Mime Club plots a good show

Posted on March 11, 2012 by AEP

The Mime Club, BITS Pilani, is an organisation of eighteen people, with six first yearites, that stage shows during the fests and participate in competitions. With the pre-Apogee enthusiasm reaching a fever pitch, we caught up with the Mime Club Coordinator, Ajitesh Srivastava. Preparations for Apogee are in full swing and Mime Club was busy practicing. But he did spare a few minutes to briefly answer our questions. Here are excerpts from the conversation…
AEP : What do you have lined up for Apogee this time?
Ajitesh – We have just one show, during Mithali, this time. There aren’t any competitions or such.

AEP – People have high expectations after Oasis. Do you think you’ll match up to them?
Ajitesh – People always expect something good from us. Every time we have something different, something new. It’s the same this time. It also depends on the people. Sometimes we think some mime was better, but the audience thinks otherwise. This time, we will have things you see every time and things you’ve never seen before. It’s something people will talk about. We have been practicing and everything is good so far. The preparations are fine and everything is on track.

AEP – What about your budget?
Ajitesh – We haven’t had our meeting yet. We have our inventory budget but not the rest. We might have a budget crunch though. You’ll see why after the show.
(Hmmmmmm…)

AEP – How do you think Apogee will be compared to the previous one?
Ajitesh – This Apogee, most clubs and associations have some new events. But as a whole, I don’t know how it will be. And it’s two weeks before the fest so Mime Club preparations are in full swing. I can’t really comment on anything else. But for us, it will be a usual Mithali.

AEP – Is there anything else you’d like to say?
Ajitesh – Apogee is a tech-fest, and Mithali is the only cultural event. People may have other work, but they shouldn’t miss it for anything.

And so ended our short conversation. Despite the cryptic remarks, we’re sure that what Mime Club has in store for the audience will more than make up for them having just one show. We wish them luck.

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NSS all geared up for APOGEE

Posted on March 11, 2012 by AEP

From teaching children the basics of Microsoft Office in small villages to organizing Dhiti, a socio-technical event that challenges the mind to solve unusual problem statements, NSS has been working hard for APOGEE. Pre-APOGEE preparations included a guest lecture by H.C. Verma and a successful blood donation camp. With only one event lined up for APOGEE, namely Dhiti, NSS plans on making this APOGEE better than ever.

Two schemes have been under implementation thus far aside from the pre-APOGEE preparations. Education for children in nearby villages like Gharinda and Jherli is the first one.  The Computer Literacy Program (CLT) involves regular teaching every day of the week at government schools using 2-3 IPC computers. The NSS School is another establishment in BITS used to teach 60-70 kids at a quarter behind C’not. The second scheme is public awareness. Targeting villages like Basgaon and Gharinda, this scheme uses weekly visits to inform the general populace of government policies like BPL (Below Poverty Line), Labor Union schemes, health awareness and more. Health camps were organized in Ghumansar last year. The same public awareness schemes have also been implemented at BITS in the form of the blood donation camp. NSS now hope to conduct all aforementioned operations in Garinda with better prospective results.

Dhiti, one of the five kernel events for APOGEE this year, involves three phases. The first two phases occur three months in advance. Abstract submission from all the teams is the first phase wherein 12-13 problem statements from NGOs like EWB (Engineers Without Borders) and Techpedia are put up for the teams. Twenty teams move on to the second phase, in which interviews are conducted using technical help from BITSian professors. Ten teams get selected for the final round during APOGEE where they present their idea. Extensive pre-APOGEE preparations have resulted in nearly doubling the number of registered participants for Dhiti this year. Up to 230 from 112 last year, the increase in participation has meant a larger number of abstracts and larger number of interviews for phase three selection. The winners get to work with the NGOs on their proposed solution.

Elaborate efforts have gone into preparations for this year’s APOGEE. With a workforce over 80 strong and nearly 25 post holders, NSS has no concerns aside from the impact of the construction work on APOGEE for the years to come.  To quote Shrirang Deshpande, “We only wish for juniors to capitalize on this APOGEE as there might not be one next year”. With that in mind, here’s hoping for a good APOGEE for NSS.

