M. Tech in Cryptology and Security in Indian Statistical Institute

ISI Kolkata is going to offer M. Tech. course in Cryptology & Security from next academic session: 2018-19. Advertisement for admission is available and online application is going on currently. ISI Kolkata is pioneer in the area of cryptology research from last two decades and playing very pivotal role in India as well as in abroad. Although MHRD is encouraging to start course in Information Security from last 12 years which is running in many Institutes such as NIT Rourkela, this course will definitely help those students with solid background in mathematics and computer science added advantage in terms of scope in research and in industry and existing expertise of the ISI globally. The detail syllabus draft is available in the link.

History of Starting MCA program in India and MCA courses in West Bengal

In 1979 the Electronic Commission of the Government of India felt that several computer based projects were not progressing fast enough due to the paucity of trained human resource. The then Chairman of the Electronics Commission Prof. Biswajit Nag set up a panel to project the demand for manpower and suggest appropriate educational programs to meet the requirements of Human Resource.  A minicomputer policy which was in limbo for a long time was just about to be announced based on the Sondhi committee recommendations which was expected to allow many private companies to enter computer manufacture. There was no formal educational program to create a cadre of systems analysts and application programmers. Systems analysts are expected to have breadth of knowledge and maturity as their main job requirement is to interview personnel of various types of organizations and arrive at Systems Requirement Specification (SRS) before embarking on systems design and programming. The committee felt that a basic B.Sc/B.Com degree would give the students some breadth of knowledge and maturity. This led to the idea of 3 year post graduate program which the panel decided to name Master of Computer Applications (MCA). This course was of special relevance to conditions in India and did not mimic any course in the west. It was the panel’s conviction that the MCA course must have three components: strong mathematics base, broad general knowledge on the management structure of organizations including finance, and a strong grounding in computers as a tool in solving problems. The panel felt that the course must include programming, systems analysis and design, operating systems, and basic ideas on architecture of computers. The panel also felt strongly that at least six months of the course must be spent by the students in an organization understudying an experienced systems analyst. [1]

Currently Jadavpur University, Calcutta University, North Bengal University, Burdwan University, Kalyani University, Kalyani Government Engineering College, Vidyasagar University, NIT Durgapur are the government institutes offering MCA in West Bengal. Other than these, there are at least 30 private institutes in West Bengal offering MCA degree under Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technolgy (Formerly, West Bengal University of Technology) [2]. Few Institutes such as IIEST Shibpur and NIT Rourkela have discontinued offering MCA program to focus more on research.

All the Universities or Institutes take students for admission in MCA through JECA. However many private engineering colleges give advertisements in newspapers and in their websites for direct admissions to MCA to fill up the vacant seats after counselling by WBJEE board. Also AICTE has allowed for lateral entry (admission in second year) in MCA course for students with B.Sc computer science or BCA background. Hopefully, this would be implemented from 2017-18.

To take admission in NITs (like NIT Durgapur, NIT Jamshedpur, NIT Trichy, NIT Raipur etc) one needs to appear in NIMCET.

References:

1.     1.   Reminiscences of Prof. V. Rajaraman on How the MCA Programme Started, CSI Communications, September 2014. http://www.csi-india.org/communications/CSIC%20September%202014.pdf

2.   2. List of AICTE approved Institutes for MCA in West Bengal in 2012-13. http://www.aicte-india.org/downloads/MCA/West%20Bengal_MCA.pdf

M. Sc. in Computer Science in West Bengal

M. Sc in Computer Science is offered by many premier universities in India like Calcutta University, University of Hyderabad, BHU, University of Pune, University of Delhi, Viswa Bharati Universiy etc. All the major universities of our state, apart from two universities from West Bengal mentioned above, like Burdwan University, Vidyasagar University, North Bengal University, West Bengal State University, Gour Banga University, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University offers M. Sc. in Computer Science. Few colleges under MAKAUT (Formerly West Bengal University of Technology) also offer M. Sc. in Computer Science.

Many general degree colleges in West Bengal have started offering M.Sc in Computer Science. The list includes –

i)                    St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata (autonomous),

ii)                   Ashutosh College (Calcutta University),

iii)                 Sarsuna College, Behala (Calcutta University),

iv)                 Panskura Banamali College (Vidyasagar University)

v)                  Acharya Prafulla Chandra College (West Bengal State University), 

vi)                Barrackpore Rashtraguru Surendranath College (West Bengal State University),
vii)       Raja Narendra Lal Khan Women's College, Midnapore (Vidyasagar University). The Google Site for Computer Science M.Sc. of College is https://sites.google.com/view/pg-dept-computer-science/Computer-Science-PG
viii) Midnapore College (autonomous)

The job prospects for M.Sc computer science are same as any other M.Sc graduates such as –

i)                    Software Company jobs,

ii)                   IT Specialist jobs in Govt sectors,

iii)                 Govt sector jobs such as Banking,

iv)                 School / College teaching jobs,

Also students can go for higher studies (such as M. Tech.) or Research (Ph. d.) fellowships after qualifying GATE / NET  examinations. 

