Category Archives: News

Okanagan College IEEE Student Branch is hosting IEEEXtreme 18.0

Okanagan College IEEE Student Branch is hosting IEEEXtreme 18.0.

IEEEXtreme is a global challenge in which teams of IEEE Student members – advised and proctored by an IEEE member and supported by an IEEE Student Branch – compete in 24 hours against each other to solve a set of programming problems https://ieeextreme.org/

In previous years, there were over 6,000 teams, a total of just under 15,000 participants, and 65 Countries competing. This includes over 600 Student Branches, over 700 Ambassadors, and approximately 2,500 volunteers.

Many kind sponsors and volunteers are contributing to help ensure the success of this event. Registration is open until Oct 12, 2024. To find out more or join a team, please get in touch with any student branch as soon as possible.

IEEE Day at Okanagan Subsection (Draft)

 

Time & Date: 5 – 7:30 p.m., October 9 th, 2024
LocationRoom E202 and online in Zoom, Computer Science Department, Okanagan College (in-person and online)
Registration (is open now): https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/438597

Abstract: IEEE Day is an annual event celebrating the first time in history when engineers worldwide gathered to share their technical ideas in 1884. One of IEEE Day’s objectives is to show how IEEE members in local communities collaborate on ideas that leverage technology for a better tomorrow. (https://ieeeday.org/)

Join us on October 9th at 5 PM for a gathering where the IEEE Okanagan Subsection and student branches from UBCO and OC will discuss the evolution of engineering, computer science, and others.

Agenda:

5 pm – 5:40 pm (OC)

            Kristina – A Retrospective View of STEM Milestones & Achievements

            Ajitesh – DRI Resources

5:40 – 6:20 pm (UBCO)

            Charlotte – A Canadian Engineer Who Made a Positive Impact on Society

            Fernanda – Women in Tech

6:20 pm – 6:30 pm Pizza break

6:30 pm – 7:00 pm (OC)

Dolcy & Brian – Evolution of Data & Networks

Alex – World Wide Opportunities

Bios:

Kristina Cormier is a fourth-year Computer Science student at Okanagan College. She has always been curious about science and technology. Recently, she has discovered a passion for data analysis and machine learning algorithms. Kristina is the Chair of the Okanagan College IEEE Student Branch. She coordinates with her team to help organize events and volunteering. Kristina truly enjoys mentoring, meeting new people and discovering new opportunities.

Ajitesh Parihar is a fourth-year Computer Science student and a Research Assistant at Okanagan College. He is a tech enthusiast who enjoys learning about innovations and technologies and is passionate about software engineering, cyber security, and algorithms. Ajitesh is the Vice Chair of the Okanagan College IEEE Student Branch and enjoys meeting and working with talented individuals.

Fernanda Alves has been working at UBCO for nearly three years. She received her Bachelor of Computer Information Systems at Okanagan College and has a degree. Fernanda is a passionate mentor and advocate for women in technology who enjoys connecting with other passionate individuals and sharing her skills and experiences to benefit others.

Dolcy Sareen is a third-year Computer Science student at Okanagan College and the Okanagan College IEEE Student Branch webmaster. She is passionate about learning new technologies and strongly focuses on data. She enjoys connecting with people and continuously learning from new experiences.

Alex Ross is a fourth-year Computer Science student at Okanagan College and the Okanagan College IEEE Student Branch secretary.

Call for Capstone Projects at Computer Science Department, Okanagan College.

The Computer Science department at Okanagan College is looking for project proposals for its capstone CIS and BCIS project courses in 2024-2025

In the capstone courses, second-year students in teams of 3 to 5 and fourth-year students in teams of 7 to 13 work on projects proposed by industry or other organizations. Each team is supervised by a faculty member acting as the technical director and assisting or pointing the students to appropriate technical expertise; you’ll act as the client. The projects can be general in software development or specialized in software engineering.

The Computer Science department invites you to submit a project for our students to prepare them for industry better.

There are numerous benefits to your organization:

  • Exploration of research/development opportunities utilizing the expertise of OC faculty, staff and students.
  • Access to world-class research facilities and expert technical personnel at OC.
  • Engagement with the next class of new graduates to facilitate recruitment and networking.
  • Exploration of products or services outside your organization’s current business plan.
  • Introduction of your organization to the OC academic community.

Participation: How would you participate? You would submit your project requirements to capstones [at] Okanagan [dot] BC [dot] ca, and our students and faculty would work with you to develop potential solutions. You will have ample opportunity to be actively engaged in developing solutions.

