The Computer Society’s Muslim Educational Society (MES) College of Engineering Student Branch Chapter hosted the All Kerala Computer Society Student Congress 2017 (AKCSSC17) on October 6-9.

The event sought to create an educational and motivational hub for Computer Society members across Kerala in India. Some 190 students from more than 25 colleges attended the conference, which included workshops on smart cities, cryptography, Internet of Things, blockchain, and virtual reality, as well as presentations on entrepreneurship, artificial intelligence, social media and branding, and Women in Computing.

Blockchain and Cryptography

Speakers came from academia and industry and from all experience levels. One highlight included a session on blockchain conducted by an IT Analyst of TATA Consultancy Services (TCS), Prasanth Kumar D.  The presentation, which touched on both blockchain and cryptography, was interactive and well targeted for the audience, and looked at present usage of the tools, as well as future technologies.

While Prasanth Kumar D. focused on cryptographic tools, Red Team Hacker Academy team member Blaise Crowly emphasized the vulnerabilities the participants faced in the digital world and the steps they could take to address the exposures.

Social Media and Branding

In his session on “Social Media and Branding” Sridev Shyam, the Computer Society Kerala’s Young Professionals coordinator, discussed the 21^st century as the age of branding. He explained that in each media post individuals and companies express their own personal styles, which makes it important to ensure that the style fits the intended message.

Biswas, a student from  Kannur, said, “I had thought of social media more of like a mode of networking and entertainment, but now it has become pretty clear what my timeline would reflect on people about me .”

Women in Computing

On October 7, the conference held a track dedicated to Women in Computing with a focus on promoting entrepreneurship and providing industry exposure. 39 women from across Kerala participated in the event. In addition to providing motivation for the attendees, guest speakers introduced the participants to pitching and presenting their ideas in a business setting, and discovering their potential as entrepreneurs. The idea pitching session gave the participants a chance to compete for an internship at Exalture, a Kochi-based startup company.

Entrepreneurship

The session on entrepreneurship, conducted by Ruby Peethambara, co-founder of Fourth Ambit Technologies Pvt. Ltd., covered the topic of innovation. Peethambara noted that innovation never occurs inside four walls, but rather should begin with understanding challenges the average person faces. She further explained that a startup would never succeed without first interacting with customers and understanding their needs and challenges.

One student, Sruthi, from Mahatma Gandhi University said, ”I have learned how to present an innovative idea in front of the society using market strategies and assessing people rather than completely relying on its technical feasibility.”

AKCSSC17—Developing a Community

The AKCSSC’17 brought a great deal of knowledge and skills to the students of Kerala. More than that it brought a sense of community. Each of these universities had their small pockets of computer engineers working toward their careers, and they were able to support each other in their development. Now with the network of 190 IEEE Computer Society members from more than 25 universities, that support has multiplied. MES College of Engineering Student Branch Chapter Chair, Nibras Nazar said, “The steep growth in the number of participants for AKCSSC’17 have proved that the students with an interest in computer field are finding their vivid opportunities to collaborate and utilizing them to the maximum potential.”

The AKCSSC is an annual conference that is hosted by different Kerala Student Branch Chapters each year, so those students who missed this year’s event will have another chance in 2018.

We would like to thank the MES College of Engineering Student Branch Chapter, and in particular, Naeem Hadiq, who provided the chapter report that was the basis for this article, and reached out to participants for their feedback, regarding the conference sessions.

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