DU's vibrant IT fest

Convener of the event Dr M Lutfar Rahman, who is also the founder of the CSE department, Dhaka University, speaks during the closing ceremony of DU IT festival 2005, at TSC Auditorium

"We need to invest into the ICT sector more willingly than thinking about the financial profit at present, so that we can bring in success in the long run," said Science and ICT Minister, Moyeen Khan while unveiling the three-day event at DU's TSC auditorium on March 1.

Comparing the present conditions of the western countries to that of the emerging countries, Khan pointed out the farsightedness for knowledge and development over our own.

"In order to attain the Millennium Development Goals(MDG), the government has to invest into more ICT projects," the Minister informed.

He also urged the CSE Departments of the public and private universities to come forward with valid demands, through which the overall ICT scenario of the nation can be strengthened. He also mentioned that the CSE department of DU has received a grant worth Taka 3 Crore for equipment and research purposes.

Marking the 12th anniversary of DU's CSE department, the IT festival was divided in four segments, all of which were held at CSE department grounds.

Shah Mostafa Khaled, media-coordinator of the event and also a fourth year student of the department informed StarTech that the target of the software-hardware showcase was to create a link between the student efforts and the existing related industries.

"On this matter, we invite relevant companies from the private sector, so that they become aware of the capacity at which students from different universities are enthusiastically working on practical products," said Khaled.

This is the first time such an attempt to create an exposure of student efforts to the industry took place. Other public and private universities of the country should create a potential ground cvof interaction between the industry and the students prior to their graduation.

Any public or private University (or institute) of Bangladesh offering at least bachelor's program in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Computer Science and Information Technology or equivalent subjects, were eligible for participation in the contests. Altogether 26 universities, 2 colleges, 4 institutions, and 2 companies took part in different competitions of the festival.

Each participating team having three contestants associated with a faculty member.

Dr M Lutfar Rahman, founder of the CSE department, DU and convener of the event recalled the year 1997, when for the first 'International IT Festival' was arranged by Dhaka University, which has gained a tremendous popularity in time. He was sharing his thoughts at the event.

Post and Telecommunications Minister Barrister Aminul Haque emphasised on the importance of education and its credentials at being the key driving force behind the progress of the nation, while chairing the closing ceremony of the festival on March 3.

"We should start preparing for an IT outburst to take place right here in Bangladesh within a few years, and the local academicians and students will play the most fundamental part," Haque said.

He also urged for more teacher-student interactions in the university levels in order to bring these plans to fruition.

Recently DU is working towards building its own software lab in its Center of Excellence, where graduates from the department may conclude their six-month long post-graduate internships.

"We are also counting days towards the establishment of DU's own fiber-optic back-bone in the campus, which will create a better flow of open-information at all ends of the university," stated Dr AFM Yusuf Haider, pro vice-chancellor (DU). The university authorities hope to build a better ground for research opportunities within the university infrastructure.

Mentioning how the world of IT has entered into a very competitive abode, Dr S M A Faiz, vice chancellor (DU), advised students on preparing a domain of their own in the IT-sector.

"You must be designed and fabricated with IT and its attributions to survive in today's world," Faiz said.

The event came to an end with the announcements of the names of the winning teams. Host DU managed to keep the first-prizes for the quiz and debate, while BUET Explorers snatched the top position in programming contest. Griffindor (DU) came in second in programming competition and Loopers (BUET) took the third position. The three winning teams received prize money worth Taka 21,000, Taka 15,000, and Tk 12,000 respectively while the rest in the top ten lists were awarded Taka 3,000.

Overall it was a collection of successful happening events that boosted these budding techies of the nation and took them one step forward in achieving their goals.