About a decade ago, computers only took in information. They talk to us today. Giving and receiving money was almost entirely on paper, whereas digital payment and mobile wallets have now become the new normal.
Machine learning combined with the advances in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionised everything from personal searches to passenger cars, and man’s steady progress through the years has always been accompanied by an equivalent ‘evolution of technology.’
It was on the same theme that 200 young engineering undergraduates deliberated upon at the fifth edition of the All-Kerala Computer Society Student Convention held recently at Pala's St Joseph’s College of Engineering and Technology (SJCET).
Expert take
In his session on the evolution of software, Professor Binu A of the Rajagiri School of Engineering and Technology threw light on the initial inception of software and its suitable timely updation over the years.
Dr Nalesh S, Professor at CUSAT's Department of Electronics, touched upon the growth of hardware. He gave a brief intro on the development of hardware from early, simple devices that aid in minute calculations, to modern-day supercomputers.
Vaishak Anand, embedded systems engineer at Tata Elxsi, delivered a rapturous session on the rise of drones, while speaking of its initial design ideas which were totally different from the type seen commercially today.
Ahead of lunch, the delegates were split into branches of two based on their preferred field of choice from among Hardware or Software.
Post lunch, Abhiram A, a technical officer of XR at Kerala Startup Mission, conducted a workshop on implementing Augmented Reality with Unity 3D application. Delegates had a unique opportunity to develop parts of the craft, during the hands-on sessions on AR.
Akshai M, a senior research fellow at the International Centre for Free and Open Source Software (ICFOSS), conducted a workshop on PGP* and email encryption. He spoke at length on why privacy and encryption were of utmost importance. The delegates were then taught to safely send messages by encrypting their conversations.
On the second day of talks, Sreeram Venkitesh, a third-year Computer Science Engineering student at the Mar Athanasius College of Engineering, Kothamangalam, steered a session on the 'Evolution of Media and Content Creation.’ Later, Enfa Rose, a final- year student at the Rajagiri School of Engineering and Technology, Ernakulam, spoke about her tussles as a woman in a domain conquered mostly by men. She shared her struggles and spoke of her journey leading all the way to the Google Women Techmakers Scholarship 2019, which she was a recipient of.
Neeraj Ipe, a full stack web and software developer at UST Global, spoke on ‘The Evolution of Web Development’. He explained its scope and possibilities in a rapidly connected environment and the need for more youngsters to tap into the world of full-scale stack development.
Cultural fare
After prolonged hours of discovery and deliberation, the two-day tech gala ended with a cultural evening and celebration when the teams sung Christmas carols into the cold night.
The All-Kerala Computer Society Student Convention is a multistep novel initiative from the IEEE Kerala Section to educate students and motivate them to act on their knowledge, leading to smarter actions to present- day problems. The event was organised in association with the IEEE Computer Society, Kerala Startup Mission and the Startup Bootcamp of SJCET.
*PGP or Pretty Good Privacy is an encryption programme.