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KATRA: A student research team from the Department of Civil Engineering at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU) has clinched the prestigious Best Paper Award at the 2nd International Conference on Advances in Sustainable Research for Energy and Environmental Management (ASREEM 2.0), held from May 15-17, 2026, at Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology Surat.
The prestigious mega event was officially inaugurated by the Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Harsh Sanghavi, who attended as the Chief Guest. Adding to the academic triumph, the team has also successfully filed a design patent for their unique structural innovation.The core student team, comprising Samaira Sinha, Rishabh Kumar, Shubham Kumar Singh, and Aniket Rawat, was recognized for their groundbreaking research paper titled, "Design of eco-friendly bricks using ceramic waste and fly ash."
The paper was presented by Samaira Sinha on behalf of the team in online mode.. Their work introduces an innovative construction matrix that replaces natural river sand with crushed ceramic waste (5% to 20%) and substitutes cement with a cost-effective, lime-activated Class F fly ash binder. The international evaluation committee highly praised the project for its structural precision, environmental engineering rigor, and real-world scalability, which backed their decision to protect the unique brick geometry and composition through a formal patent filing.
The students credited their academic success entirely to their mentor, Dr. Vaibhav Sapkal, Assistant Professor at SMVDU, praising his strategic guidance and expertise in green technology. Dr. Sapkal commended the students' dedication, noting that their intensive laboratory efforts successfully brought this green infrastructure vision to life. The core team also highly acknowledged the valuable research contributions made by co-authors Aditya Verma, Hitesh Bhakhari, Priyanshu Saini, and Durgesh Kumar in bringing the project to fruition.Dr. V. K. Dogra, Head of the Civil Engineering Department, congratulated the team