FEU TECH ACM celebrated 15 years of computing excellence through R15E

The FEU Institute of Technology Association for Computing Machinery Student Chapter launched R15E: A Computer Science Convention, a weeklong event that spanned from June 27 to July 2 in celebration of the said organization's 15th year since its inception.

This year's iteration is themed, "Forging Changemakers in the Computing Field." R15E, through the continuous hard work of its volunteers. It sought to develop fledgling minds into world changers through computing. Furthermore, this year's symbol is a Crystal gemstone, a common motif for 15th-year anniversaries; an enduring reminder of the past and present ACM administrations, and their lasting contributions to the ever-growing community of computer scientists in the Far Eastern University.

With Krysch Chalia Atienza - FEU-TECH ACM's current presiding president - at the helm, the event aimed to promote and widen knowledge about the field of computing among the youth, discuss the various fields and applications that aspiring professionals can explore in their future careers, and tackle relevant technologies and issues that Computer Science students need to be aware of as they enter the industry. These, and many more, were discussed and put into action through a series of webinars, competitions, virtual booths, and panel discussions.

The event was held virtually through the video-sharing application Zoom, pursuant to the COVID-19 guidelines imposed on the country as a whole. Nevertheless, events were plenty and prizes were likewise bountiful.

The first day of the event, subtitled Define, was a series of talks discussing modern technologies led by speakers from various fields of expertise. Mr. Jambert De Guzman of Fujitsu Philippines GDC, the keynote speaker, kicked off the session by enlightening the participants on what is currently abuzz in the field of computing. He was then followed by Mr. Michael Baloran of EY Global Delivery Services, Ms. Farah Dela Cruz of Fujitsu Philippines GDC, and Mr. John Mark Fernandez of The Infinite Machine Collection, who gave the participants an overview of SAP, Cloud Computing, and Tokenomics (Blockchain Technology), respectively.

Decode, the second day of R15E, continued what Define set out to do - promote the emerging breakthroughs in tech. The session opened with a webinar focusing on big data and analytics by Principal Scientist of the Qatar Computing Research Institute, Dr. Bernard J. Jansen. Afterward, the Developer Evangelist of Twilio, Mr. Kok Koon Gan, graced the screens with his talk on application programming interfaces, or APIs. The participants were then immersed in a talk on how to be ready for one's IT interview by Mr. Franz Gerardo of Collabera Philippines. Finally, two parallel workshops that aimed to further nurture the coding skills of the participants, particularly in the field of mobile programming: Android and iOS delivered by Fujitsu Philippines GDC's very own, Ms. Carla Berdin and Mr. Adrian Tabay, capped off Decode. The workshop facilitators with years of experience in the field talked about the fundamentals of mobile programming, tips and tricks, and pointers on how to break into the field.

The breadth of knowledge of voluntary participants from various universities across the country was also tested on Day 3, Defy, wherein they were pitted against each other in a quiz bee competition centering around CS/IT concepts. On the other hand, wit, cunning, and team synergy were the only tools of participating teams in Decrypt, R15E's Day 4 event, which was the 3rd iteration of the Tech Trials: a high-pressure virtual escape room competition. Participants in the said event partook in a series of puzzles and brain teasers aimed to test their out-of-the-box thinking under time pressure.

Day 5 saw a return to talks and webinars as ACM held Diverge, wherein companies were invited to speak in virtual booths via Discord to discuss the potential career paths of budding professionals in the field, as well as a possible recruiting avenue for standouts in the morning. In the afternoon, three resource speakers took to the virtual stage and speak about other Computer Science branches: Mr. Sudeept Maharana of Priceline tackled the rise of AI or artificial intelligence, Mr. Michael Dugay explored the in-demand business technologies, and Dr. Rizwan Ahmed delved into cybersecurity. Lastly, R15E ended on Deploy, which featured a keynote message on unlocking one's career in the Computer Science industry by Ms. Jonah Baldero of Capgemini, and a talk by Mr. Patrick Gonzales of Edukasyon.PH on personal branding and why it matters, and an insightful and uplifting panel discussion with Mr. Aquib Ajani of Unboxing Art, Ms. Kashish Sharma of DigiPod Tech, Mr. Leo Liro III of IOT Technology, Incorporated, and Dr. Rik Das of Siemens Advanta Consulting as panelists and Mr. Ricson Que of SQrity Consulting as moderator, to cap off the weeklong celebration.

R15E would not have come to successful fruition without the help of its GOLD SPONSORS: MSI Philippines, Fujitsu Philippines Global Delivery Center (WeServ Systems International, Inc.), Ernst & Young Global Delivery Services Philippines, and Civicom Pacific. SILVER SPONSOR: Union Bank of the Philippines, and BRONZE SPONSORS: Azeus Systems Philippines Limited, Capgemini, Collabera, Pineda Cybersecurity, and Edukasyon.PH. R15E's media partners are BLB Live, Blog PH, Carthal Manila, Diyaryo Milenyo - Digital News, Explained PH, Gadgets Magazine, SparkUp, IKOT.PH, Twist TV, You.PH, Monster RX93.1, and WhenInManila.com. The enduring partnership between FEU Tech ACM and student organizations from different institutions in the Philippines also helped make the event possible.

Furthermore, in the recently concluded Annual Students' Recognition held last August 3, 2022, by FEU Institute of Technology which recognized exemplary and exceptional performances of the institution's student organizations and their events, R15E was able to bag the prestigious award: Best Organization Activity (Academic) for the entire Academic Year 2021-2022, besting other FEU Tech recognized student organization (RSO)'s events - a marvelous feat that serves as a great exclamation point for the 6-day Computer Science Convention last June 27-July 2.

R15E was completely free of charge, and everyone from various walks of life attended the 6-day convention. For further information about the event, you may check the home page here, or view the official handbook here.

More outstanding events like these are brewing on the horizon of FEU Tech ACM as the new academic year 2022-2023 started last September. A new roster of officers will bring forth both fun and substantial activities that will surely cater to CS/IT students and non-CS/IT students alike. Further inquiries should be directed towards the Facebook page of FEU Tech ACM over at facebook.com/feutechACM.