Category: Student Blogs

<strong>Let’s get to know our KUOSC Community Coordinators</strong>

Let’s get to know our KUOSC Community Coordinators

KUCC Journal

This article is an interview-based article. For this article, Mr Bisheshwor Neupane, the ML Community Coordinator, has been interviewed with a series of questions by the Documentation team.

Machine learning is a topic that has come into the hype and grabbed the interest of many IT and non-IT background enthusiasts. However, many people don’t take up the subject due to its complexities. To help students of Kathmandu University understand the subject of Machine Learning and help them excel in it, we have a Machine Learning Community under the KUOSC Community. Through this article, you shall get to know the coordinator of ML Community and get to know his point of view on the subject of Machine Learning.

Bisheshwor Neupane

Mr Bisheshwor Neupane

ML Community Coordinator

Tell us something about yourself

I am a resident of a small yet beautiful town in the Kavre district — Banepa and currently a pre-final student of Computer Engineering and ML Community Coordinator for the year 2021–22. Machine Learning Community falls under the roof of KUOSC. Talking about my interests, I am interested in multiple fields but have been sharpening my skills in Python and Django for a few years now. I am also taking steps to be good in Machine Learning and Deep Learning. These two subjects are the ones I am most inclined to. Also with these, I keep a keen interest in web development and game development. And not to miss out, recently I have come to know that I can sing very well. So, when assignments and projects build up pressure, I write lyrics and rap. You will also find me making art and doing paintings in my free time.

Share your ups and downs as a student of Computer Engineering

Life is full of ups and downs. To be honest, there have been more downs than ups. The main reason for the downs is that I try to put my hands on multiple areas and come up with terrible failures. The thing that I at times don’t like about myself is, that I easily get diverted from what I am doing, and this nature of mine doesn’t allow me to get the result as per my effort, which is actually a sad thing.

When I think about the best part of my life, I would say the times that I spent with my mates at classes and after the classes hanging around the gym, pool house and the all-time favourite, Sitoshna. Moreover, thinking about something great and best that I would like to take as ups on my personal side, I would like to thank the lockdown. Lockdown actually helped me explore myself and to my surprise, I came to know that I can sing well enough. I can write good lyrics and rap and I even started a YouTube channel with my name to let my passion take a good platform and for this, I am really proud of myself.

Define ML by adding your perception.

In my opinion, Machine Learning is a prediction. There are certain data and with a good depth of knowledge of those data, we can predict something new. I personally believe that ML has a very bright future since it can be useful in different fields, especially in the health sector. We can use ML to predict the possibilities of changes that might arise in the next generation. There are other areas too where we can use the expertise of ML. Robotic arms, vehicles, flying cars and automatic pilots are some areas that I would like to note. Every day it’s so great to get lost in imagining all the possibilities of what can come next. Especially while watching sci-fi movies. They really give chills running down my spine while getting lost in the new world of ML imagination. It won’t be wrong if I say, the future is Machine Learning.

What motivated you to start this ML community?

One day while I was scrolling through YouTube, and suddenly a video popped up as a recommendation. At first, I thought it would be a great source for killing time. But, who knew that video would be the source of adding fuel to my motivation for starting the journey in an ML? I actually don’t remember who was actually talking in the video, but all those words are totally carved inside of my brain like a beautiful art piece that acts as a source of motivation whenever I think of giving up sometimes to what I have already started.

What, I, actually have experienced and come to know is, very few people are involved in the ML field. One of the main reasons that I have come to know behind the low ratio in the ML field is the complexity to learn the subject and the huge time commitment to be practically proficient in the subject. Google Keynote Speech has been my main motivation. I would say that I am still in the beginning phase and have a lot to walk until I am proficient in ML. I have started this community to help people like me who have an interest in ML, and the best way would be to show a roadmap to ML. This community will be a group where we will be sharing theory and practical knowledge, about deployments and also books and courses that would be helpful while learning ML.

Your struggle while starting the journey in ML

Yes, ML is a tough domain and I am still in the struggling phase. I started my ML journey in the 3rd semester of Computer Engineering, which is about a year or 2 ago. I have done a few small projects for my college semester project. I am reading books related to ML and surfing the internet to get better knowledge and understanding of the subject that I love. When I look at the projects done by others from around the world, I feel like I still have a long way to go.

What can a person or an ML enthusiast expect from this year’s community?

I would like everyone to know that whatever problems related to ML arise, this community is always there for you. We have an outstanding ML team sharing knowledge of ML with each other. I have drafted certain plans to keep all the enthusiasts motivated and excel in the fields of ML. This community will be a support to all (novice to expert) while paving the way to ML. We will definitely have workshops, conferences and talk shows which will be beneficial to know how and where to start.

