Research is something that everyone can do, and everyone ought to do. It is simply collecting information and thinking systematically about it.
– Raewyn Connell
![](https://csgc.usask.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1-1.png)
29-30th August, 2024
Location: Quance Theatre, College of Education 28 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
RSVP: https://forms.office.com/r/M5JhQZwU82 (Deadline – 20 August 2024).
It does not matter if you submitted an abstract or not. You can RSVP and secure your lunch for the event.
Welcome Package: If you submitted an abstract, this section is for you. We will soon send an email regarding this. Please keep an eye on your email for the notification.
The 8th year of Research Fest, also known as the 8th Symposium on Innovations in Computer Science and Applied Computing (ICSAC), promises to be an engaging and enlightening event, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange among participants. This year, we are thrilled to elevate Research Fest to a National Level, welcoming brilliant minds from nationwide universities to showcase their ground-breaking research. As we embark on this exciting journey, our goal is to highlight the diverse range of research endeavors graduate students undertake, not only within the USASK but also from institutions nationwide. Through dynamic poster presentations and engaging oral discussions, attendees can delve into cutting-edge research across various disciplines, including Computer Science, Public Health, and Bioinformatics. The event will serve as a vibrant platform for sharing insights, sparking new ideas, and forging invaluable connections between academia and industry.
In addition to showcasing exceptional poster presentations, the awards ceremony will honor outstanding contributions, inspiring students to excel in their research endeavors. Research Fest is envisioned as more than just a gathering—a celebration of innovation, creativity, and scholarly achievement within our dynamic academic community. We enthusiastically invite you to join us for this extraordinary event where we will explore the frontiers of knowledge and chart a course for future advancements in Computer Science and beyond. Let’s come together to inspire, learn, and connect at the 8th Symposium on Innovations in Computer Science and Applied Computing, making this national event a landmark occasion in our academic journey.
The Software Analytics Research (SOAR) program is an innovative, industry-focused training initiative designed to address the urgent need for highly skilled personnel in the field of software analytics. Developed in consultation with industry partners, SOAR offers a comprehensive training structure that includes formal coursework, leadership and professional skills training, industry internships, and an annual research symposium. The program targets various sectors such as software development, water
security, food security, and mining, focusing on applying software analytics techniques to solve real-world challenges. The [SOAR] is a collaborative effort involving eight researchers from four Canadian universities (the University of Saskatchewan – USask, University of Alberta – UAlberta, University of Calgary – UCalgary, and the University of British Columbia – UBC). [SOAR] Symposium will be held at the University of Saskatchewan (USask), capitalizing on its established expertise in software analytics, strong connections with local industry, and support from USask-based research institutes such as the Global Institute for Water Security (GIWS) and the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS), which leverage software analytics to advance their research frontiers. With a proven track record of successful research grant collaborations, supervision of high-quality personnel (HQP), and co-authored publications, the team is exceptionally equipped to train 87 HQPs. This unique, innovative, and collaborative program is industry-focused, and designed to simultaneously enhance both research and professional skills. SOAR aims to equip graduates with the skills needed to develop high-quality, reliable, and cost-effective software, ultimately advancing software technology and supporting the growth of the Canadian ICT sector.
Research Areas
- Bioinformatics
- Intelligent Systems
- Software Engineering
- Accessible Computing
- Simulation and Modeling
- Imaging, Multimedia and Graphics
- Distributed and Parallel Computing
- Biomedical and Interactive Graphics
- Visualization, Geometry and Algorithms
- Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
- Human-Computer Interaction and Video Games
- Computer Systems, Networks, and Performance
- Computational Epidemiology and Public Health Informatics
- Programming Languages, Parallel and Distributed Computers
- Multi-User Adaptive Distributed Mobile and Ubiquitous Computing
Submission Details
Link – https://usask-icsac24.hotcrp.com/
SOAR Trainee(Only applicable for soar funded students): Submit your abstract as follows: “SOAR- Your paper title”
Travel Grant Application
Link – https://forms.office.com/r/u7anu02GTH
Please note:
- -Travel grants will be awarded based on financial need, distance traveled, and the potential impact of attending the conference on your academic and professional development.
- -The information you provide will be kept confidential and used solely to evaluate travel grant applications.
- -The deadline for submitting this form is 25th Aug 2024.
- -We encourage you to apply if you require financial assistance to attend the conference. We look forward to reviewing your application and hope to see you at
Research Fest 2024 Program Schedule
Keynote Speakers
![](https://csgc.usask.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/KhomhF_p554.jpg)
Dr. Foutse Khomh
Full Professor, Department of Computer Engineering and Software Engineering
École Polytechnique de Montréal
![](https://csgc.usask.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/file.7911.jpg)
Dr. Emad Shihab
Associate Dean, Research and Innovation Professor, P.Eng, Computer Science and Software Engineering, Concordia University
![](https://csgc.usask.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1606158083357.jpeg)
Kyle Fisher
Director of Research & Development
Siemens EDA
![](https://csgc.usask.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/thumbnail_IMG_1126.jpg)
Dr. Winchell Qian
Senior Data Scientist, Advanced Technologies
Calian
![](https://csgc.usask.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/thumbnail_IMAGE-3-1024x1024.jpg)
Amardeep Verma
Practice Lead – Smart Cities, IoT Innovation
SaskTel
![](https://csgc.usask.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/thumbnail_Photo-on-01-08-2024-at-12.30-1024x861.jpg)
Al Amin
Software Development Engineer
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
![](https://csgc.usask.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Roya.jpg)
Dr. Roya Kandalan
Senior Gen AI Research Scientist, Cigna, Google Developer Expert
Important Dates
- Deadline for Extended Abstract Submission: 13th Aug, 2024.