RKMVU launches M.Sc. in Big Data Analytics

We all agree that Big Data is the current buzzword. I remember listening to the Microsoft Research executive at Indocrypt 2009 at INSA, New Delhi, stating that enormous data are being populated, but we do not know what to do with them or something like that. 

Last year IIT KGP, ISI Kolkata, and IIMC together started PG Diploma course in Business Analytics, where a student will spend each semester in the three above mentioned Institute campuses and last semester will be project work. Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University, Belur Math has opened a new department named Data Science. They are starting new 2-year M. Sc. course in Big Data Analytics in collaboration with TCS strting from this 2016-17. As per their website, it is India's first M.Sc level course in Data Science in collaboration with TCS. The course is designed by TCS. This course is open to male candidtates only as of now. The application for admission is open now. 

Also it is very heartening to come to know that a new Research Centre for Algorithm has been proposed in RKMVU under Computer Science Department where many peer academicians of Algorithms have been assembled already and moving towards excellence for sure.

HIT Haldia - Kukrahati Bus Service Timings

For last several years there is bus service between Haldia Institute of Technology (HIT) and Kukrahati jetty. Kukrahati is the entry path to Haldia if one wants to come through Raichak - Kukrahati vessel or Diamond Harbour - Kukrahati ferry service through the Hooghly river (or more popularly, river Ganges). Many people from South Kolkata or southern suburban area of Kolkata avails this route for journey to and from Haldia. There is also much more but time consuming frequest  bus service between Haldia Township - Kukrahati (via Balughata, Brajalalchak, BC Roy Hospital), and Haldia - Kukrahati Bus (via Durgachak, Ranichak, Hatiberia). The timing of HIT-Kukrahati bus is as follows:- from Kukrahati: 7:25, 9:25, 11:25, 14:25, 16:25, and from HIT the timing is 8:10, 10:10, 13:10, 15:10, and 17:10. This route avoids the busy market strech of Durgachak. It will be immense helpful if the frequency of buses in this route is increased. Since only one bus provides this service, if for any reason the bus is out of road, the entire service goes off.

Secondary, Higher Secondary, WB JEE results in Online and some business minded false websites

Its time for declaration of several board and JEE results. West Bengal Board 10th examination 2016 result just published today. All the Newspapers carry an article on result declaration and various websites or SMS numbers for knowing the results. But my experience is that except the government websites like http://wbbse.org/  all companies  use this opportunity to collect information like name, mobile numbers, email ids in the name of pre-registration but they do not send you the result and instead they sell these contact information to various private organizations who use this to provide admission related offers specially after 12th. This was my experience last year. I blame the newspapers also as they provide these website names to thousands of common people in their articles.

Competitive Coding

Competitive Programming or Coding Competitions or Coding Contests are few terms used to refer online programming contests among several groups where the problems are given and to be solved within a deadline as a team. These require very intense programming skill. But don’t be afraid. What makes you feel scary today, might make you feel naïve tomorrow.. you never know of it!

To introduce and motivate to this topic, I would mention FOUR events: First, during an event in IIIT Guwahati in January 2016, I met an M.Tech pass out student of IIIT Allahabad. He said the B. Tech students there are very fond of programming / coding. From the third year they participate in different coding competitions in campus and in online. And the recruiters have the perception that IIITA students means very good programmers.

Second, I remember reading an interview in weekly e-newsletter of my alma mater NIT Rourkela with the title “Tale of a Google Girl”, where the girl, Susnata Roy narrated her exciting experience of successful interview at Google and there I first heard of the term competitive programming. Then I searched Internet for this and found that few websites are there for online coding contests.

Third, in 2015 summer, our department organized a Faculty Development Program (FDP) where a talk was given by one successful alumni of our department, Dipankar Dutta, where he mentioned his involvement with coding in his spare time from the otherwise very creative and positive working environment in Microsoft Hyderabad.

Fourth, in 2015 TCS HR Eastern Head visited our campus and met with our students and later on with the faculties and advocated the online coding contest TCS CodeVita from where they would give offer letter to the students, irrespective of their batch (First Year, or Second Year, or Third Year, or Final Year) who will qualify the rounds of this contest followed by an HR interview round. It is very good fact that four students of IT department of our Institute cracked CodeVitae. Meanwhile, it is also not off the track that according to the TCS HR, TCS categorizes our Institute with very high rank as B+ (or A?) category at par with the government engineering colleges like newly set up NITs.

To conclude, few websites that students should refer regarding competitive coding are: Top Coder, Code Chef, IEEE Xtreme (only for IEEE members) etc. Also many articles in blogs are available on these. And students who are feeling excited, do explore this field and get enriched and make your campus empowered with more vibes.