Posted : August 7, 2024
Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Science of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised a guest lecture session on August 7, 2024.
The topic was ‘Unleashing AI in the ICE Age of Software’. The resource person was Dr. Novarun Deb from University of Calgary, Canada.
Dr. Deb focused on the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in software development through the ICE framework— Intents, Contexts, and Emotions. He explained how AI enhances software by figuring out what users want based on their actions, using real time data to provide relevant responses, and recognizing users' emotions to make interactions more personal and effective.
The seminar featured a case study on navigation systems, showcasing AI's profound impact on software functionality and user experience, highlighting the need for its integration in modern software development.
The seminar was concluded by an interactive session. Students found the session highly enriching.
Afsana Zeba Yasmin
M.Sc. in Computer Science
Semester III
2nd September – 6th September 2024
Faculty of Science, St. Xavier’s University Kolkata (SXUK) hosted a five-day international online lecture series, XAVTECH, from September 2nd to September 6th, 2024. The event aimed to explore the latest innovations and dynamic changes in various fields by bringing together experts, thought leaders, and passionate individuals committed to driving change. XAVTECH provided a unique platform for students, researchers, and professionals to engage with renowned experts from diverse disciplines, fostering a deeper understanding of cutting-edge developments.
The series kicked off with a warm welcome address by Dr. Tuhin Utsab Paul, Dean of the Faculty of Science at SXUK. Dr. Paul underscored the importance of the event in connecting experts and innovators from around the globe, highlighting how such interactions could inspire participants to drive innovation in their respective fields. His opening remarks set the tone for the week, emphasizing the need for continuous learning and collaboration in today’s rapidly evolving world.
The first day featured Dr. Diptangshu Pandit, Senior Lecturer in Computer Game Design at Teesside University, UK. Dr. Pandit delivered an engaging talk on the profound influence of game development in contemporary society. He explored how game design is not just about entertainment but also about addressing market needs, influencing culture, and driving innovative research areas. He emphasized the growing impact of game development in education, therapy, and other sectors, demonstrating how interactive digital experiences are reshaping various aspects of daily life. Dr. Pandit’s insights provided participants with a broader perspective on the multifaceted nature of game development today.
On the second day, Prof. (Dr.) Samiran Sinha from the Department of Statistics at Texas A&M University, USA, took the stage with a comprehensive presentation on the two-sample problem for convoluted data. He delved into the complexities of statistical analysis in scenarios where traditional methods may not suffice, emphasizing the importance of advanced statistical techniques in data science and research. His session highlighted how proper statistical approaches could lead to more accurate and meaningful results, which are crucial in making informed decisions across various scientific fields.
The third day featured Dr. Debanjan Bhattacharya, Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics at Utah Valley University, USA, who shared valuable insights into the estimation of finite population sizes using the mark-recapture strategy. His talk focused on the mathematical modeling of population dynamics and its applications in fields such as ecology, epidemiology, and social sciences. Dr. Bhattacharya provided a detailed explanation of the mark-recapture method, demonstrating how it could be effectively used to estimate populations that are otherwise difficult to count directly.
Dr. M. Shamim Kaiser, Professor and Senior Member of IEEE from the Department of Computer Science and Information Technology at Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh, highlighted the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and the Internet of Things (IoT) in agriculture, healthcare, and education. Dr. Kaiser discussed various real-world applications, showing how these technologies are driving innovation and solving complex problems in critical sectors. His presentation underscored the growing importance of interdisciplinary research and the need to integrate AI and IoT to build sustainable solutions.
On the fourth day, Sudhahar T., CEO of Vilimbu LLC, California, USA, presented a comprehensive guide to the implementation of Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG). His talk covered the roles of Large Language Model (LLM) scientists and engineers, highlighting the intricacies of building a multi-agent conversation framework. Sudhahar’s presentation provided practical insights into how RAG and advanced AI models could be utilized to create intelligent, interactive systems, paving the way for future advancements in AI-driven communication technologies.
The final day saw Dr. Thippa Reddy Gadekallu, Senior Member of IEEE and Chief Engineer at Zhongda Group, China, providing expert guidance on writing technical and review papers targeted for high-impact factor journals. Dr. Gadekallu shared tips and best practices for researchers aiming to publish their work in prestigious academic outlets, emphasizing the importance of clarity, originality, and rigorous methodology.
