The Oasis English Press sat down with Asmi Amit Kumar, the Events and Logistics Head of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) chapter of BITS Pilani, to learn more about the club’s plans for the fest.

Asmi described AIChE as a global organisation with chapters worldwide, with its BITS chapter serving as a home for students who dream of building a career in chemical engineering. The club works on a variety of research projects and takes part in the Student Regional Conference every year, where it competes in the conference’s flagship event, Chem-E-Car, and has even finished second overall.

While the club usually organised technical events during APOGEE, this year it was trying on new shoes by hosting an escape room called SENSE IT!, built around the five senses. Asmi wanted everyone’s experience to be short, sweet and, above all, fun. She kept the finer details under wraps to preserve the element of surprise.

The concept took shape over the course of the semester. By September, the team was already certain of what it wished to contribute to the fest, said Asmi. Then, Asmi explained that after the mid-semester examinations, the members refined the original concept and fleshed out the core mechanics to create what she described as  a truly sensory experience.

The Coordinator explained that the hardest part was building the escape room from the ground up, a big leap from the technical events the team is used to organising. She explained how the team was determined to bring each sense to life, create a smooth progression of rounds, and fully immerse participants in the experience. There were no major setbacks, and coordination with the StuCCA went without a hitch.

For Asmi, the most demanding aspect of organizing SENSE IT! was also the most fulfilling. Shaping the event by incorporating everyone’s opinions meant refining the idea again and again, but it also brought the team closer.

The event, according to Asmi, would bring her ideas into reality, and when asked if she would change anything, she said, ‘This is the first thing that I’m conducting, and this is the event that I wanted to conduct.’ On a closing note, Asmi encouraged the participants to come with their friends, enjoy every round, and  leave with great memories.