With APOGEE ‘25 just around the corner, the APOGEE English Press sat down with Moshajjar Hussain, the coordinator of the Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ISHRAE), to gain insight into their work for the upcoming fest. 

Moshajjar began by explaining that ISHRAE is a group of mechanical engineers that conducts student level research, taking on projects assigned to them by various professors. Their work involves conducting research in labs and publishing papers, with two currently in the works. He mentioned that hosting events for APOGEE is a recent venture, having started only two years ago. This year, ISHRAE is hosting two events—Thermal Science Solutions and an airfoil design challenge. The former is a case competition based on HVAC solutions that involves participants pitching their models to a panel of judges consisting of professors from the Mechanical and Management Departments. The latter is a competition in which participants have to make a CAD design of a wing of any flying structure, known as an airfoil. The design will then be tested using simulation software to see if it holds up in actual atmospheric conditions. Moshajjar adds that they had initially planned to build a wind tunnel to test the designs, but the plan ultimately failed due to time constraints. 

The primary work of a Student Chapter such as ISHRAE lies outside the fest. When asked about balancing their regular work with APOGEE preparations, Moshajjar mentioned that the main work is more of a steady, day-to-day effort. ‘We’re assigned a project at the beginning of every semester, and we contribute little-by-little every day, because that’s the kind of work it is’, he stated. In contrast, he described APOGEE work as requiring short bursts of energy every week or so. 

When asked about the preparations for the fest, Moshajjar explained that the events were decided well before the mid-semester examinations, and more technical work like making the rule book for the competitions had started more recently. The main work to be done during the days leading up to the fest was evaluating the online submissions for the case competition. 

Discussing the setbacks faced, Moshajjar shared that his life had been terrible lately, but when it came to ISHRAE, the challenges had been relatively minor. There were some issues with the CoStAA, but they had been fairly supportive. Additionally, he commented that issues with the prize pool are rather inevitable because of the overall budget constraint on the fest itself. 

Reflecting on APOGEE ‘24, Moshajjar stated that low participation was a major issue due to the rigid structure of the only event being conducted at the time—the Ice-Box Challenge. He emphasized that this would not be the case this time around because this year, you can do anything you want as long as it is related to the theme. He further explained that low participation stemmed from timing clashes with prof. shows. ‘I would pick Mohit Chauhan over ISHRAE, honestly’ said the ISHRAE coordinator.

Speaking about his experience as coordinator, Moshajjar expressed gratitude for how collaborative the work had been, highlighting that everyone had contributed as much, if not more than him. On a parting note, Moshajjar insisted that airfoils are not as boring as one would assume, and urged everyone to participate in the events.