at Vigyan Dham premises. The gathering was addressed by Ms Shweta Khurana where she elaborated on the need to empower India’s young population for the future, “There is a need to enable and empower people from all walks of life, with the right skills and resources to understand tech superpowers like AI for successful adoption and digital transformation. She said that Intel’s collaboration with the Regional Science Centre in setting up this AI Skills Lab is a step in that direction. The lab aims to help demystify and democratize access to AI for everyone and boost India’s digital readiness”. Later, Hon. Governor addressed the gathering and said that he was thrilled to observe the facilities of RSC and urged families and schools to visit the center. He emphasised on technological development for holistic development of the State and Nation and Emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VI), augmented reality (AI), robotics, machine learning, Block chain technologies, Internet of Things (IoT), future of societal development. Keeping in view the importance of this emerging and its profound applications in various fields of human activity, he congratulated Intel Corporation and team RSC & UCOST for bringing such a beautiful and enabling resource in the center. It will cater the need of creating awareness and designing AI applications in the state. On this occasion, Hon’ble Governor released institutional calendar and annual report of RSC. He also unveiled the curtains raiser of upcoming Rural Science Congress, which is going to be organized from 10^th -12^th Feb, 2023 at UCOST, Vigyan Dham, Jhajra, Dehradun. Dr Onkar Singh, Vice Chancellor, Uttarakhand Technical University, Dehradun also present during the event.  In the end, Prof Pant offered vote of thanks to Hon. Governor, dignitaries and invited students and teachers of school and colleges.