Activities

Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham hosted the Asia Regional Finals of the prestigious ACM-ICPC (Inter Collegiate Programming Contest). This Olympics of programming contests attracts worldwide participation every year from undergraduate students of computer science and engineering.

In India, Amrita University, along with IIT-Kanpur, has been designated to organize the contest. The competition consists of online rounds held in the latter part of the year, followed by an onsite contest. Teams from various parts of Asia participate in this event.

The Amritapuri Campus of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham successfully hosted QSEC – Quantum Information Science and Engineering Workshop, bringing together renowned experts and researchers from across disciplines to delve into the rapidly evolving domain of quantum technologies. The workshop focused on two core areas — Quantum Algorithms & Cryptography and Quantum Materials & Measurement — offering participants a deep dive into the transformative possibilities of quantum computing. 

The event witnessed enthusiastic participation from faculty members, PhD scholars, MTech, MSc, and BTech students across departments including Computer Science and Engineering, ECE, EEE, Physics, and Mathematics, along with members from various interdisciplinary research centers of the university. 

Experts presented insights on how quantum computing, with its exponentially superior capabilities for certain types of computation, could soon revolutionize sectors ranging from cryptography and material science to data security and AI. The sessions highlighted how emerging global trends in quantum research are driving both academic inquiry and commercial innovation, with several countries advancing dedicated national quantum missions. 

The workshop also sparked valuable discussions on the future direction of quantum theory and experimentation, enabling Amrita’s academic community to envision priorities for research and collaboration in this high-impact domain. 

By aligning with cutting-edge global developments, Amrita continues to foster an environment where emerging technologies are not just explored academically but also harnessed for practical societal impact. 

The Faculty Development Programme (FDP) on “AI-driven Distributed Systems and BlockChain” is designed to impart knowledge about the latest technologies pertaining to AI and distributed systems. This five day FDP provides both theoretical aspects and hands-on experiences on Distributed Systems, Edge Computing, Blockchain, and Security.

The FDP includes technical sessions on distributed routing protocols, computing frameworks, distributed deep learning, and reinforcement learning techniques by academicians from reputed national and international universities. The FDP also offers some sessions by industries and exposes the participants to the latest research topics in the relevant areas. The FDP will help to upgrade the expertise and capabilities of the faculty members of various engineering institutions in India.

Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri Campus, successfully hosted Amrita BlockCamp, a 36-hour national-level Blockchain hackathon as part of VIDYUT 2023 – India’s biggest MultiFest. Held on May 4 and 5, the event brought together some of the brightest minds in the country to explore the theme of Digital Transformation using Blockchain. 

The campus buzzed with innovation and collaboration as students, developers, and blockchain enthusiasts from diverse academic and professional backgrounds came together to ideate, build, and present real-world blockchain solutions. The hackathon served as a powerful platform for participants to explore the growing impact of decentralized technologies across sectors. 

Throughout the 36 hours, teams worked tirelessly, guided by mentors and experts from both academia and industry. The event also provided ample networking opportunities, with interactive sessions and discussions fostering knowledge exchange among participants and thought leaders in the Blockchain space. 

The hackathon culminated with an award ceremony that recognized the top-performing teams. The first prize of ₹1,00,000 was awarded to the most innovative solution, while several other teams were recognized with cash prizes and special mentions. In addition, select participants were shortlisted for PitchFest, offering them an opportunity to present their solutions to recruiters and potentially land job offers. 

Amrita BlockCamp stood as a testimony to Amrita’s commitment to fostering innovation and providing platforms for emerging technologies. The university extends its heartfelt appreciation to all participants, mentors, and partners who contributed to making the event a grand success. 

Event Schedule

Amrita School of Computing, in collaboration with the esteemed Kerala Blockchain Academy, orchestrated a comprehensive two-day workshop delving into the intricacies of Blockchain Technologies, spanning from February 26th to 27th, 2024. Spearheaded by Mr. Nikhil V Chandran, a Research Engineer hailing from the Kerala Blockchain Academy (KBA), and accompanied by Ms. Soya Chadran, an R & D Engineer specializing in Hyperledger technology, the sessions were meticulously crafted to offer profound insights into the realm of blockchain. The main topics covered in the workshops are given below.

Despite an initial registration count of 50 eager students, the final tally of attendees stood at a commendable 25, each poised to immerse themselves in the enriching experience. The

workshop unfolded with an explanation of blockchain technology’s fundamental concepts and transitioned into exploring prominent public and private platforms integral to blockchain applications. Participants were afforded the invaluable opportunity for hands-on engagement with various tools, fostering a practical understanding of blockchain principles.

To foster ongoing learning and development, the Kerala Blockchain Academy has generously extended online access to course materials, with the promise of Blockchain certification contingent upon project submission. Furthermore, the workshop sparked the beginning of a growing Blockchain club. This club is ready to use the new knowledge gained from the workshop to create simple applications and lead the way in learning more about blockchain.