What are your goals and plans as a coordinator of ML?

I have come up with this community to show the right track to beginners and all ML learners so that they continue in this field and leap up to further areas of ML.

Yes, I definitely have plans and I have been planning basically for the novice. As ML is such a vast topic and experts are needed to explore its depth. It is a bit challenging for me to provide in-depth knowledge due to a lack of resources. Apart from these, I have planned to conduct an AI conference wherein I will try my best to incorporate industry and research knowledge. I have also been planning to hold an ML workshop that would cover the basic concept of ML. Along with these, I would also like to conduct an ML competition if possible.

How are you planning to change the perception of ML via this community?

The first message that I would like to convey is, ML is not complex if guided properly and I along with my team are there for you to guide. I would say keep yourself updated about the ongoing events in the fields of ML and AI. A proper roadmap would definitely lead you to the most beautiful destination- Machine Learning. A common suggestion to all, focus on the basics. Keep exploring because there is a lot of stuff on the internet that would be beneficial for fast learning.

Roadmap to ML

There are many beneficial courses on Coursera for faster learning. There are plenty of books online. GitHub’s repositories have always been our best friends to learn and explore. You can also surf through deeplearning.ai, where you can find some amazing courses on AI. Before hopping straight away into your own new projects, work on projects available on Google. If your interest is in research, then paperswithcode.com would be the place you might be missing out. ML is more of research than implementation. If you want to play with datasets, Kaggle.com would be really a great source for you all, too.

Some words of motivation to those who are scared to start the journey in ML.

There’s a lot of new room for opening up great ideas and projects. Every day, it makes me gasp in awe to see the new rising possibilities. While starting this journey, if you are a crazy person, trust me, when you are somewhere in the middle of the journey, you will end up being crazier. Let me add the main motivation to you, “ If you keep on continuing working on the journey of reading and involving in ML, there’s a lot of money kept in store for you!”

Interviewed by: Ms Melina Shakya

<strong>Web 3</strong>

Web 3

KUCC Journal

A topic of conversation!

“Web 3”, “Web3” or “Web 3.0”, whatever you want to call it, is a topic of conversation today! It won’t be shocking if, you haven’t heard about Web 3, because it’s recently launched in September 2021.

Let me guide you on Web 3 via this article!

Don’t be confused with Semantic, i.e. Web. Web 3.0, is an extension of the World Wide Web through standards set by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). It is the third generation of online services where AI-based semantics, AR/VR-based immersive-ness, and blockchain-based decentralization come together to create transparent, ubiquitous, open, and socially responsible internet experiences. In simple words, it is an identity layer for the internet. “Web 3 represents the next generation of the internet, one that focuses on shifting power from big tech companies to individual users,” says Robert Stevens.

It was elaborated by Berners-Lee along with AI researcher James Alexander Hendler and computer scientist Ora Lassila in a 2001 Scientific American article. The goal of Web 3 is to make Internet data machine-readable. The emergence of Web 3 is the result of the sequence of improvements done in the concept according to the need of time.

There were two different versions before Web 3. The first version of the Internet — known as Web 1 — arrived in the late 1990s and comprised a collection of links and homepages. The websites weren’t particularly interactive. You couldn’t do much apart from reading things and publishing basic content for others to read. Then was the era of Web 2. Some people call this the “read/write” version of the internet. This version of the Internet allowed people to not only consume content, but create their own content and publish it on blogs like Tumblr, Internet forums, and marketplaces like Craigslist. Later, the emergence of social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram took content sharing to new heights. And enters Web 3, which can be understood as the “read/write/own” phase of the Internet. Rather than just using free tech platforms in exchange for our data, users can participate in the governance and operation of the protocols themselves. This means people can become participants and shareholders, not just customers or products. In rather simpler words, you have the freedom to manipulate your data on your terms.

Web 2 has major drawbacks because of this Web 3 was brought into existence to overcome this backwardness of Web 2. Web 2 is based on a centralized client-server structure. However, Web 3 was developed to break this centralized system into distributed ledgers. It is built using artificial intelligence, machine learning and the semantic web, and uses the blockchain security system to keep your information safe and secure. Artificial Intelligence (AI) will help in decoding and filtering online data and offering the most relevant choices to users. The Internet of Things (IoT) will help the interoperability layer of Web 3 to connect the internet to smart devices. Blockchain will help in achieving decentralized data storage and foster faith in the virtual world. It is the foundation for web 3.0.

Walking you through Web3, here is the list of advantages and disadvantages that gives more of a basic idea related to Web3.

