APOGEE - 2008

We decided to conduct an event on the first day of APOGEE – 11th March . It would be a trial by fire , as it would be a hardcore coding contest fashioned on the ICPC model . It was to start from 8 p.m. and end at 11 p.m. Starting as it was on the first day , it did not really have very high hopes on the number of participants . But stunning everybody , there was an unexpected turn-out of more than 70 teams , a turn-out so large that we actually had to turn back teams who wanted to participate. That one contest showed us that we had wings .

Now , we could fly .

ESTABLISHING THE CHAPTER AMONG STUDENTS IN BITS

After the inauguration , the onus was on the team to establish ACM in BITS to make the students aware of the society , the work it does , the membership benefits , etc . With the upcoming techfest APOGEE , the platform to announce the chapter to the world seemed all but ready . We decided to enter with a bang . We planned to conduct 4 contests and 2 workshops . With just 2 weeks remaining for APOGEE and a meager workforce of just 10 people , the task looked daunting to say the least . With a flood of remonstrations pouring in , we decided to go on anyways .

THE NEXT SEMESTER

Activities here at the chapter formally kicked off in the next semester as the first core team of 12 members was formed . The opening of the chapter was greatly encouraged by L.K.Maheshwari Sir , who said that ACM had been a great wealth of information to him and he had referred to it before he did his Ph.D. He also felt that the opening of such chapters in BITS would increase interest of students in research & technology . Due to a packed schedule the inauguration could not take place before 25th February , 2008 , and it was largely attended by faculty and students alike .

…….. AND WE'RE ON !!!!!!!!

The chapter got officially chartered on 22nd November , 2007 . The Welcome Kit comprising of membership forms , posters , etc. arrived on the first week of December , 2007 . But , as we at the Student's chapter were not exactly immune to the grueling comprehensive exams which were on at that time , the official start in the campus was put off till the next semester .

AND THE LIGHT GREW BRIGHTER AS WE REACHED THE END OF THE TUNNEL

Professor Sundar Shan Balasubramanium ( popularly known as Shan-B among students ) agreed to be the sponsor ( mentor ) for the BITS – Pilani ( Student's Chapter ) . Under his guidance the rest of the formalities , including the first year activity plan ,were completed . The proposal was finally sent to the ACM International on September , 2007 .

THE FIRST SMALL STEPS

The students now set about the mammoth task of setting up of a Student's Chapter of ACM . They met J.P. Mishra Sir who promised his whole-hearted support to the idea . His help proved invaluable in the coming months as the group dived into the world of formalities that had to be completed in order to set up the chapter . He helped the team to finalize the Constitution of the Chapter which had to be sent to the Head Quarters of ACM in New York .

FINDING OUT ABOUT IT

The plan for a ACM BITS Pilani student's chapter began nearly 2 years back when a group of students saw the posters of ACM ICPC Kanpur regionals on our SWD noticeboards . The concept of an International Coding contest really intrigued them and put them all on a long road at the mid of which we stand today to tell everyone this story .
These group of students then decided to enquire more into the conducting bodies of ICPC . This search led them to the ACM IIT Kanpur Student's chapter which conducted those regionals . This path soon led to ACM itself and the world's largest scientific community was soon revealed to the awestruck students .
The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) is the world's oldest and largest educational and scientific computing society. It is a major force in advancing the skills of computing professionals and students in more than 100 countries in all areas of industry, academia, and government worldwide.
It was founded in 1947 for the purpose of advancing the sciences and arts of Information Processing (IP), promoting the free inter-change of IP among specialists and the public, and developing and maintaining the integrity & competence of IP practitioners.