The following outlines the curricular parameters of this final-year project courses (second and fourth years of study), what we have committed to the course, possibilities of participation with you, and suggestions for development going forward. Instructions and a fillable PDF form, COSC_OC_CapstonePartnerProposalForm.docx (please save the DOCX file to your computer before filling the form out), as well as a sample proposal, are available to help you submit your project (please contact by email for a sample).

Curricular Parameters: These courses will form a significant portion of the final-year diploma and degree requirements, representing six credits of coursework spread over two academic terms (usually September to April) in courses COSC 236/224, COSC 470/471 and COSC 436/437/419. Working in teams of 3 to 5 in COSC 236/224 and 7 to 15 in COSC 470/471, students will be expected to commit around 10 hours per week to complete this component, resulting in approximately 260 hours per student.

Our Commitment to Resources: The Computer Science department will commit instructional resources to support these students as they become highly competent and enthusiastic professionals. We will provide each student with support and instruction in design, project management, communication, solution quality assessment, life cycle analysis, and more.

Suggestions for Further Development: We believe that offering our students a solid and progressive integrative design experience in their final year of study can best be met in partnership with the community, whether for profit or not. The strength of this program will come from community involvement inside and outside Okanagan College, in which we hope to include you and your organization.

We understand that some issues still need to be addressed. One is that of Intellectual Property, and we are working to introduce easy-to-use templates for all parties to use.

Another is that of resources. The Computer Science department will commit a significant amount of financial resources. Still, to make this a successful partnership and a sustainable model, we hope you and your organization will commit similarly, if feasible. How this might take shape is currently open for discussion, and we welcome your thoughts.

We are very excited about offering our students this learning opportunity to work in partnership with individuals and organizations that have a significant stake in the current and future successes of software development and engineering. With your support and active contribution, we strongly believe this will be a successful undertaking that will benefit all parties involved.

We are very interested in hearing from you regarding this proposal and invitation. We hope that you will be interested in receiving further information about our initiative and that you will consider becoming an active participant in the program. We welcome any suggestions or input you might have, which can all be submitted to Capstones [at] Okanagan [dot] BC [dot] ca. We look forward to hearing from you.

Okanagan Subsection has Applied for Elevation to Section Status

The Okanagan Subsection, with the approval and support of the Vancouver Section executive, has applied to IEEE MGA for elevation to IEEE Section status.

The proposed elevation will affect members currently in the Okanagan Subsection and Thompson region but not affect the members of the Northern BC subsection.

The electronic petition collected 50 required signatures from the Thompson Okanagan Area for the subsection elevation. Congratulations everyone!

A minimum number of support signatures has been obtained. The approval process will continue at Region 7 (IEEE Canada) in November 2024. We received congratulations from IEEE MGA and IEEE Canada President Dr. Tom Murad:

Good news! Your petition to form the IEEE Thompson Okanagan Section has received all of the necessary Endorsements and Signatures and has now moved to the Approval stage.
An agenda item has been drafted for Approval for the MGA Board scheduled for 23-Nov-2024.
No action is necessary at this time.

Best Regards,
IEEE Petition Team
petition@ieee.org

I will follow up during the Next MGA Board meeting in November to ensure approval.
Congratulations in Advance.
Best Regards
 
Dr. Tom Murad – Ph.D. , P.Eng. , F.E.C., F.EIC, SM.IEEE
President – IEEE CANADA
Director –  IEEE – Region 7

Proposed Territorial Boundaries of this Section/Subsection include postal codes/pin codes, cities, provinces, etc.

The Thompson Okanagan Section encompasses the geographical area of the Thompson Okanagan region of British Columbia to provide IEEE members with local meetings and other services. See Economic Development Organizations and Region here: https://www.britishcolumbia.ca/about-british-columbia-canada/regions/thompson-okanagan/ and include City of Penticton, City of Vernon, Venture Kamloops, Central Okanagan Economic Development Village of Ashcroft, Town of Osoyoos, Salmon Arm Economic Development Society, City of West Kelowna, District of Clearwater, City of Merritt, Shuswap Economic Development, District of Sicamous Development Corporation, Town of Princeton.

Okanagan College Department of Computer Science seeks capstone design projects from industry

The Okanagan College Department of Computer Science is looking for project proposals from industry for its Capstone Project courses COSC 224 and 471.

In the capstone project course, second-year students in teams of 3 to 5 and senior students in teams of 7 to 15 work on projects proposed by industry or other organizations.

The projects can be general in software development or specialized in software engineering.

