CSE reveals prominence in dissipating knowledge to the homeland, upholding its dazzling values in preserving the uniqueness.The family of CSE cherishes the memories of the past year’s efforts
3. Awaken Memories…
CSE reveals prominence in dissipating
knowledge to the homeland. ,upholding
its dazzling values in preserving the uniqueness.
The family of CSE cherishes the memories
of the past year’s efforts
Wander along the lane of memories of
the past Year……
4.
5. D e p a rt me n t o f C o mp u t e r Sc ie nc e & En gine e r ing
The Department of Computer
Science & Engineering, though only
24 years old, is an innovative and
stable sub disciplinary unit in the
Faculty of Engineering, University of
Moratuwa. It is well known for its
trendsetting, creative approach of
undergraduate education since its
inauguration in 1985.
The aim of the Department of Computer Science is not merely to
create employable graduates, but to produce globally competitive,
world recognized graduates who can face any challenging
situation. The department maintains outstanding standards in
academic activities while enhancing the soft skills of its
undergraduates. It has a dedicated panel of lecturers specialized in
various areas of advanced computing and the department itself
has created an enduring mark in the IT industry of the country
and around the world as well.
6.
7. Me s sa g e F ro m H e a d o f t h e D e p a rt me n t
M s . Vis ha k a Na na y a k k a ra
At Department of Computer Science
& Engineering we believe in making
our graduates good citizens who are
readily employable from the day that
they graduate. With very brilliant
students all what we need to do is
give them enough opportunities to
improve themselves and guide them
along the way. Enhancing soft skills, helping them improve their
transferable skills require us to move away from traditional teaching
mechanisms and include many different activities into the
curriculum. At CSE we are very fortunate to have the assistance
and blessings of the CS&ES to carry out this endure.
Members of CS&ES are always willing to assist the department in
taking up new initiatives. Finding resource persons and mentors for
all activities has never been hard. Funding new initiatives through
CS&ES has given CSE a very easy sail for any new voyage.
The staff and the students at CSE are always ever so willing to
embark in any new journey. My colleagues in the staff are always
full of enthusiasm and vigor to introduce and follow up on new
activities. Students are ready to take up all the challenges and
opportunities given to them.
The list of activities you see in this booklet are the flowers of the
hard work the CSE staff, students and the CS&ES. I am very
fortunate to have the reigns of such a dedicated and devoted
community and this booklet is a tribute to all of them.
8. “Mind IT Balance IT” Conference & CSE Get -together
S t r a t e g ic P a r t n e r
P l a t in u m S p o n s o r
Go l d S pon s o r s
9. “Mi n d I T b a l a n ce I T ” C o n f e re n ce
& 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 Computer
Science & Engineering Society (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 also for employer organizations too.
10. “Mind IT Balance IT” Conference & CSE Get -together
S ilv er S p o n s o rs
P r in t & M e d ia P a r t n e r s
11. 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 of the Computer
Science & Engineering Society 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.
13. T h e Me n t o ri n g P ro g ra m
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 year‟s 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
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
15. D ra m a F e st
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.
17. C o l o r W a sh i n g o f t h e H e l p K i d s
Foundations Orphanage
Every journey travelled leaves valuable memories instilled deep
within one‟s mind and heart. Behind any superb effort, there must
be a team which is equally up to those superb standards. This
indeed was the case at the annual CSE community project “Color
Washing of the Help Kids Foundation Orphanage” which helped to
uproot the convention that software engineers are only armed with
technical expertise, which can only guide the world to a climax in
technological aspects.
It was a magnificent opportunity for the students to bring out their
exemplary physical skills, coordination of abilities and the
leadership potentials to the limelight. The proposed orphanage was
a large single story building. The students together with the staff
painted the whole building plus did some other tedious work, which
included tidying up the garden and flattening up a rather large pile
of gravel.
Along with the academic staff, the students reflected the true sense
of CSE spirit. The fatigue which came with the hard work was
drowned by the hearty jokes and the bonds of unity that developed
further and further among the students and also between the
students and the academic staff. As the day came to an end,
witnessing the sunset from the top of a little rock-mountain nearby
on which a small temple stood, all the students were awed by the
beautiful view and the experience of a lifetime gained on that
wonderful day.
.
19. C S E P r o g ra m mi n g C o mp e t i t i o n
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 travelers,
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 targeted 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.
21. CSE Out-Boundz
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.
23. 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.
C S E H i t T h e G ro u n d s
In the local IT arena CSE is iconized 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.
25. C S E A l u mn i D a y O u t
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 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.
26.
27. CSE ACHIEVEMENTS
G oogle Sum m e r o f C o d e 2 0 0 8
Summer of Code is an International open source software
development contest organized by the Internet giant Google, on an
annual basis. The main objective of the contest was to promote
open source projects and encourage young students all around the
world to get actively engaged in writing open source code for world
class software products.
