{
  "id": 8614702,
  "title": "Four IIT freshers, a suitcase of chemicals, and a Taiwan trip ending in an international award",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/20/four-iit-freshers-a-suitcase-of-chemicals-and-a-taiwan-trip-ending-in",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-20T04:43:56.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/education/it-hyderabad-btech-students-win-teco-international-contest-taiwan-solar-cell-innovation-10882670/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "At midnight in IIT Hyderabad's student canteen, a chemistry professor overheard four first-year BTech students, Mahak Gadia, Raqi Mohammad, Udit Maini, and Yug Gandhi, expressing their desire to participate in an international competition. Dr Ashish Kulkarni, a new faculty member, initially felt confused about taking on such a responsibility, but the students convinced him. The team, representing India at the TECO International Contest 2026 in Taiwan, secured the excellence award among 267 applicants from around the world, achieving this feat without any postgraduate degrees.\n\nGadia, Mohammad, Maini, and Gandhi stumbled upon the competition email, instantly deciding to pursue it. Kulkarni, who had a background in solar energy research, joined the team and helped map out a plan. They worked tirelessly, often late into the night, to create a perovskite solar film device, leveraging resources from Pavakah Energy, an IIT Hyderabad-incubated startup. The team carried their own chemicals in sealed glass bottles and silica gel, facing challenges at customs with contaminated alcohol but managing to overcome it. Lacking display materials, the team assembled a makeshift booth, resulting in a presentation that left judges impressed, leading to the excellence award and a cash prize.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}