The advantages of Web 3 are:

  1. Encrypted data
  2. Accessible data and multiple backups
  3. Transparency
  4. Enhanced data processing
  5. Single profile creation
  6. Restrictionless platform

The disadvantages of Web 3 are:

  1. Very advanced to use
  2. Complicated functionality
  3. Difficult to adopt

Now, as you have all already come across the idea of what actually Web 3 is, and now you all might have started to think about and notice the devices and technologies present in your surroundings. Take a look around you, and think about the applications of Web 3.

I am sure, you all might have guessed at least a few. Let me take you through some basics as well as some of the unknown words to your ears.

Some applications of Web 3 are:

  1. Apple’s Siri
  2. Wolfram Alpha
  3. Sola
  4. Steemit
  5. IDEX
  6. e-Chat
  7. Everledger

Web 3 is the idea of the next generation of the Web, where most people will be connected on a decentralized network and people will also have control of their own data. It will take a little time to understand the complexities of Web 3, as it is a very new topic. However, the development of this new version will make the vision clear and the world will probably be covered with Web 3, a vague topic now.

Writing credit

Melina Shakya

<strong>Blockchain Technology</strong>

Blockchain Technology

KUCC Journal

A new entry for a new era!

Introduction

Blockchain was first introduced in the 1990s, but it became very popular after 2009 when an anonymous person named “Satoshi Nakamoto” introduced Bitcoin.

Blockchain is the list of records called blocks that are linked together via cryptography. It can simply be understood as a ledger, where each block contains relevant data like financial transactions, medical records, etc. A block contains a unique hash, which is the digital signature of the data in the block and which helps to uniquely identify a block from other blocks. The initial/first block is known as the genesis block. Each block is linked with other blocks and the other block contains the hash of the previous block.

Why does Blockchain matter?

As mentioned earlier, a block contains a unique hash and also a hash of the previous block. So, if anyone tries to tamper with the data or information stored in the block, the hash of the block gets changed. Since, the next block is storing the hash of the previous block and since the previous block’s hash gets changed, the next block becomes invalid as it no longer stores the previous block’s hash.

Also, the blockchain is a distributed database, i.e., there is no central system or server and the data is available to computers all around the world. Users from all over the network can get a full copy of the blockchain i.e. all the data like transactional data, records, etc., and they can verify and keep track of the data, which helps maintain transparency.

Some Applications of Blockchain:

Blockchain technology has become a very major factor in the development of whole new technology and ideas like Cryptocurrency, Web3, NFT, and Decentralized Voting applications (DApps).

Here in this article, we will be discussing two of the trending applications of Blockchain i.e. Cryptocurrency and NFT.

Cryptocurrency

In the present time, where every little object, whether it be a certain tool or it is an asset, everything has taken its grand entry on the digital platform, and this has made everything happen with a click. It was more than obvious that the centralized currency system was heading towards its extinction. . If we just pause and think about it, it’s something extraordinary, it’s like magic!

Let’s understand what exactly is cryptocurrency.

A cryptocurrency is a digital or virtual currency, where the blockchain is used to record and secure every transaction. Since it works on blockchain technology, it does not have central issuing or regulating authorities and is decentralized, i.e. the payment is sent directly from one party to another party without going through financial institutions. If in case, we make payments or transactions with cash or digital payment service provided by banks or e-wallets the transactions go from sender to receiver through the middleman like banks and other financial institutions. The services provided by financial institutions no doubt are very useful and convenient, but there are some ways where things could get wrong and cause inconvenience.

Some of the few scenarios would be:

  1. Technical issues like the system being down
  2. Bank account being hacked
  3. The transfer limit being exceeded
  4. The capital loss due to the middleman(transaction cost)

These all situations can be prevented by the use of cryptocurrency. Since the cryptocurrency contains no middleman, the transactions are simply from sender to receiver where the system checks the necessary criteria like required balance, user authentication, etc. and the transaction takes place in a matter of minutes.

The top 10 Cryptocurrencies in March 2022 as listed by Forbes are:

  • Bitcoin
  • Ethereum
  • Tether
  • Binance Coin
  • US Dollar Coin
  • XRP
  • Terra
  • Cardano
  • Solana
  • Avalanche

NFT

NFT stands for Non-Fungible Token. They are digital representations of assets on blockchain with unique identification codes. Since the identification codes are unique i.e. the token is unique, the asset becomes non-replaceable. The assets may be anything like music, digital painting, video game skins, tweets, etc. 

Let us understand the term ‘non-Fungible’ with a simple example. Suppose, you and your friend have a bitcoin, so you can digitally exchange your bitcoin with your friend’s bitcoin, and both have the same value, suppose you have a painting, and if you exchange your painting with the painting possessed by your friend you will get a whole new thing as the previous painting was unique in itself i.e. it does not have the same value. NFT allows the buyer to own the original item, and it contains built-in authentication, which serves as proof of ownership. The unique identity and ownership are stored in a blockchain, typically on the Ethereum blockchain.

