Press Release – Global Scholar Quest India Finale (31 August 2026)

Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) concluded the inaugural India chapter of its Global Scholar Quest (GSQ) programme with a grand finale held in Mumbai on 31 August 2026. The student team BioFrigid, comprising Dhruv Bora, Shlok Goel and Yugandhara Gaikwad from Chatrabhuj Narsee School, Amanora (Pune), was declared the overall winner. Their solution, the BioFrigid Box, is a grid‑independent, energy‑efficient cold‑storage unit capable of maintaining a temperature range of 10 °C to 15 °C for up to 96 hours, aimed at reducing post‑harvest losses for smallholder farmers.

The winning team received a cash prize of INR 1,00,000 and secured access to a USD 50,000 RIT scholarship pool. In addition, each finalist was awarded electronic gadgets – a MacBook, an iPad and Bose headphones – to support their studies.

Competition Landscape

Fourteen finalist teams were selected from leading Indian schools, including Sanjay Ghodawat International School, Pragyan School, DPS International, Shiv Nadar Vidyagyan School, Mahatma Gandhi International School and Omkar Cambridge International. The finalists represented eight innovation tracks: climate and sustainability, AI and the future of work, healthcare and bio‑innovation, energy and infrastructure, agriculture and food systems, education transformation, urban and smart cities, social impact and inclusion, environment and pollution, and emerging technologies.

Notable projects presented alongside BioFrigid were:

  • EcoRelay, a passive system designed to protect urban trees from extreme heat and heavy‑metal soil contamination;
  • PixelToPlanet, a predictive heat‑mapping tool that helps cities identify heat‑vulnerable zones and simulate mitigation interventions;
  • RailGuard AI, an autonomous robotic system that detects wildlife, track defects and obstructions before trains arrive.

Mentorship and Evaluation

Prior to the finale, shortlisted teams underwent two to four inquiry‑led mentorship sessions with Dr. M. A. Rehman, physicist at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), and other industry specialists. The mentorship emphasized rigorous problem definition, testing of assumptions, and practical feasibility rather than mere presentation skills.

The jury, which included Dr. S. Manian Ramkumar, Dean of the College of Engineering Technology at RIT, assessed projects on problem relevance, originality, clarity of thinking, feasibility and potential real‑world impact. Dr. Ramkumar praised the finalists for moving beyond problem identification to iterative solution refinement.

RIT Perspective

Kathleen B. Davis, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Associate Provost at RIT, highlighted that GSQ showcases how early‑stage experiential learning can reveal student potential that traditional academic metrics miss. Elizabeth Sullivan, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Marketing and Global Strategic Initiatives at RIT, noted the breadth of issues tackled—from post‑harvest losses to urban heat and railway safety—underscoring the programme’s role in engaging Indian students well before university admission.

Programme Structure

The India chapter ran from May to August 2026 following a four‑level journey: a 60‑minute centralized online screening, team formation, submission of an ≈800‑word concept note and a three‑minute video, followed by mentorship and finally the Mumbai finale where prototypes were demonstrated.

GSQ builds on RIT’s Tiger STRIPES initiative, extending hands‑on, experiential learning into Indian classrooms and allowing students to apply knowledge, test ideas and navigate complex problems without prescribed answers.

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