IIST student develops satellite-based forest protection system, wins ₹3 lakh and second place nationally at IET India Scholarship Award 2026

Omkar Manik Jadhav, a fourth-year B.Tech Aerospace Engineering student at IIST Thiruvananthapuram, has secured the national First Runner-Up position at the IET India Scholarship Award 2026, winning ₹3 lakh. Competing against 48,761 engineering students, he impressed the jury with Forest Sentinel, a satellite-enabled system designed to detect forest fires and illegal logging.