A Warwick student has been recognised by IBM as one of the top contributors to their 72 hour University Jam in April, a global conversation to discuss how technology and business can help build “A Smarter Planet”.

Arvind Aradhya, an undergraduate electrical engineering student at Warwick, was named as one of only 20 merit award recipients for their contributions to the global crowdsourcing event, which included nearly 2,000 people.

International student Arvind said: "I think that when facilitated by an event such as the Jam, the exchange of ideas and the social networking among driven, like-minded people truly does contribute to solving the problems we're faced with today, and more importantly, recognizing those that we'll have to tackle tomorrow.

"Being backed by a corporate and social giant such as IBM gives this platform the credibility, exposure and reach of a legitimate grassroots movement."

Arvind is two years into a four-year electrical engineering degree after gaining a place at the University through Scholar Hunt: UK, an Indian television programme run by the widely-respected news channel NDTV.

Students and academics from more than 200 universities in 40 countries took part in the University Jam along with top IBM experts, clients and business partners.

Topics discussed include the skills students need to be competitive in the globally integrated economy; environmental protection, water management and conservation; fostering pollution-free and inexpensive energy; and providing advanced healthcare as the world’s population continues to grow rapidly, especially in developing nations.

The Jam's findings can be read in the summary report online.

Jai Menon, vice president of technical strategy and university programs, IBM, said: “The Smarter Planet University Jam was the first time that so many university-aged students came together in an online forum to brainstorm ideas to better our world.

"Students are confident that their future will be a smarter place – a world where they will drive cars that get 100 miles per gallon, learn in virtual classrooms connected with students across the globe, and where they can run their businesses on a secure, energy-efficient and interconnected grid."