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Biologically speaking, he’s a busy man…

Posted on February 24, 2012 by AEP
B.Anirudh, the APOGEE Coordinator for the Biology Association is a busy man. With APOGEE less than a month away, he has his hands full.  AEP caught up with him late at night after a hectic day.
He still spoke with obvious enthusiasm on the Apogee preparations. The association is organizing 10 events this APOGEE. These include “Ethical Quotient”, a new event introduced this year which is basically a debate on ethical questions in biological techniques, “Bio-Mimicry”, a design event where participants design models mimicking nature, “Insilico” and “Cellect”, a unique event where participants get to play god and design an organism (virtually of course) to survive a given environment ranging from the hostile to the favourable.
Besides these major events, there are numerous quizzes and guest lectures on store. Given the fact that most of the participants would be from technical background with minimal or no pre knowledge of biology, the assoc is making sure to keep the event as non-technical as possible without losing the essence of biological sciences. The assoc also pitched in “Insilico” for the kernel -events but was unfortunately not allotted any kernel event.
The major attraction this year as per the coordinator is “Ethical Quotient”.
“Biology is seen as a boring subject involving rote learning by many and this event is sure to change that. It’s basically a debate on the burning issues in bio ethics such as cloning, stem cell research, surrogacy etc. We are seeing it as our major event and expect it to change the perception about biology.” he quips enthusiastically. Besides, a pre-Apogee event “Pixar Arts” is in the pipeline to serve as an appetizer for the main events in Apogee.
Thankfully there have been no financial or scheduling constraints this year. The coordinator confidently expects the events to be a grand success this time around.”With high expectations from all corners, the preparations are in full swing. The faculty as well as all the members are going all out to make Apogee memorable”, he concludes, on a contented note.
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Of Physicists and Cryptography…

Posted on February 24, 2012 by AEP
B.Abhinav Ramana’s boy next door image hardly subdues his lively spirit. He speaks with a glow and enthusiasm which indicate deep passion for his work. The Physics Association Coordinator has some fond memories of APOGEE 2011, and this year he has introduced some new ideas of his own to make it even better.
There are 5 events from the Physics Association this APOGEE. These include-
  • “Phytactoe” an online event involving a heady mix of Physics and the age old game of tic-tac-toe.
  • Physics Of The Impossible, which in Abhinav’s words is “a new event full of paradoxical puzzles.”
  • A few quizzes vis-a-vis  “Lab Quiz” and “Physics Challenge”.
The prime attraction this Apogee however is expected to be the workshop on Cryptography which would deal with the field of “Chaotic Cryptography” and usage of “Non-linear dynamics”. The association has invited Prof Donald Costello, Head of “British Computing Society” for the 2 day workshop and all this comes at a nominal charge making it affordable to most.
“We are pitching our hopes on Crypto this APOGEE. It’s our major event and we are earning revenue from it also. Besides, Cryptography is an emerging field involving a dynamic blend of mathematics and computing sciences. We aim to give participants a rich exposure to the field. The workshop is evaluative too with a three hour test at the end of it to initiate participants into the thrilling field of code breaking.”, he explains.
Indeed, the workshops this year are expected to help overcome the dearth of funds.”More than the funds, we have time and scheduling constraints which prevented us from hosting new events”, he remarks pensively.
The Assoc. is also planning pre- APOGEE events in the “Science Week “ from 23rd to 28th
February to generate publicity for its events. There are workshops on adaptive technology and basic sciences among the numerous events scheduled in end February. The quizzes witness a huge turnover each year and thus there are pre-Apogee quizzes too. The association is also hosting “Sciensation” jointly with the other 9 associations as part of its publicity campaign. In addition there are treasure hunts too to keep the mystery lovers interested.
The expectations are high from this year’s APOGEE too. There’s a lot more twists and turns to this year’s events to test some of the brightest minds of the country expected in attendance.
Already the registrations are showing encouraging participation. The coordinator has his fingers crossed and his hands full.”We hope to get lots of interest in the crypto workshop and for the quizzes too. There are no major hindrances as such. We hope to have a successful APOGEE”, he signs off.
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Information Systems Association

Posted on February 18, 2012 by AEP

The C6 Assoc Coordinator Abhishek Jhanwar beamed with happiness as he spoke to us about his Assoc’s work this Apogee. Well, at least he would have beamed, had not the conversation happened over phone. AEP caught up with Abhishek right when he was hurrying to the pitching of some of his Assoc’s projects. And we got just about all the information he was at liberty to give us.

The Assoc has a cap of 30 projects this Apogee and 16 projects have already been selected for the final round. To add to the already many feathers present in the Assoc’s cap thanks to this remarkable result, 7 projects are in the pitching stage, all of which have great chances of making it.

One of the projects that caught our eye, and well, made us linger on that very topic for nearly the rest of the conversation, was “Verbalizor”. This is an application to enable people who are unable to speak to converse over the internet. The application processes a live video of the person communicating through the medium of sign language and converts these signs into words and voice. On the receivers’ end, these words in either simple text or voice are converted back into sign language if need be.  This system automatically recognises gestures of sign language from a video stream using image processing techniques.

Other projects include a weather prediction system, which intends to accurately predict all weather conditions of a place based on previous history of the place, date and time. Another project that is heavily under wraps, too heavy to even sneak a peak into, is titled “My Desktop”.