Nowadays, selling digital artwork using this technology is a great hype. Popular Bollywood actor ‘Amitabh Bachchan’ made 7 crores selling his NFT collection. Not only popular artists but, also has made ordinary people millionaires. A very great incident took place where Sultan Gustaf Al Ghozali, an Indonesian student, took a photo of himself every day for five years and sold his selfies as NFTs and his collection reached a trading volume of more than $1 million. Buying selfies for this huge money may seem very absurd but many people have the habit of collecting this kind of thing which opens the door to new opportunities for many creative people.

Not only digital arts but tweets as well by famous personalities have been sold as NFT which was bought at a very high price. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey sold his first tweet as an NFT for the price of $2,915,835.47. NFTs are typically sold and bought with cryptocurrency. NFT now has become a great medium to sell your creations online in the digital world.

Potential & feasibility of Blockchain Technology in Developing Countries like Nepal

Blockchain technology has great potential in developing countries like Nepal. Yet there still exist some challenges on the way forward. The transaction records and other important data when kept by a single organization, it is very easy to manipulate, and high possibility of getting tampered with data by authority figures or other important people for their benefit. Now, if Blockchain technology is used to store such data, it cannot be modified and tampered with easily for some personal benefit. So, this, in a way, helps to solve the huge problem of corruption. The Nepal Government also can use it to keep and manage records of its citizens. Blockchain technology can also be implemented for fair and transparent elections to ensure that the votes have gone to the person whom we have voted for as the records will be stored in the blockchain and no one can modify the votes for their personal or political benefits. Financial transaction which requires middlemen like banks and other financial institutions can eliminate the middlemen using blockchain technology as people now no longer require the help of these institutions to send or receive money. Blockchain technology can also be very helpful in tracing the origin of the product. For example, if you buy a vegetable from a store; how do you know where the vegetable has come from to ensure its quality? So, the use of blockchain technology will be of great help in such cases as the origin of the product can easily be traced, and the citizens can buy quality goods and food items for a better lifestyle.

Conclusion:

So, Blockchain technology is considered to be a technology that is growing from good to great, as it has successfully been implemented in developing whole new technology like Cryptocurrency, NFT, and concepts like Web3. Blockchain has led the foundation for building a decentralized and transparent system for the people, industries, various institutions, and the country as a whole for economic and financial development. Information and data now with the help of Blockchain can easily be traced and cannot be tampered which proves that Blockchain in the future is not only going to be limited to the present application of the technology, technologies, and services in the future for sure will use Blockchain Technology and this technology experience immense growth in coming days.

Writing Credit

Sushankhya Chapagain

Engineering: The Fairy Tale

Engineering: The Fairy Tale

KUCC Journal

Need a wand or want just a lifetime memory?

For someone like me, especially, a guy who believed he will never ever be having a special day that will be worth remembering. But, who knew, the same guy will be marking a special day and be able to share it as well.

For me, that special day was 28th February 2021.

The day where I started my journey to be an Engineer, not just an Engineer, a Cool Computer one! Little did I know, back then, that this would be a quest for eternity.

Among the thousands who couldn’t join their dream Ivy League undergraduate school, I am also one.

I never thought for a second that, writing this one year later, I will be this happy as a year-old member of The Family of Kathmandu University.

As we enter the world of the kitchen, we find out there are several ingredients, some of which we are already aware of and some of which we are introduced to. As a normal being, I thought, entering engineering would be similar to entering a restaurant with different names yet, serving the same dishes. But, who knew, here, that same dishes would be named in the most fascinating way according to the people and places. For me, it felt like, calling a normal glass of water, Mineral water! Sounds fancier, but it is still water. The first flavour of engineering that I came across was probably the most believed, ‘The Cinematic Engineering’. The second and cool one that we get introduced to from the engineering seniors & chit-chat circles, is ‘The Chill Engineering’. Some other incarnations of Engineering we get introduced to are ‘You will be sitting on a pile of cash Engineering’,’ The Party-Party Engineering’, and’ The Soulmate Engineering’.

I can now tell you, after a year, that this is not what Engineering is.

Anyone, I repeat anyone, who is a true Engineer will laugh out of their lungs every time s/he hears of these variants.

Starting from the most beautiful aspect of Engineering, Friends. The most common aspect among all the variants of Engineering is the circle we make throughout this period. Generally, the friends we make during the starting weeks are the ones who stay together throughout the duration and might even be throughout life. From tea gathering to pee gathering, from birthday cakes to beautiful treks, from sports to projects, festivals and roadside dance, the most unpleasant jamming sessions they are the ones who support. To enjoy your Engineering life to the fullest, remember to make some quality circles.

