A team from St. Anthony’s College, Shillong brought laurels to the state by securing the second prize for an innovative project titled, “KremCare” at the grand finale of the 110-hour national hackathon.
Organised by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) to commemorate its 110 years, the theme of the event was “Biodiversity and Climate Change”.
The team from St. Anthony’s College was led by Dr. Damanbha Lyngdoh, Assistant Professor, Department of Zoology, Thyanswer Challam, Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry & Biotechnology and Saurabh Kumar Thapa, System Administrator, Computer Science.
Out of 305 registered teams from across India, 105 were shortlisted for the first round, followed by 16 semi-finalists who competed at the ZSI Western Regional Centre, Pune.
Five teams advanced to the finals held at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre, Kolkata, on June 30.
The winning project titled “Meghalaya’s Hidden World: Biodiversity and Sustainability in Meghalaya’s Caves”, centred around an app-based module called CaveSense. This low-cost, sensor-based monitoring system is designed to protect delicate cave ecosystems by detecting real-time environmental and human disturbances.
CaveSense integrates motion, vibration, and environmental sensors with wireless data logging and alert systems. The system is built for rugged cave terrains and supports long-term ecological monitoring and tourism impact assessment. The project also emphasizes community engagement and outreach, ensuring local participation in cave conservation.
The app is part of a larger conservation initiative called KremCare, which aims to promote sustainable, grassroots-driven protection of Meghalaya’s rich cave ecosystems.
