As APOGEE 2026 approaches, the APOGEE English Press sat down with Pinak Sharma, the APOGEE Coordinator of the Civil Engineering Association (A2), to gain insight into what they have in store.

This year, the association will be conducting two events. 

The first one is called Bridge Blitz, a legacy bridge-designing competition where bridges are built using materials such as ice-cream sticks and scissors, and are evaluated on the basis of their structural stability as well as load resistance. The one with the strongest bridge is declared the winner and receives a cash prize.

Their second event—Tower Toss—is set to make its debut this year. A competition that involves a fixed number of large cardboard boxes distributed to the participants. The one who manages to build a vertical tower by stacking the maximum number of boxes on top of each other within the stipulated time will be declared the winner and given a prize. Pinak further added that since this was something new they were bringing to the table, he expected a higher footfall. 

When asked about their pre-fest workload, Pinak shared that the association had begun their preparations in January and had obtained a clear picture of what to do after a series of extensive discussions amongst themselves. On being asked about the challenges they faced, he explained that they had had trouble with their workforce due to some juniors not being available when work meets were conducted, and faced difficulties with inventory approval and budgeting—all resolved later. He added that the association was in the final stages of its pre-fest work and that he was grateful to all his fellow members for their support.

Reflecting on his experience as the Coordinator, Pinak described it as a highly enriching experience. He also thanked the CoStAA as well as the CRC for their support.

On a parting note, Pinak assured that these two events were meant to be fun for everyone, with no pre-requisite knowledge of civil engineering required, and urged his fellow BITSians to participate.