For additional information on the projects and the Capstone Software Project courses, please visit http://www.okanagan.bc.ca/cosc and

  1. HowToSubmitCapstoneProjectProposal
  2. CapstonePartnerProposalForm

If you have any questions, please get in touch with the Computer Science Department at Okanagan College: capstones [dot] okanagan [dot] bc [dot] ca or chair[dot]cis at okanagan[dot]bc[dot]ca

IEEE Okanagan College Student Branch Annual General Meeting

Chair: Thais Santos Damasceno 
Vice Chair: Ashley Tumback
Tresure: Alexander Hopfner
Secretary: Alexander Ross

IEEE Okanagan College Student Branch Annual General Meeting
(supported by IEEE Okanagan Subsection)

Time & Date:  5 p.m., Wednesday, November 8th, 2023
Location: Room E 102, Okanagan College, Kelowna, 1000 KLO Rd, Kelowna V1Y 4X8 (Zoom: https://ca01web.zoom.us/j/65884995637?pwd=M2JqV25WMWNaYkJxK3kySGt3THplZz09)
Registration is open now: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/382340

Bios:

Thais Damasceno is a dynamic professional with 3+ years of work experience who is shifting from a legal career in Brazil to the world of technology in Canada. Following a year of legal practice, she relocated to Canada to enhance her English and discovered her passion for programming. Thais worked during a 9-month software developer internship at Willowglen Systems Inc, a pivotal experience that solidified her commitment to the industry. There, she worked mainly with JavaScript and C++. In Fall 2023, she embarked on her journey at Okanagan College, where she’s dedicated to advancing her technology expertise. This strives to bring innovative solutions to complex challenges, bridging her legal background with her technical knowledge.

Daniel Tumback has a background as a residential framer; however, his true passion is working on computers. After years of working in construction, he decided to go and get an undergraduate degree in computer information systems. He has a passion for building things, from assembling the components of a computer to building houses. He hopes to take that same passion into the computer science world and help build the future of computer components. He has a keen interest in the future of quantum computing and hopes to one day be on the front line of quantum development to truly help build the next generation of computing hardware.

Alexander Ross is a computer science enthusiast and aspiring professional. He is a 23-year-old Computer Science enthusiast with a strong foundation in programming and a dedication to innovation. His journey in the world of technology began at Okanagan College, where he is currently enrolled in the Computer Information Systems (CIS) program. As a third-year student, he has honed his skills in Java, C, C++, HTML/CSS, JavaScript, VB.NET, SQL, and SPARC while gaining expertise in Database Analysis and Design, micro-controllers, and circuitry design. In addition to his technical proficiency, he has had the opportunity to work in dynamic and high-stress environments. During his tenure at Kal Tire, he mastered adaptability and time management. Beyond his educational and work experiences, he is a quick learner with strong communication skills. He is excited about the possibilities and is eager to continue his journey in the world of technology.

For further information, please get in touch with Youry Khmelevsky (email: Youry at IEEE.org) and subscribe to the news at okanagan@listserv.ieee.org
Pizza and Refreshments will be provided

Congrats to Okanagan College “unstumpable” team – 2nd place Canadian team in @ieeextreme prog competition!

Congrats to Okanagan College team – 2nd place Canadian team in @ieeextreme prog competition! See the results here: http://goo.gl/nr2vD6

COSC Okanagan College “unstumpable” team  is 2nd top Canadian team in @ieeextreme prog competition!  and 125th in the World (McGill U is the 1st)! Our team competed against 74 teams in Canada and against about 2200 teams worldwide.  Two other teams are 25th and 46th in Canada (see below). Congratulations everybody! The competition was organized by IEEE – A not-for-profit organization, the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity.

Teams from the top Canadian Universities are behind of us: Ottawa U (5), UofA (6), UofT(8), QueensU(10), etc.

IEEEXtreme 24-Hour Programming Competition, 21 October 2016

IEEEXtreme 10 Brand

IEEEXtreme is a global challenge in which teams of IEEE Student members—advised and proctored by an IEEE member, and often supported by an IEEE Student Branch—compete in a 24-hour time span against each other to solve a set of programming problems.

IEEEXtreme 10.0 will be held 22 October 2016 00:00:00 UTC.

Registration will be open through 17 October 2016.

For more information see http://www.ieee.org/membership_services/membership/students/competitions/xtreme/index.html

Students at Okanagan College will compete in E301 starting from 4 pm in E308 and then will be moved into E301 at 5:30 pm on 21 October 2015. Please join us.

If you have any questions, please contact to youry AT ieee.org.

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At 2 pm, after 22 hours of competition:

ieeextreme10atoc4ieeextreme10atoc3 ieeextreme10atoc1ieeextreme10atoc2ieeextreme10atoc15