Apart from the plethora of projects, the Assoc is also conducting eight events this Apogee. The pick of the lot is definitely “3D Treasure Hunt”, an online twist to the crowd favourite game. With 3D visuals and all navigation happening online, this event is meant to cater to the sizeable and constantly growing tech savvy crowd on campus.

Considering the number of projects and events that ISA is handling, it is no doubt that the members have their hands full. As the president puts it, the core team of 25 members is busy around the clock, getting things done as per schedule. And it does seem like progress is happening at a smooth rate for four out of the sixteen selected projects have already been completed.

Abhishek is hoping that hard work of his team is rewarded this Apogee, and we sign off sharing the same sentiment as well.

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Civil Engineering Association

Posted on February 16, 2012 by AEP

If Nishant Sangal and his team have their way, residents of our very own Jhunjhunu district are in for a radical transformation in the health-care sector.

One of the most interesting projects that the Civil Engineers’ Association has come up with this Apogee, this one focuses on using back-breaking CDC stuff to help mend other injured limbs and the like.  The project proposes to survey the existing medical centres in Jhunjhunu and their connectivity to villages, and come up with recommendations to improve its state. These will incorporate the existing shortest paths from a village to its nearest hospital, and proposals to set up more such facilities and roads so as to cover the whole district and provide 30-minute accessibility to a medical facility.

Another project that caught our eye aims to develop a congestion free transportation system based on mathematical models. Ashutosh Paraha’s team have been working on on-road test runs based on traffic data from Delhi and Jaipur. In light of the hectic 6 hour bus journeys that most BITSians experience while going home, such projects sound mighty pleasing in their scope. To quote the omnipresent sweatshirt: WA2 civilization, guys.

Many hard-core discipline specific projects have also been finalized under the CEA’s banner this time; Viraj Voditel’s effort to design intelligent constituent structures like a truss that can detect force and vary its mass accordingly being one of the stand-outs.

Pranav Srinivas, Coordinator of the CEA is mighty pleased as a result. “The quality of Apogee projects and events aren’t usually up to standards, and hence it often pales in comparison to the cultural fest,” he quotes.

CEA, as he informs us, is organizing four events this time:

  • Srishti: A designing competition on CAD platforms, like AutoCAD and Google Sketchup.
  • Krazy Bridge: A test of resourcefulness and practical knowledge. Participants have to build a bridge using the given scrap.
  • IstructE: An online quizzing event based on general knowledge as well as A2-specific stuff.
  • Grid Lock: Being introduced for the first time, a high tech mouse-to-cheese route finding competition.

The EPC wishes them good luck in their endeavours, for Apogee as well as the next recruitment season.

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Chemical Engineering Association

Posted on February 16, 2012 by AEP

Very often, members of a discipline assoc are not seen looking forward to events after APOGEE but Apoorv Tandon, co-ordinator of the Chemical Engineering Assoc, is an exception. In his words, this APOGEE will be used as a stepping stone for the nationwide SCHEMCON to be conducted in Pilani later this year. But that has not stopped the Chemical Engineering Association from hosting a number of interesting events this APOGEE.

Previously seen events being conducted by the assoc are Resource Optimisation and ChemPro, along with the shiny new addition of Chemica. Resource Optimisation, an event having on the spot registration, requiring participants to build a chemical plant that utilizes the given resources to the maximum. In ChemPro, participants will be given a sample of sewage water and they would be required to remove the impurities from it, as efficiently as possible. Having received registrations from various IITs, Chemica is perhaps the most attractive event. Participants have to build a car in such a way that it works entirely on chemical reactions, like on exothermic reactions for an example.

The assoc has also received a number of interesting projects that caught our attention. One involved removal of heavy ions from aqueous solutions using fly ash as a low cost sorbent. Another one was about generation of X-rays without using electricity. One more project that may please a significant number of people should it be successful involved the production of Ethanol from municipal sewage (as a fuel and solvent, not what you’re thinking!)

When asked about the effect that the construction work going on in Pilani would have on the functioning on the Assoc and on APOGEE in general, Apoorv said that while the Assoc would function as effectively as it previously has, the stalls that are set up bang in the middle of C-Lawns might be affected to a certain extent, although not so much that the success of the fest might be hindered.  In conclusion, it was clear for all to see that Apoorv Tandon was planning some big things for the SCHEMCON that is soon to hit the chimerical shores of Pilani and also ensure that while doing so, APOGEE does not feel left out. We wish him and the Assoc the very best of luck for their future endeavours.

