WELCOME TO RESEARCH FEST 2024! – Computer Science Graduate Council (CSGC)

Research is something that everyone can do, and everyone ought to do. It is simply collecting information and thinking systematically about it.

– Raewyn Connell

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

Dr. Foutse Khomh

Full Professor, Department of Computer Engineering and Software Engineering
École Polytechnique de Montréal

Dr. Emad Shihab

Associate Dean, Research and Innovation Professor, P.Eng, Computer Science and Software Engineering, Concordia University

Kyle Fisher

Director of Research & Development
Siemens EDA

Dr. Winchell Qian

Senior Data Scientist, Advanced Technologies
Calian

Amardeep Verma

Practice Lead – Smart Cities, IoT Innovation
SaskTel

Al Amin

Software Development Engineer
Amazon Web Services (AWS)

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