Meet Akshay, Acanac Scholarship Contest Finalist
Acanac launched our very first scholarship contest over the summer of 2017. We asked students across Ontario and Quebec to let us know how High Speed Internet has impacted their field of study by either writing a short essay or sharing a video with us on our Facebook or Twitter pages for a chance to win $1,000.
We were so impressed with the quality of the entries and the diverse perspectives from so many students in interesting fields of study, that we decided to showcase our contest finalists..
Up first, we’d like you to meet Akshay who is studying Energy Systems Engineering at the University of Toronto. We were very impressed with Akshay’s essay and some of the very interesting things he’s up to. We had the pleasure of chatting about it with him after the contest wrapped up.
Our chat with Akshay
Acanac: Hi Akshay- thanks for taking some time out of your busy school schedule to meet with us to discuss your essay. So, you are currently studying Energy Systems Engineering, can you tell us a bit about what the program is all about?
Akshay: Sure, thanks for the opportunity. The program is focused on the design and application of new and existing technologies in the field of energy. This includes categories such as renewables generation, power distribution, energy storage, and environmental sustainability. The program is multidisciplinary and mixes elements of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and materials engineering.
Acanac: What a fascinating sector to be involved in! So, your essay dealt with the relationship between Energy Conservation and the Internet of Things (IoT). For those who aren’t that familiar with IoT, can you describe how it relates to Energy Conservation?
Akshay: Absolutely- more and more of the new household appliances and fixtures being designed today, are what we call “smart appliances”. For example, devices such as lights and thermostats can now be connected to the Internet and be controlled remotely through a device, like an App on your phone. That is the main idea of IoT: having control over and transferring data to the devices in your home through your High Speed Internet connection. With this type of control over these devices, we can now make energy conservation easy and accessible for the general public.
Acanac: This is very exciting stuff for people looking to save some money on utilities or for those who love cool gadgets.
Akshay: Yes, very exciting.
Acanac: So, not only are you busy with school, but you are a budding inventor and entrepreneur as well. Can you tell us what you’re working on?
Akshay: The product we are working on is an energy saving wall-socket add-on called “unplug”. Almost all household devices consume “phantom power”, meaning they consume power even when they are turned off. Our product gathers electricity consumption data from plugged-in appliances and optimizes the energy consumption of the device based on when the device is used. Through this feature, users can see 10% in savings on their electricity bill every year, allowing them to easily offset the cost of the product, while reducing their impact on the environment.
Acanac: Brilliant idea. We wish you all the best with your IoT project Akshay and thanks for sharing with us.
Akshay: You’re welcome and thanks for the great contest.
Up Next
Please stay tuned for more installments in our Acanac Scholarship Finalists series in the coming weeks. You’ll get to hear more from our contest finalists and read their insights into how our world is being transformed by High Speed Internet. You can stay in the loop by Liking our Facebook Page or Following us on Twitter.
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