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Computer Science Association

Posted on February 16, 2012 by AEP

Bhargav Golla Apogee Coordinator, CSA

The Computer Science Association (CSA), with around fifty members, hosts a number of guest lectures, quizzes and coding contests throughout the year, and is noted for its highly innovative projects during APOGEE. Wondering what they were panning for this APOGEE, we, at the EPC, caught up the Apogee Co-ordinator, Bhargav Golla. Here’s a bit of what transpired…

Could you give us a brief overview of the events you’re planning this APOGEE?

We have nine events this time, out of which two are pre-apogee, online events.  One is Qrious, an online riddle cum quizzing event, and the other is C.O.D.E.R.  Among the events taking place during APOGEE, there are Codestorm, Smash the Bug (A Java debugging contest), Mindsweeper- a tougher model of Minesweeper, and Cyberfiesta (a software designing competition). In addition to these, there is Hackathon, an on-campus event in which participants may code in various languages to implement an innovative idea based on a given problem statement.

How many projects do you have this time?

We had sixty abstracts, out of which one and twenty have been selected, and twenty are in the pitching process. There are a lot of eye-catching projects this year.

What about projects by first year students?

There aren’t many. A few of them proposed ideas but most of them got eliminated during the selection process. First years generally don’t do it by themselves as they lack the technical knowledge required.

Is there anything else you’d like to say?

People don’t appreciate APOGEE as much as they should. I think they should participate more actively. And this year’s will probably be better than the previous ones.

Some Projects to look out for:

Of the numerous projects, two seem very promising.

One of them, Kinectik, allows the user to reconstruct indoor 3D surfaces in real-time, with real life textures. It tracks the user’s head, the direction of gaze and the skeleton and apparently, can be used to project a shirt of the proper size on the user!

Another involves genetic modeling using Markov chains and is a mathematical model of the random walk methodology adopted by Genetic Algorithms (GA). This may help generate statistically meaningful data regarding the behavior of apparently random events.

CSA sure looks like it has a lot on its plate! Let’s wish them luck because they might just need it.

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ACM

Posted on February 16, 2012 by AEP

Apogee English press caught up with Association of Computer Machinery coordinator Shashank Jain late one evening after a hectic day of haggling with IPC officials regarding the logistics of an event.

ACM have 4 events in the pipeline this Apogee. The International Coding League is a computer programming competition among the universities of the world. It consists of three levels; with the participant choosing whichever he feels pertains to his level of coding skills. Ignite Pilani is an internationally reputed event conducted in association with Samsung in over 100 cities worldwide. During this event, presenters share their personal and professional passions, using 20 slides that auto advance every 15 seconds for a total of 5 minutes. Internet Whirlwind is a simple test of your surfing skills, without the requirement of any technical abilities. The same holds for Checkmate, a puzzle solving event. ACM also provide technical support for Stock Market Simulation, a kernel event organised by EFA.

With an upper limit of 10, 6 projects have already been finalised under the Application Development category. A project on parallel computing using PS3 aims to divide processes between two processors, thus reducing the execution time of a process, as no processor remains idle for a period of time. Another on ‘Future career planning’ is an automation based on surveys and analysis from a pre assigned database.

Being a computer based association on similar lines to CSA and ISA, one would suggest that ACM might struggle to carve out a niche for itself. However their co-ordinator points out that while the other two are more focussed on the coding aspect of computers, ACM through its events tries to test the mental ability and promptness of the students. We at AEP wish them luck for their future endeavours.

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Moneyball

Posted on February 16, 2012 by AEP

Preparations for Apogee are going on at a hectic pace, and after repeated scheduling and rescheduling, Apogee English Press caught up with Economics and Finance Association Coordinator Shashank Jain to discuss EFA’s preparations for the technical fest.

EFA has lined up 5 events this Apogee, with Stock Market Simulation (SMS) as their marquee event. SMS is a kernel event organised jointly with Association of Computer Machinery. It is an online simulation trading game where you create and manage your own portfolio and compete with players in a risk free environment. Based on the Nifty Index, 50 shortlisted teams will go head to head in the quest to generate the maximum profit.

Ages of Economics is an event based on the IPL bidding platform, where participants bid for 15 hypothetical companies and make decisions as the index moves, again the motive being the generation of maximum value. Forex is an exciting Foreign Exchange event where participants have a fixed opening balance and they trade currencies for three hours on campus. Rounding up the set of events is Numero Uno, a case study analysis competition with an interactive twist. In addition, a Financial Modelling workshop is being scheduled, in association with Pristine International and Inforay Consultancy.

We asked him to talk about the various projects under EFA and learn that out of 45 projects, 16 have made the cut for the finals. Some of the most impressive projects he talked about were the ones on the India-China Economy analysis and software development for automated trading. A Bankruptcy Prediction project is also one to watch out for. Summing up, he expressed pleasure at the renewed increase in the inclination of students on campus to take up Economics related projects, with EFA more or less playing second fiddle to the bigger technical associations in the years gone by.

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