- Deadline for RSVP for food: 20th Aug.
- Deadline for Poster Presentation: coming soon.
Awards
- Best Supervisor Award – Dr. Banani Roy
- Research Awards
- 1st place: “Expectation Vs. Reality: Why Do Users Violate the Guidelines of Online Technical Q&A Sites?” presented by Shamse Tasnim Cynthia (Full author list: )
- 2nd place: ” Take Loads Off Your Developers : Automated User Story Generation Using Large Language Model” presented by Lamyea Maha (Full author list: )
- 3rd place: “How reliable and usable are the solution codes? A comparative study across Q&A Sites, Code Search Tools, and Code Generators” presented by Palash Ranjan Roy (Full author list: )
- Women in Computer Science Awards
- 1st place: “Investigating the Impact of Formal Verification Annotations on Code Comprehension” presented by Tina Masudi (Full author list: )
- 2nd place: “Time-lapse Image Analysis for Detailed Wheat Yellow Rust Disease Tracking” presented by Amanda Ewen (Full author list: )
- 3rd place: “PyTextQltEval: Automated Software Documentation Quality Assessment Library” presented by Sristy Sumana Nath (Full author list: )
- SOAR Awards – Not yet decided
Advisory Committee
![](https://csgc.usask.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/snip.jpg)
Dr. Debby Burshtyn
Dean, College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
University of Saskatchewan
![](https://csgc.usask.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/bad823c7216dc9c47afb640030fed9895538d0ab-ianmedium.jpeg)
Dr. Ian McQuillan
Graduate Chair & Professor
Department of Computer Science
University of Saskatchewan
![](https://csgc.usask.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/getportrait.jpeg)
Dr. Kevin Schneider
Department Head & Professor
Department of Computer Science
University of Saskatchewan
![](https://csgc.usask.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/ChanchalRoy-225x300-1.jpg)
Dr. Chanchal Roy
Professor and Director of SOAR
Department of Computer Science
University of Saskatchewan
Reviewers
![](https://csgc.usask.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/tech-lead-staff1.jpg)
Dr. Ian Stavness
Professor
Department of Computer Science
University of Saskatchewan
![](https://csgc.usask.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/markeramian.jpeg)
Dr. Mark Eramian
Professor
Department of Computer Science
University of Saskatchewan
![](https://csgc.usask.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/lingling-jin.jpg)
Dr. Lingling Jin
Associate Professor
Department of Computer Science
University of Saskatchewan
![](https://csgc.usask.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/dutchyn.png)
Dr. Christopher Dutchyn
Undergraduate Chair, Associate Professor
Department of Computer Science
University of Saskatchewan
![](https://csgc.usask.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/dmondal.jpg)
Dr. Debjyoti Mondal
Associate Professor
Department of Computer Science
University of Saskatchewan
![](https://csgc.usask.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/1668507754-1024x743.jpeg)
Dr. Amit Kumar Mondal
Associate Professor
Department of Computer Science
Khulna University
![](https://csgc.usask.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/1672423938184_-1.jpeg)
Dr. Md Kamrul Islam
Associate Professor
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Jashore University of Science and Technology
![](https://csgc.usask.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/lucas-lehnert.jpg)
Dr. Lucas Lehnert
Assistant Professor
Department of Computer Science
University of Saskatchewan
![](https://csgc.usask.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Banani-square.jpg)
Dr. Banani Roy
Assistant Professor
Department of Computer Science
University of Saskatchewan
![](https://csgc.usask.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/1618409743757.jpg)
Dr. Masud Rahman
Assistant Professor
Department of Computer Science
Dalhousie University
![](https://csgc.usask.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/mrigank.png)
Dr. Mrigank Rochan
Assistant Professor
Department of Computer Science
University of Saskatchewan
![](https://csgc.usask.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/jeff-long.png)
Dr. Jeff Long
Lecturer
Department of Computer Science
University of Saskatchewan
Our Partner
![](https://csgc.usask.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/2-1.png)
Organizing Committee
Past Research Fests
![](https://csgc.usask.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/im4_1-1024x489.jpeg)
![](https://csgc.usask.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/im3_1-1024x521.jpeg)
![](https://csgc.usask.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/im2_1-1024x424.jpeg)
© 2024-2025 Computer Science Graduate Course Council (CSGCC)
Please contact graduate.council@cs.usask.ca for any information