Keeping in line with its world class status, University of Moratuwa
became the world‟s top University at this event by earning the
highest number of projects. University of Moratuwa undergraduates
succeeded in making 24 winning project proposals to surpass some
of the finest Universities and tertiary IT education centers in the
world. The department of CSE was indeed the biggest shareholder
of this exceptional accomplishment, since 18 out of the 24 winning
project proposals were created and submitted by CSE
undergraduates in level 4 and level 3. The numbers prove that CSE
alone has produced more GSoC winners than any top world class
University.
Having their project proposals for GSoC 2008 accepted, CSE
undergraduates developed open source code for a multitude of well
known projects using a variety of programming languages and
platforms. Most of the projects were carried out using Java, C, C++
or PHP. Each project pushed the winning undergraduates to their
limits, since all the projects required conducting some research,
performing literature surveys and communicating with IT expert
from all around the globe.
In addition, students got an opportunity to put their software design
skills to good use since all the projects required students to design
all the software modules they were supposed to develop. The four
months long development phase of the projects were carried out
under the close supervision of Google, mentoring organizations and
other open source enthusiasts.
28.
29. Many of the CSE GSoC winners worked on projects of the Apache
Software Foundation, the biggest open source software foundation
in the world. Apache Xerces, Apache Harmony, Apache Qpid,
Apache Axis2 and Apache Tuscany are a few of them. Sahana, the
world famous open source disaster management system developed
in PHP, initiated by the Lanka Software Foundation, also had some
winners working on their project.
A press conference participated by many leading media
organizations of the country was held at the IESL Auditorium
to reveal the remarkable accomplishment to the country. His
Excellency the President of Sri Lanka conveyed his special
appreciation to the University, on this unprecedented achievement.
With the glamour of GSoC 2008 sparkling by its side, CSE has
again won 17 awards at 2009 GSoC.
31. CSE -UO M P a rt i ci p a t i o n i n
ACM -I CP C Com pe tit ion
The ACM International Collegiate
Programming Contest (ICPC) was
a multitier, team-based,
programming competition
operating under the auspices of
ACM. The contest involved a
global network of universities
hosting regional competitions that
advance teams to the ACM-ICPC World Finals. Participation has
grown to several tens of thousands of the finest students and
faculties in computing disciplines at almost 2,000 universities from
over 80 countries.
The contest fosters creativity,
teamwork, and innovation in
building new software programs,
and enables students to test their
ability to perform under pressure.
Quite simply, it is the oldest,
largest, and most prestigious
programming contest in the world.
The contest was held in two phases, namely the regional
competition, and the world finals. The regional competitions were
held in various parts of the world, where the winners of each
regional (usually the top two teams) make it to the world finals.
Participation in the regional competitions was open to any private
or state owned university.
The Department of Computer Science & Engineering (CSE) has
been participating in the ACM-ICPC competition since 2006. The
team selection is done by a university-wide programming contest
with the participation of students from many departments of the
university.
32.
33. Students from Level 1 through Level 4 strive to make it, into the
team at this competition. This contest takes a similar form of the
real ACM ICPC competitions, where students are made to
individually solve, a number of programming problems, which
includes extensive programming and algorithmic skills, in a time
constrained environment, and upload their results to a server,
after which they will be graded and the team selections finalized.
The selected teams are given further training by the department
with the participation of past team members, and senior staff
members.
The students of the University of Moratuwa had fared well at past
ACM ICPC competitions in 2006 and 2007 obtaining an honorable
mention in the regional competitions held in Kanpur, India, in 2006
th
and being placed 4 in 2007.
In 2008, the two teams from the university participated in the
regional competitions held at Kanpur and Amritapuri, India, where
th th
they won 4 place, and 5 place respectively.
34.
35. Im a gine C u p 2 0 0 8
Imagine Cup Software Design Invitational challenges students
around the world to explore their own creativity by designing
software solutions to solve what they consider to be challenging
problems at hand. The theme for the year 2008 was “Imagine a
world where technology enables a sustainable environment”. Team
“Will Power” from CSE batch 06 emerged 2nd runners up for the
software solution they presented: “Cleaning License Management
System” which is aimed at protecting the air that all people share
from motor vehicle air pollutants; at the local final round of
software design category held on 22nd April 2008, which was
organized by the local Microsoft subsidiary.
NBQ S A Me ri t A w a rd s
The National Best Quality Software Awards (NBQSA) competition is
an annual event organized by the British Computer Society Sri
Lanka (BCSSL) Section. The competition serves to showcase and
benchmark Sri Lankan ICT products, which fulfill a much needed
requirement of the software industry in this highly competitive
globalist economic structure. A Group from Batch 04 of CSE
received a merit award competed under “Tertiary Education”
category , for the project, Rampart2 - A High Performance
Web Services Security Module for Apache Axis2. This was a
remarkable achievement for CSE at National level .
ICAM E S 2 0 0 9
ICAMES is the "International Cultural and Academic Meeting of
Engineering Students", organized by the Engineering Society of
Bogazici University ,which brings together university students and
academics from various parts of the globe ,on an international base
in Turkey. “Project eID”, a final year student project group of CSE
Batch 05 was selected to participate and present their project at this
prestigious event.