Throughout the series, XAVTECH offered interactive sessions, allowing participants to engage directly with the speakers. The event successfully created an environment where students and professionals could exchange ideas, ask questions, and gain valuable insights from experts. By the end of the series, XAVTECH had not only expanded participants’ knowledge but also inspired them to pursue innovation and excellence in their respective fields. The event marked another successful chapter in SXUK’s ongoing commitment to fostering academic and professional growth through global collaboration.
Report by:
Dr. Mrinmoyee Bhattacharya
Faculty of Science, St. Xavier’s University Kolkata (SXUK) in association with St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata Alumni Association (SXUKAA) organises a two-day workshop on Cyber Security on March 22 and 23, 2024 in the university campus.
The theme of the workshop was to enrich students' understanding of contemporary topics in cyber security like overview of Cyber Security, types of Cyber Attack and Attacker, Ethical Hacking, Cyber Security Mechanism, Cryptography, ISO Standardization for Informative Study Management System and case studies on cyber-attacks.
While delivering the welcome note, Fr. Dr. A. Arockiasamy, S.J., Dean, Faculty of Science highlighted the significance of cyber security in current scenario.
The resource persons were Sambiti Chakraborty, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate; Monotosh Raj, Sub-Inspector of Police (CID), West Bengal, Sk Tajuddin, Sub-Inspector of West Bengal Police and Shri. Ajoy Ganguly, Cyber Security Expert, Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate, Cyber Crime Police Station.
Sambiti Chakraborty emphasized that fear and allurement are the main causes of cybercrime. Monotosh Raj delivered an insightful lecture on different causes of cyber crime. Sk Tajuddin and Ajoy Ganguly presented a few case studies covering different aspects of cyber-crime techniques.
The second session was on ‘Overview of Cryptography’ by Dr. Mrinmoyee Bhattacharya, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science. Mr. Malay Mitra, IT Coordinator of SXUK showed different case studies on database server, Linux server, proxy server and uncomplicated firewall.
Mr. Anand Raje, Co-founder and Director, BASIS Technologies Pvt. Ltd. and Co-founder, CTO India Internet Foundation delivered a lecture on ‘The Evolving Realm of Cyber Security’. A session on cyber-attack was conducted by Dr. Sayan Das, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science.
Mr. Avishek Raychoudhury, Scientific Officer at Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), GoI highlighted the understanding of vulnerability, cyberspace and its importance, recent cyber-attacks and live threat map, CIA Triad, etc.
Students found the workshop highly enriching. The vote of thanks was delivered by Dr. Tuhin Utsab Paul, Head, Department of Computer Science.
Dr. Sayan Das
Click on the following link to read the news published in the Edugraph on March 28, 2024
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Faculty of Science of St. Xavier's University, Kolkata (SXUK) conducted a special lecture on February 24, 2024 aiming to enrich students' understanding of contemporary topics in data science and statistical modeling.
While delivering the welcome note, Dr. Manisha Pal, Head of the Department of Statistics highlighted the significance of such academic endeavors in fostering intellectual growth and exchange within the academic community.
The first session delved into the captivating narrative of the ‘Evolution of Data Science - A Short Story’ presented by Dr. Ashis Kumar Chakraborty, Professor, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata. His expertise and insights illuminated the participants on the progression of data science, and a comprehensive overview of its journey and significance in contemporary society.
The second session was on ‘Multivariate Statistical Model’ by Dr. Partha Sarathi Paul, Associate Professor at IIT (ISM) Dhanbad. He delivered an insightful lecture on multivariate statistical modeling, its applications, and implications in various domains. Participants found the sessions highly enriching.
Dr. Tuhin Utsab Paul
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Departments of Statistics and Computer Science of the Faculty of Science, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) jointly organised a seminar on ‘Exploring Cyber Security – How it impacts life’ on January 15, 2024 in the university campus.
The speaker was Mr. Rakesh Asthana, Managing Director and CEO of World Informatix Cyber Security, Florida, USA. Father Dr. A. Arockiasamy, S.J., Dean, Faculty of Science, delivered the welcome address.
Mr. Asthana talked at length about the necessity of cyber security and discussed various methods of cyberattacks that hackers use. He narrated the incident at the Central Bank of Bangladesh in 2016, the largest cyber heist in history, in which he was involved in exposing the hackers.
He further narrated the dark web and its use by cyber hackers in illegal activities. He also shared the ways to get protection from being hacked and the employment scenario in this field. An interactive session took place at the end.
