Problem Solving: A Key for Innovation

On 28th November, 2023 an expert talk on “Problem Solving: A Key for Innovation” was organized by Entrepreneurship Development Cell & Institution’s Innovation Council in association with the Department of Mechanical Engineering at 09:30 am to 04.30 pm. Dr.S.M.Rajkumar, ASP/Mech, FXEC was the resource person. 40 students and 2 faculty members participated in the program. Dr.R.K.A.Bhalaji, AP/MECH coordinated the program.

The resource person explored the importance of problem solving in innovation. He said problem solving is the catalyst for innovation, providing the opportunity to identify and overcome obstacles, leading to groundbreaking solutions that push boundaries. Then he discussed about the characteristics of effective problem solvers such as creativity (Effective problem solvers thing outside the box), adaptability (Adaptable problem solvers embrace uncertainty and change) and collaboration (Successful problem solvers understand the power of collaboration). Next he revealed the strategies and techniques for successful problem solving in innovation such as design thinking, brainstorming and root cause analysis. After that he told about the benefits of problem solving in innovation such as creativity boost, collaborative culture and continuous improvement. To motivate the students, resource person shown the real time examples of problem solving leading to innovation such as Apple Inc, Tesla and SpaceX.

Resource person told that nowadays, school students faced lot of ergonomics problems in computer workstation because of work space postures and chair design. From that, students understood the problem and designed the innovative suspension chair especially for school students with effective work space postures using solid works. Finally students left the workshop with a renewed appreciation for the role of problem-solving in driving innovation and a toolkit of strategies to apply in their respective fields.