Date & Time: 

30th May 2024, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM 
Location: Acharya Hall, School of Computing, Amritapuri Campus 
Organized By: School of Computing, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri 

Speaker Profile: 

Professor S. Lakshmivarahan 
Professor Emeritus, University of Oklahoma 
An acclaimed expert in data science and computational mathematics, Professor Varahan is known for his extensive contributions to the field of Big Data analytics, dimensionality reduction techniques, and applied mathematics. 

Purpose of the Event: 

• Facilitate knowledge exchange with one of the leading minds in computational science.
• Enlighten students and researchers about key Big Data sources and their significance in analytics.
• Explore avenues for collaborative research between the University of Oklahoma and Amritapuri faculty.

Event Highlights – 30th May 2024: 

1. Distinguished Lecture for BTech CSE Students

• Time: 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
• Topic: Typical Sources of Big Data and Their Implications for Analytics
• Attendance: 240 undergraduate students
• Key Points Covered:
  • Role of sensors and internet-connected devices in generating Big Data.
  • Utilization of hyperspectral satellite imagery and its data-rich nature.
  • The need for dimensionality reduction in preprocessing large datasets.
  • Introductory concepts in Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and randomized algorithms for efficient analytics.
     

2. Additional Interactions

• Morning: Faculty meeting focused on research presentations and collaborative ideas.
• Afternoon: Visit to Amrita Create and Landslide Labs to observe ongoing innovations and technologies.

Continued Engagement – 31st May 2024

1. Research Seminar

• Time: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
• Location: E-Learning Studio
• Audience: 30 research scholars
• Content: A deeper dive into Big Data sources and advanced dimensionality reduction methods.
   

2. Faculty Collaboration Meetings

• With Dr. Jayakumar & Dr. Indulekha (3:30 PM – 4:30 PM)
• With Dr. Geetha & Dr. Prema Nedungadi (7:00 PM – 8:00 PM)
• Focused on exploring mutual research interests and planning for potential joint studies.

Key Outcomes

• Educational Impact: Improved student understanding of Big Data pipelines and analytics.
• Research Potential: Identified new possibilities for cross-institutional research projects.
• Feedback: Enthusiastic responses from both students and faculty; many appreciated the depth and clarity of the topics covered.

Event Report

The National Level OLabs Hackathon 2025, held at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham’s Amritapuri Campus on February 28th and March 1st, directly addressed United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) . “Reimagining Education Through Innovation,” the event’s tagline, guided the effort to enhance the OLabs platform by bringing together innovative minds from across the nation to develop creative, practical, and scalable technological solutions.

The OLabs Hackathon (OLabsThon) was organized jointly by Amrita School of Computing, Amrita Center for Research in Analytics, Technologies & Education (Amrita CREATE), and ACM Student Chapter, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri Campus. This event is supported by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India. The platform was sponsored by Devfolio. This initiative significantly advances SDG 4 by providing online lab experiments, and helping students overcome limitations of physical labs, expensive equipment, and geographical barriers. 

A One Day Symposium focused on Smart Healthcare and AgriTech was conducted on 9th August 2024. Aimed at bringing together national and international experts in the domain to discuss the latest advancements, challenges, and opportunities further. It is an important event in the diary of Computer Vision and Robotics Thrust area research group of faculties, PhD Scholars and students. 

The day witnessed expert talks by: 

• Dr. Umashankar Subramaniam, Associate Professor, Prince Sultan University, Saudi Arabia  
  Title: Computer aided system for detecting the impact of lungs diseases(covid) on human using deep learning techniques  
• Dr. Dr. Mithun Kumar Kar, Assistant Professor (Sr.Gr), Amrita School of Artificial Intelligence, Coimbatore  
  Title: Diagnostic feature segmentation from fundus images using Deep learning techniques.  
• Dr. Manoj Kumar, Associate Professor, School of Computer Science,  University of Wollongong in Dubai, Dubai  
  Title: Applying machine learning techniques in Smart Agriculture  

Followed by Panel discussion on Computational Applications in Smart AgriTech  

Panelists:  

1. Dr. Sudheesh Manalil, Dean & Principal, Amrita School of Agricultural Science, Coimbatore 
2. Dr. Manoj Kumar, Associate Professor, School of Computer Science, University of Wollongong, Dubai 
3. Dr. Sanjay Pal, PhD, Associate Professor, School of Biotechnology, Amritapuri
4. Dr. Manivasagam V S, Assistant Professor, Department of Agriculture Informatics, Amrita School of Agricultural Science, Coimbatore 
5. Dr. Parthasarathy S, Assistant Professor, Department of Plant pathology, Amrita School of Agricultural Science, Coimbatore 
6. Dr. Gopakumar G, Dr. Divya Udayan J, Dr. Remya S from School of Computing , Amritapuri campus

Moreover, the networking opportunities provided by the symposium offer a valuable chance for individuals to connect with peers and experts from different backgrounds. This exchange of ideas and experiences can lead to fruitful collaborations, knowledge sharing, and the exploration of new possibilities in the realm of smart health care and agriculture.