Mind IT balance IT Conference & CSE Get-together

Among the host of activities carried out by the Department of Computer Science & Engineering (CSE) to benefit the academia and the society, the annual conference and CSE Get-together duo was the main event hosted by the department and the CS&ES. The main idea of having a grand event once a year is to spur up enthusiasm, regarding issues, that has current significance, while bringing together the    industry, alumni and the students.

Having addressed technical aspects throughout the past ventures of the event, in 2008 the department took a detour and addressed a non-technical issue which has a huge impact on the IT professionals, bearing in mind its social responsibility. 

Studies have revealed that although IT has been used to solve some of the most pressing  problems of the world, employees in modern office environments display psychosomatic symptoms. New stress types have emerged that can be tied primarily to human computer interaction.

These include technology breakdowns, technology slowdowns, and electronic performance monitoring.  Several stress-related  psychosomatic disorders that affect employees in such working conditions have been identified. Furthermore, a majority of computerization projects fail to meet their deadlines with the     originally specified functionality, mainly because human factors    are not sufficiently taken into account during the planning and implementation phases of the projects.

The solution to this problem by CSE was the ‘Mind IT Balance IT’ conference, which aimed at addressing Stress Management issues which challenge IT professionals, and thereby help them master stress, manage priorities and understand the values of life. The conference was not only for the benefit of individuals in the IT industry but for employer organizations too.

The conference was held on July 4, 2008 from 2.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn, and a group of eminent speakers, who are at the forefront of the industry and academia, addressed the audience.
The keynote address was delivered by Mr. Dhananjaya Rajapaksha, CEO, DogiEFA (Pvt) Ltd. In addition, Mr. Channa de Silva – Enterprise Leader, Microsoft Sri Lanka, Mr. Harshana Dassanayake, HR Executive, Dialog Telecom and Mr. Nalaka    Hewamadduma, Trainer, Speaker and Consultant guided the audience along the topics of 'Mastering Stress', 'Managing Priorities' and 'Values of Life' respectively.

The conference converged to the CSE Get-together from 6.30 p.m. onwards which was considered to be the major meeting point of IT professionals, the CSE staff and students. This was held in conjunction with the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Computer Science & Engineering Society (CS&ES) of the University of Moratuwa, which consists of the alumni of the department during its two decades of existence. The new board for the CS&ES was elected and it turned out to be an evening full of fun, excitement and companionship. 

The event also managed to attract the biggest ever financial backing for this year’s venture of the event, proving the fact that the department has kept its promise to deliver the very best to the  industry and society. Codegen became the Strategic Partner of the event while WSO2 was the Platinum Partner. Mubasher, Creative Solutions and WaveNet joined in as Gold Partners whereas the Silver Partnership packages were taken by Attune and Navantis. Furthermore, ETV joined hands with CS&ES as the  valued Electronic Media Partner while the Daily News was the Print Media Partner.

The Mentoring Program

The “CSE Mentoring program” is one of the foremost programs, organized by the department in order to give undergraduates the opportunity to gain industrial exposure, build corporate awareness and develop soft skills. This effort by the CSE staff in collaboration with the industry  targets to build confidence, improve personality and professionalism of the students.

Under this program, the students get the privilege of meeting and communicating with top level drivers of the IT industry in Sri Lanka, who act as mentors of the students.

This years program covered important sessions related to leadership, team work  and personality      development. Some of these programs were carried out in batch sessions    conducted by external experts. The mentees were given assignments which helped them identify their strengths and          weaknesses. Mentors also gave feedback and guidance related to the students’ presentation and communication skills. While helping the mentees to get an idea about their desired career in the industry, the program also provides them the opportunity to learn more on corporate etiquette and corporate disciplines.

The mentoring program enables undergraduates to share experiences with the mentors and add more value to their learning. It is a fine point  of networking for CSE students, staff and the industry. The department appreciates the time and effort spent by the mentors in this rewarding task to all stakeholders.

Drama Fest 2009
 
Under every magnificent work done, lies a massive amount of effort and creativity. The drama festival is a product of a chain of thoughts among the staff members to see the advancement of its students, to craft them with confidence and to make them versatile and mature.

The drama festival was also a valuable opportunity for the students to learn communication skills. Every student grabbed that opportunity to convert to a more complete and competitive person and with this collaborative  effort the stage was set for a fabulous show of  creative classical dramas.

The stage performances helped the students to improve confidence in presentation skills.
There were ten sensational dramas and “Sherlock Holmes and the Emerald of Alcazar” topped the festival, with a minute margin proving that every drama was high in class and performance. The drama festival opened up vistas of expansion of student creativity, versatility, confidence and maturity.

