Srinagar, Sept 19: The University of Kashmir (KU), through the Centre for Innovation, Incubation & Entrepreneurship (CIIE), Institute of Technology (IoT), Zakura Campus, concluded the first phase of a five-day Skill Development Programme on “Drone Technology – Designing & Hands-on Workshop”, organised from September 14–18 at the e-Yantra Embedded Systems & Robotics Lab.
The programme provided participants practical exposure to various aspects of drone technology, including drone components and anatomy, aerodynamics, flight controllers, quadcopter assembly, simulation, mission planning, CAD-based design, Python programming, flight operations and applications in agriculture.
A total of 20 participants, selected from over 200 registrations from different educational institutions, participated in the first phase, combining conceptual learning with hands-on experimentation and technology-oriented skill development.
Vice-Chancellor, KU, Prof. Nilofer Khan, said emerging technologies such as drones are creating new avenues for innovation, research and entrepreneurship, while practical learning enables students to apply technology to real-world challenges.
“By combining conceptual understanding with hands-on learning, we can empower our students to develop technology-based solutions to real-world challenges,” she said.
Dean Academic Affairs, KU, Prof. Shariefuddin Pirzada, appreciated the structured approach of the programme, which enabled participants to progress from fundamentals to assembly, simulation, programming and flight operations.
Registrar, KU, Prof. Naseer Iqbal, emphasised the importance of practical and interdisciplinary training in contemporary higher education, noting that drone technology integrates areas such as electronics, programming, engineering, design and automation and offers diverse real-world applications.
Dean and Director, IoT, Zakura Campus KU, Prof. M. Tariq Banday, highlighted the importance of providing learners opportunities to experiment, build and test technology-based solutions. He added that over 200 participants have registered for the Drone Technology and allied workshops at the Lab. Workshop coordinators Dr. Bilal Ahmad Malik and Dr. Mir Nazish, and Rutba Majeed, DGCA-certified Drone Pilot and Instructor, were also present on the occasion.
The workshop is part of KU’s continuing skill-development and capacity-building initiatives aimed at providing practical exposure to emerging technologies and developing industry-relevant skills. The e-Yantra Embedded Systems & Robotics Lab, established at IoT Zakura Campus with support from RUSA 2.0, provides infrastructure for hands-on learning and experimentation in embedded systems, robotics and related technological domains.