This is only one side of the story, no matter what you will find some people who you just can’t resonate with, and it’s totally up to you whether you choose to enjoy the cherishable or just keep lamenting.

But in Engineering all about this only? No, the serious stuff is yet to come. Loads of assignments, tons of quizzes, midterms, end sem, internal-external viva, projects, and God knows what else. It will be very untrue to say that these are impossible to go through, as you will often feel to be the only person who has to go through this. It’s never about the load, but how well you can handle your time and grow under pressure. This is the life-changing skill you will have developed, once you are into this.

Distractions, peer pressure, over-excitement, and under-excitement are integral parts of this journey. You can never have them completely out of this journey, which will result as disturb in the equilibrium, rather you have to make sure to embrace all of these and still remain intact to what you desire to become, an Engineer.

All these things about Engineering, but the unbeaten truth is once you are into Engineering, it never leaves you till the end, it will always be an integral part of you. The part that shines out over all others.

Writing Credit
Sangam Ghimire

The underrated love

The underrated love

KUCC Journal

A love so underrated yet beautiful

Love, a beautiful feeling. Some spill words into paper and call it poetry and some manage to express the unsaid. LOVE is said to be selfless! Keeping someone else above you, forgiving things that you don’t usually approve of, expecting nothing in return, and doing anything and everything from the inner core of the heart. This reminds me of the only love in this world that we don’t have to earn, that we have the privilege to get right from birth. The only selfless love; is by our parents. It takes a lot to be selfless, To be able to give that kind of love.

But, it is a human trait to undervalue the things that we get for free.

Funny, isn’t it? How we used to be loveable without having to put any extra effort to be beautiful and better than someone. We don’t have to fit into the societal beauty standards or the choosing game to be loved by our parents.

Parents are our personal diaries. We write in them every single day, never failing to explain how it felt; how exciting or how sad the day was. But slowly growing up, we forget to write as fluently as we used to. We even forget what we wrote there after years. They know our first friend that we met in primary school. The blurred image that comes to our mind when we hear of them; our parents remember every little detail of them though they are slowly forgetting where they kept their glasses minutes ago. They know the bunch of friends we made in our extra-friendly era and the only friend that exists now. They know which one might probably betray us when things go upside down. And when we keep defending them against our parents, they prove us so wrong that there will be nothing left to say.

They know more than us. They always manage to know what’s better for us with the slightest information available. And we always regret doing things that they didn’t approve of. They just care too much. And there lies the problem. If only they didn’t care much, maybe they could get the attention and the appreciation they truly deserve. But how could a parent not care enough?

Your parents tell you about your privilege of a roof over your head, the good food you get, the A-class education, and the comfy clothes you wear every now and then. Do you feel “ But that’s not something one must mention as it is their duty!” It was them who decided to give birth, and they should have known this follows. But this is a very wrong perception, I say. That’s not ranting as we feel like it is. It is because they put extra effort into giving you a better life than what they got from their parents. It is their way of saying that they tried their best, giving you a life you wouldn’t question. They haven’t mentioned all the love they give to you, the career they declined for your sake, the trip they didn’t go for you and all the countless sleepless nights they spent for you ever. Here lies the real struggle, but you have hardly listened to parents throwing this to your face. They have always done things for you. And maybe they just want to be acknowledged. They just want to feel like all they did will be worth it, someday.

For you to be a better person. For people to know that you were raised right.

On a random day, as you sit in your room with your favourite playlist playing in the background and your procrastinated to-do list, your mother enters your room and starts arranging your stuff that isn’t even necessary. She has no intention of invading your personal space. She’s only trying to get away from her own frantic thoughts, which pop up once in a while, and the best thing that makes her forget the world and even herself is you.

When your father tells you to post something on Facebook on his behalf, it is not because he doesn’t even know proper English structures to do so. It is because he knows you will represent him in the best ways that exist.

Your parents post pictures where you don’t even look that good, it’s because they never even cared about it in the first place. When you fall sick, the light in the other room does not switch out once; this is because they stay awake all night to provide you any help you may require in the middle of the night.

Your mother didn’t buy that jewellery she always wanted to wear, just so that you wouldn’t have to think twice before buying something you like. Your father always brings the packed food home because he doesn’t like to eat something delicious without including you.Your parents used to come sit with you at the end of the day no matter how busy or hectic their working day would be. People that have always been there.

I feel like we constantly misunderstand our parents, despite our greatest efforts to comprehend others, yet there are no complaints for not bothering to understand.

Why do we have the impression that they consistently follow irrational notions when making something for us that is supposed to shield us from harm? It’s the same as buying ourselves evil eye jewellery to keep us protected. Growing up, we know some people love to ruin things, so it’s no longer a joke; it’s a necessity.

