CIPHER’22

The Data Science Association (DSA) conducted Cipher ‘22, a skill enhancing and cultivating tech fest, for the students of the Computer Science Department at Christ College, Pune. A total of six events were conducted:

1. à-la-Data-Carte

2. Coder’s Day Out

3. Keys on Fire

4. Reel-O-Mania

5. Art N’ Out

6. Dumb Charade

ACTIVITY 1: à-la-Data-Carte

à-la-Data-Carte, an event organised by the DSA in collaboration with Christ College Pune, was a smash success. It turned out to be an event jam-packed with enthusiastic participants where they got to showcase their skills and also, further develop them. The event was focused on helping students explore data visualisation using tools like Excel and thereby helping them in understanding the importance and impact of telling compelling stories using data. They were provided with three datasets in the Google Classroom, from which they could choose one based on their preferences. The participants showed great vigour and interest in the topic. With just a little bit of initialisation help, they were able to make highly engaging visualisations that beautifully captured the essence of the dataset. Even though the event had its winners, there is no denying the immense efforts that were put in by all the participants and the organising team. Overall, it was a true learning experience which elevated the technical, team and people skills of all the participants and the organising team.

ACTIVITY 2: Coder’s Day Out

This event was aimed at challenging participants' coding skills. Each group consisted of 4 members. The event consisted of multiple rounds. The first round was called Hug-the-bug, wherein multiple programs were given to the teams, and they were supposed to insert specified errors within the program. The participants faced difficulty in interpreting the round at first but eventually came to speed with it. The energy radiated by the teams could be seen in the second round. The teams were given a spree of questions that required logical thinking and knowledge of data structure manipulation. The questions included printing alphanumeric patterns, letters and life-like matrix simulations, like bonsai sprouting or rain droplets spraying. This round saw the participants showing their versatility, by applying out-of-the-box thinking. The final round was a Kahoot quiz, which lifted the atmosphere of the venue. The quiz was ultra-competitive in nature, which created an electric environment. 

ACTIVITY 3: Art N’ Out

This contest was aimed at testing the participants' drawing skills, but with a twist.  Here, the participants were given a topic on the spot and they had to make a painting on MS Paint. The participants made a logo on a Programming Language of their choice. The event saw nuanced and creative logo creation.

ACTIVITY 4: Dumb Charades

Dumb Charades was a word-guessing game, that involved teams of 5 to group up and guess the enacted words. The words were related to computer science, like arrays, java, Python, sorting, etc. The first round of the event was conducted at the basketball ground, and it concluded with 5 teams being promoted to the final round. The final round commenced after the lunch break which progressed with a vast audience. The participants displayed vivid energy and enthusiasm and the event concluded with the final results being announced.

ACTIVITY 5: Reel-o-mania

The event ‘Reel-O-Mania’ was a reel-making competition aimed at bringing out the creative side of the students. The event involved covering the entire events of the day through their eyes. Here, the participants were oriented to record the photographs and videos, edit them creatively and put them in a 90 seconds video describing the day of the competition and all the events. The participants were oriented about the event and were given a brief overview of their requirements from the participants. The criteria for evaluation were that a maximum number of events should be covered, the quality of the video, editing skills, use of current trends and creativity.

The event began at 11:00 AM, and the participants were given time till 2:00 PM. There were a total number of 12 participants registered for the event and 2 student volunteers were supervising the participants. The participants were showcasing enthusiasm to capture each and every moment of the event.

ACTIVITY 6: Keys on Fire

This event is all about testing the typing skill of the participants. This event was individual, and 19 participants participated. The platform used is typing.com. The participants were given sentences of 2 minutes and 15 minutes to complete the event. The score is based on typing speed and accuracy. The best score they have in the given time can be uploaded in the respective classroom. Among those participants, the top three scores were awarded. The participants felt the event was beneficial and helped them immensely. The most favourable review we got is that some participants found that this event made them realise that they have such a good typing capability and found their talent. Some found it difficult, and they realised that they needed more practice in typing. On the other side, we also got good comments from the faculties of Christ College. We met new people, gathered experience by leading the event, solved the problems faced there, and learned to manage those people. We got enough facilities from the college to conduct the event successfully. The day ended with a lot of fun, new experiences, and wholehearted satisfaction.

Each event under the fest focused on upskilling for the students in the domain of computer science. The students have actively taken part and contributed towards the event leading to the success of it.