The APOGEE English Press sat down with the coordinator of the Computer Science Association, Aneesh Kabra, to understand the workings of the association for the fest. This year, the association has planned two events: The ‘International Coding League’ and ‘Mind Turner’.

In the first event, ‘International Coding League’, participants will be evaluated on their coding skills and problem-solving abilities. The event is split into two rounds; the preliminary round will take place online. In this round, participants can take part as individuals or in teams of two, to solve logical questions in the programming language of their choice in a two-hour time frame. Aneesh recommends that participants must at least have a basic understanding of a common programming language like C, C++, or Java.

The contestants will be judged on the number of questions solved, as well as the time they’ve taken to solve them. The top participants from this round will be called to Pilani and urged to take part in round two, which will be similar to the first round but with harder questions.

The second event is ‘Mind Turner’, which is an online capture-the-flag event and will span across two days during APOGEE, starting from April 5, 2024. The game will involve tricky questions, which need to be solved to proceed to the next stage.

As compared to last year, Aneesh affirms that better participation is expected, along with an enhanced prize pool for both events. He added that the preparation for these events has been running smoothly without any hiccups.

When he was in his first year, Aneesh figured out that the association had the passion to work together to try and figure out algorithms and logic, which instilled in him the aspiration to join the association. He added that his journey was paved by his seniors and peers, who helped him along the way, resulting in a great personal experience as a part of the association.

With the year’s recruitments complete, Aneesh stated that the association is growing and will work on more side projects. Aneesh concluded by encouraging everyone to participate in the aforementioned events even if one doesn’t competitively code. According to him, it will aid in thinking logically and will be a fun experience.