CSE Programming Competition 2008
              
The programming competition was a remarkable opportunity, for the students, to not only display their programming knowledge, but also to get a chance to take part in a thrilling game and compete with their batch mates.
 
The competition was called ‘Treasure Hunt’ and it was all about hunting treasures as the name implies. The winners were to win tempting cash prices and all the students were enthusiastic and were looking      forward to develop their own program and to compete with other challenging groups.
 
On the day of the competition the teams gathered in the lab with great enthusiasm, intending    to be the champions of the tournament. When the event commenced, the air started to fill with excitement. The players had to play the role of travellers, hunting for treasures in a weird island where amazing       treasures pop up at various places at various times.  In order to win these treasures the players had to overcome various obstacles and pitfalls in the island. 
 
The excitement reached it height when many players targetted the same treasure. After many challenging rounds, the group ‘seekers’ became the winners.

While encouraging students to build up their programming skills, this competition also helped them to  enhance their team spirits and collaborative skills.

CSE Out-Boundz 2008

CSE Out-boundz 2008 provided a platform for both the junior and senior students to interact with the staff and get to know each other better. It gave an opportunity to freshen up the minds and take a break from the hectic daily schedules.

At the dawn of Saturday the 16th of August 2008, it was apparent that this was not just a “camp” but was going to be a more  monumental event. The “lagaan”, which was chosen as the venue for Out-Boundz 2008 had been completely transformed into an ancient village with thatched tents, bridges and even tree houses.

With a giant bamboo gate and a thatch to welcome visitors, and benches for one to rest on, the place reminded everyone of a Robin Hood movie. It was indeed a grand welcome.

At the beginning, all participants were divided into groups, each named after cities and villages from the Lord of the Rings. These teams proceeded through the events, collecting points and earning money to be the winners with most earned points.

The activities organized at Out-boundz 2008 were of great variety. Some of the most popular games were giant slippers, helium stick, ‘Dress and style’ and the treasure hunt. In the Giant Slippers, the members of the team were tied to two strips of boards by the feet so that the only way they could move was to move their feet together. In the ‘dress and style’, each team was given a basic pack       containing newspapers, sellotape, etc and one of their teammates was to be dressed in the most original way.  They could also use items won during other activities.

There was a puzzle game running in the background where teams      negotiated for the pieces which were distributed among the teams to  complete the puzzles. It was undoubtedly an enjoyable event for everyone. The day ended with a talent show; dances, songs and musical performances by the students making it another golden memory. At the end of the day, the students and staff left with more friends, a huge experience, a great day off and a load of entertaining    memories.

CSE HIT THE GROUNDS

 In the local IT arena CSE is ionized for producing the most sought after graduates. Yet IT professionals always mark CSE in their calendar as a place to look for some fun during the year.

It has now become the custom for IT professional to gather on one day at the University of Moratuwa to show their talents in cricket. Many years ago, CSE started the annual cricket tournament “Hit the Grounds” to just provide a day of fun and camaraderie for the students, staff and the industry.

The tournament is open for teams formed by students, staff and software industrial firms in Sri Lanka. The number of participating teams kept rising throughout the past consecutive years and today Hit the Grounds has become The Cricket Tournament for local IT companies.

Hit the grounds awards a trophy for the winners and every team is eager to win it for their team. In the 2008 CSE Hit the Grounds there was no single champion; rather the championship was shared by the two teams from MIT and WSO2.

 

CSE ALUMNI DAY OUT (2008) 
 
CSE has a strong bond with its alumni. CSE Alumni Day Out 2008 organized by the CS&ES for the 2nd time was held on the 12th of November at Pegasus Reef Hotel, Wattala. The main   purpose of this event was to      provide an opportunity for the graduates of CSE to have an outing and network      with their past colleagues, staff and current undergraduates.

Several fun events took place throughout the day and the event progressed very             successfully. Games like ‘Strongest man’, ‘Filling the bottle’, ‘Musical chairs’ were among the most amusing ones.          
Participants took part in sports like cricket, table tennis, football and also games like carom and darts. The water polo tournament was one of the most enjoyable and successful events of the day. The most intriguing thing about all these events was the participation of not only the students, graduates and the staff members, but also the family members.

Other than these sporting events, a karaoke event was also       organized. A calypso team mesmerized the participants throughout the day with their charming music. An awards ceremony was held in the evening to mark the conclusion of a fascinating day.