The form might have changed, but the purpose remains safe.

Do parents love us, or are they obligated to do so?

I read somewhere that “It is not the absence of love but the clash of love languages.” and I have never felt something so strong. Making sure we eat every day, keeping track of our locations, even calling friends you are hanging out with, and buying you the mentioned needs, is the way they convey their love to you as a sign of their love language, which maybe isn’t your way of feeling loved. But that doesn’t mean they don’t love you.

There is love; so much love, just not I love you.

By:
Dilasha Upadhyay

Know our Design Community Coordinators!

KUCC Journal

This article is interview-based. For this article, Mr Kushal Manandhar and Mr Sushant Subedi, the Design community coordinators, had been interviewed with a series of questions by the Documentation team.

Q1)Tell us about yourselves!

Ans. Hello, I am Kushal Manandhar. I am a 3rd-year Computer Engineering student. I  am the coordinator of the Design Community. I am an ambitious person who likes to set goals and work on the goals systematically rather than following a blind approach. I create time blocks to achieve my daily goals and usually stick to my routine to be productive most of the time.  Playing games is my way of releasing stress and refreshing myself. I am very open-minded and calm by nature.

Kushal Manandhar, Design Coordinator

Hello, I am Sushant Subedi. I am from Nepalgunj. I completed high school at KMC. After high school, I planned to go abroad for my higher education but later studied Computer Science at Kathmandu University.

I was most of the time involved in a youth leadership development organization named AIESEC Nepal. Being involved in different clubs at KU, I got the chance to explore my best interest. I also contributed to a few clubs at KU and explored many fields to find what was suitable for me. I later found my interest in designing. I am very fond of designing and being a creative person I find this field exciting. I am presently the Community Coordinator of  KUOSC Design Community. I am a foodie and speaking of my hobbies I like to travel in my free time. 

                  
        Sushant Subedi, Design Coordinator

Q2) Define the term ‘Design’ in your own words.

Ans. According to us, the term ‘design’ is neither technical nor professional but a way of sharing ideas, thoughts,  emotions, and overall creativity. It’s a very creative field, where the design elements (such as typography and images) convey information.  For us, design has always been a mood freshener that allows us to increase our creativity to a whole new level.

Q3) What according to you makes a good graphic designer?

Ans. Well, that’s a great question. According to us, Graphic designers must possess certain qualities. The first and foremost is patience. Patience is the key to success in this field. You cannot create a masterpiece in a single day,  it requires a lot of hard work. You must be patient enough to learn all the concepts and not rush to complete the topics and concepts. Another quality a good designer must possess is competency. A designer must be competent and at every point try to push himself or herself to get the best possible results. A good designer should always have a good idea and gather the energy to create new designs. A good designer is also a good listener who constantly tries to learn from others. Last but not least, he/she should be a constant learner and should possess the ability to accept criticism.

Q4) If you had to learn everything from the beginning, how would you proceed?

Ans. If we had to get back to those days when we just started to learn design, we would concentrate more on the basic theory. Tutorials too would be helpful, but we would avoid depending only on tutorials since watching too many tutorials makes you dependent and less creative. Our focus would be more on the concept and apply the concept learned from the documentation to our design. Copying the trendy design would also be a good idea to learn in the beginning phase. Staying close to the design community for feedback would also be a very good option.

Q5) How do you get new design ideas? Describe your creative process.

Ans. That’s a tough question! We think that there is no need to brainstorm for creativity. We observe trends in the digital market, get different ideas from other designs, google, and in our free time when we use social media, we just take a screenshot if we see any interesting design and try to learn from it. If you professionally work as a designer you should first see the requirements of the company or client and then after proper research and taking help of proper references (if necessary) you can draw your idea. For us, creativity may come from anywhere, and no matter wherever it comes from, we give in our best to make it perfect use in our design. We also sometimes spend hours thinking about suitable topics and sometimes when we are not satisfied with the design we again in the middle of creating a design just have to stop and start again with a new topic or design.

Q6) What were/are your struggles as a Designer?

Ans. Learning design is a very long process, and first and foremost the main struggle we faced was impatience. Even after learning continuously and creating various designs we didn’t have good results at first and sometimes in a hurry of learning everything we would skip various important concepts. This used to make us frustrated and impatient. In the beginning, we also did not plan a proper routine for ourselves, which also was the cause of imperfection. Sometimes in our initial days of learning, we also felt that other people were very biased as they would select other ideas instead of ours, which later we realized was not true,  gave us a very hard time. These struggles now shaped us to become good designers. There is also a huge gap between self-learning and taking internships and jobs in companies and exploring how things worked there fixed everything up. 

Q7) There are many fields in Computer Science, but what made you choose to design?