Faculty members and students of the host departments, and students of Commerce and Management, Economics, Law and MBA attended the seminar.
Dr. Manisha Pal
Department of Statistics of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata, organised a guest lecture for the postgraduate students of Statistics and Computer Science on January 4, 2024.
The speaker was Dr. Nitis Mukhopadhyay, an eminent statistician and Professor, Department of Statistics, University of Connecticut-Storrs, U.S.A. He delivered a lecture on ‘Sufficiency-Completeness-UMVUE and Related Issues: Some Personal Reflections’.
Prof. Mukhopadhyay dwelt at length on the concepts of sufficiency, completeness, UMVUE (Uniformly Minimum Variance Unbiased Estimator) and discussed related issues. He also narrated the significance of Rao-Blackwellization and Basu’s theorem in deriving important results in the field of statistical inference.
All the students of both departments and faculty members attended the lecture. An interactive session took place at the end. Students found the session highly enriching.
Dr. Priyanka Talukdar
To keep its students aware on latest technological advancement, Faculty of Science of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) celebrated the National Technology Day by organizing a 3-day workshop from May 11 to 13, 2023 at the university campus. The topic was ‘Data Analytics and Machine Learning.’
Dr. A. Arockiasamy S.J., Dean, Faculty of Science inaugurated the workshop. Dr. Bhaswati Ganguli, an eminent academician from Department of Statistics, University of Calcutta was the keynote speaker. She highlighted the different aspects of machine learning for data analysis.
Mr. Sourabh Mukherjee, Associate Managing Director, Accenture explained relevance and uses of artificial intelligence (AI) in data management and cloud computing in industries.
On the first day of the workshop, Dr. Manisha Pal and Dr. Tanushree Biswas took sessions on ‘Exploratory Data Analytics’ and ‘Descriptive Statistics’ respectively. Dr. Shuvendu Chakraborty took a lab session on different testing techniques using R software.
The next two days were packed with theoretical and practical sessions. Dr. Dreamlee Sharma delivered an insightful lecture on ‘Statistical Inference’ and ‘Regression Analysis’, two important technological areas in research.
Dr. Sayan Das discussed uses and importance of AI, machine learning and data analytics, followed by a practical session by Dr. Shuvendu Chakraborty. Dr. Manisha Pal conducted a special session on the relevance of categorical data analysis.
During the valedictory session, Rev. Father John Felix Raj. S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK highlighted the importance and need of AI and robotics in modern civilisation. He also distributed the certificates to the participants.
Students from various colleges and universities pursuing graduation and postgraduation programmes in Computer Science and Statistics participated in the workshop. Deans of other schools were also present. Dr. Tuhin Utsab Paul was the convener of the workshop.
Dr. Sayan Das
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In a bid to nourish students more on statistical knowledge, the Department of Statistics, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata organized an invited talk on February 1, 2023 for the postgraduate students of Statistics, Computer Science and Economics.
The speaker was Dr. Tapan Kumar Chakrabarty, an eminent Professor of Statistics from North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong. The title of his talk was ‘Statistical Insights through Resampling Methods’.
Prof Chakrabarty spoke at length on how the appropriateness of measure of central tendency for a given data set can be examined through resampling, and how one can get an indication of the distribution of a statistic through it. He discussed the Bootstrap method for resampling, using examples for a clear understanding, and indicated the Jackknife method.
The lecture motivated students to explore areas where such resampling techniques would be helpful. The programme concluded with an interactive session.
Dr. Manisha Pal
Posted : September 16, 2022
Department of Statistics organizes special lecture by eminent academician
Department of Statistics of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organized an invited lecture on ‘Group Testing Designs: A Combinatorial Marvel’ by Prof. Bikas Kumar Sinha, an eminent academician on September 8, 2022.
Prof. Sinha, a former faculty of the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata explained the concept of ‘Group Testing Designs’ in planning a testing procedure so that there exists no ambiguity and reduction in the number of such tests. He also mentioned that testing involves a collection of units in several groups rather than in isolation so as to ascertain the ‘status’ of each individual unit in the collection by taking into consideration of any well-defined ‘feature’.
His insightful lecture motivated the postgraduate students of all three departments i.e. Statistics, Economics and Computer Science to explore this emerging domain and illustrated the relevance of the topic to different aspects of their subjects. The discussion concluded with an interactive session with the present dignitaries, faculty members and students.
Dr. Manisha Pal & Dr. Priyanka Talukdar
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