Ans. Well, it’s very simple. We simply chose to design because it excited us the most than any other field. When choosing your field, you must see how passionate you are about the field. We found out our passion for designing and learning to design was more like fun and gave us immense happiness. We can wake up fresh every morning, even after spending a long time creating designs the previous night. Even when travelling by bus, our eyes automatically go to the hoarding board, seeing the designs implemented there and thinking about what would have made it more attractive and beautiful. 

Q8) What are your visions and goals as a coordinator of the Design Community?

Ans. The Design Community has some flaws which we would like to correct at first. First of all, we would like more people to come for design as there is less number of designers on the team. Also, whenever programs are being held, the designs and posters should be made beforehand by the Design Community. We are also planning to inform the students about careers in design. We have also prepared a one-year plan in which we plan to bring new design podcasts, and challenges, publish magazines, call mentors for guidance and provide field training. We are also going to bring new projects and activities for the students.

Q9) What changes would you like to bring via your committee?

Ans. Well, we would like to set a benchmark through our committee. Students should know what to work on and explore, and we as the coordinators of the design community would like to guide the students on that topic. We would also provide mentorship and feedback to the students who are learning to design. We would like to create friendly teaching and learning environment via our committee.

Q10) Some words of motivation to the one in this field of designing or one scared to enter this field.

Ans.  If you are new, first of all, try. Always remember, a good starting is half done when u try. You will get to explore many things in this field. Express your creativity freely and work on yourself to make yourself better day by day. If you are a beginner, complete the basics fully and implement the concepts in your design. Don’t lose hope and always remember, that bad design leads to the best design. If you are in this field, brush up on all your concepts properly and implement them in your design. Be as creative as you can be. Take inspiration from other designs. 

Fellow designers always remember “Good Designers Copy, Best Designers steal”.

Interviewed by: Sushankhya Chapagain

Let’s know our Community Coordinators, a little bit better!

Let’s know our Community Coordinators, a little bit better!

KUCC Journal

 Aditi Baral
 Game Development Coordinator

This article is an interview-based article. For this article, Ms Aditi Baral, the game development community coordinator, has been interviewed with a series of questions by the Documentation team.

A little about yourself:

To begin with, I am Aditi Baral from Computer Engineering third year and the game development community coordinator for the term 2021–2022. Game development falls under the roof of KUOSC. To know a little bit more about me, in my free time, I enjoy reading manga and watching anime, and also, I love drawing sketches, painting, and yes, for sure gaming. Oh yeah, I am a huge cat-lover.

Journey as a student of CE at Kathmandu University :

I guess I am not the only one who falls under the category of having a student life full of ups and downs. My journey at KU is full of ups and downs. I wanted to learn and dive into a variety of things to which I was just introduced, but, to my dismay, I just deviated as a wandering soul. I didn’t find my purpose until my recent years.

The thing that I find annoying is, that a lot of things are taught just focusing on the surface level, which creates not just confusion, but a huge confusion. There were a lot of subjects that attracted me the most, but, because everything created a momentary interest in me, I couldn’t help myself focus on one. There were subjects I never wanted to see again, and also classes I attended just to avoid having to give compart exams. And looking back to the days, I kinda laugh at myself thinking about it.

Now, let me talk about the brighter side, I don’t get well along with most, but, the handful ones that I have got are the ones whom I treasure the most, and I really appreciate them for making my boring days fun, sad days happy and stressful days calm. Whenever we get time, we linger around KU premises, go to the football ground and sun bask, go for laphin and for Manakamana’s Kulfi and pastries, or for Ramesh dai’s chiya-guffs.

Any Regrets:

There aren’t many regrets that I carry within me, except for one. It is me struggling with time management. It annoys me when I am unable to manage an equal amount of time for studies and gaming. There’s always a clash between what I wanted to do and what I had to do. Trying to choose — trying to do both — just doing nothing. This cycle created an imbalance between my studies and ECA, which is something I wish I could have known to balance.

How did your interest spark in the game?

Games always had me captivated. I always had this excitement for gaming within me. It’s not something, I just started liking. It is something I have liked since the day I found out that there are GAMES. The combination of gameplay, graphics, and audio has always fascinated me.

From taking my mom’s phone just to play one game while she is in the kitchen, to always being the top scorer among my cousins. From buying CDs to playing online games, I’ve come a long way. I realized being close to games brings me peace.

What activated the game developer in you?

Instead of a pen, I used to have a controller in my hand. And it never felt wrong for some reason. I still am following the child gamer, Aditi and I want to tell her how proud I am of her, for finding exactly what I wanted to do that early. After being interested in gaming for quite a long time, the gamer in me wanted to know how games were created and how they actually worked. The curiosity of knowing knowledge behind the scenes of gaming and my love for graphics activated the game developer in me. I then started creating games for my Semester Project which boosted my confidence to do something in gaming.

I’d say developing games are as fun as gaming.

What are your visions and goals as a coordinator of Game Development?
I decided to become a game development coordinator, having a lot of things that I think I can and want to do within my tenure. My main goal is to help juniors starters, freshers and all the gaming enthusiasts know game development better. There still are a lot of people who don’t know what falls under it. To people who know what it is but don’t know how to start, this community gives them a starting kick from where they are stuck. After this is done, they can continue on their own with their feasible roadmap. I have started a discord channel on game development where people can take help from one another and get their questions answered and ideas experimented with. My vision is to connect people who are into game development and create something different collaboratively.

Different minds bring and blend different ideas, and combining them would create a massive plan.

What different are you planning to do from previous community coordinators?
To do something that has never been done before takes some time, and I am working on it. First, I am trying to make the existing plans better. My main goal is to establish the reach of the game development community and reach as many people as I can. Then, I will focus on effective information circulation among the ones interested in game development.

I am also planning on doing some collaborative work with different community coordinators in the near future.

Anything you would like to say to people who are scared of pursuing their “Game Development Dream”?
I believe people with dreams do a lot of hard work to make them their reality. I’d say to keep working on their dreams until they finally live them. Take one step at a time, and explore everything around you, and if you think the game is what you want to do, go for it.

Experiment with already existing engines rather than trying to make a new one of your own. There are enough resources available on the internet. Do your research. Try to find what fascinates you. Don’t directly jump into coding. Design your first game, make prototypes, and then start working on something concrete. You can do it if you have made your mind up.

Gaming as a career choice in Nepal would sound scary, but trust me it would be worth it. It takes time for people to process gaming and game development in Nepal. But slowly, people are understanding that there is a brighter side to that too and this opens a door full of opportunities in the near future. There are people who help you in your journey of becoming a game developer and also communities like ours to help you reach heights in the near future or coming days.

Is the game development community helpful for people who want to be in this field later on?
Yes, it is obviously helpful for people who want to be in this field later on because this community aims to connect people who share their passion for gaming and game development. It gives people a platform for communication to exchange new ideas and also experiment with them together. We also have discussion sessions and question-answer sessions to have your queries answered by people who are already doing good in their gaming careers. This community is a learning hub where everyone can teach someone something they didn’t know existed. All these things collectively will no doubt help you in this field later on.

Any message to the Documentation Team?

Gambare Gambare!!

Interviewed by: Ms Dilasha Upadhyay

A glance at KUOSC

A glance at KUOSC

KUCC Journal
Just a club or more than that?

Like in a basket, we keep varieties of fruits. In a similar fashion, under the roof of KUOSC, there are different communities led by different coordinators. As in harry potter, we see them carrying the wands and showcasing their skills, likewise, our community coordinators have their wands as a community where they showcase their skills and talents and help unleash the potential of different members of the DoCSE. If we imagine it with harry potter’s reference, then dumbledore is the Lead Coordinator of KUOSC i.e Mr Saazan Mahat, for the tenure 2021–2022, and all the coordinators follow the rules and regulations provided by him and perform their duties with their own wands, and their skills i.e the field which they are specialized at.

KUOSC, Kathmandu University Open Source Community, the sister wing or we can call it a sister club of KUCC i.e. Kathmandu University Computer Club. KUOSC as often described by many is a vibrant historic community from Kathmandu University that provides a common platform for all FOSS enthusiasts to discuss, share, and learn about free and open-source software. KUOSC is specifically focused on all the Open Source related activities ranging from training programs like Linux Talks, Useful Network Training to advocacy activities like Software Freedom Day celebration and organizing different community level workshops and events.

This is what everyone says, but, KUOSC is actually a family that binds together different passionate coordinators, who aim to ignite the same passion related to different language fields, technical fields, entrepreneurship, writing fields, and design fields. It’s not just an open-source community, it’s the foundation targeting the members to hone their skills, to showcase their talents, to expose them to new opportunities and to make them the master of their craft!

Open Source, as the name suggests, is the term that originated in the context of software development to designate a specific approach to creating computer programs. Today, however, “open source” designates a broader set of values — what we call “the open source way.”

Now, let us know a bit about different communities that are there for this tenure and also, let’s get a little bit more familiar with the community leaders as well.

For this tenure, under the roof of KUOSC, there are altogether 8 communities, which are: 1. Game Development Community

2. Design Community

3. Flutter Community

4. Documentation Community

5. Machine Learning Community

6. CyberSecurity Community

7. Javascript Community

8. Python Community

Before diving into the community leaders, let’s get to know about KUOSC Coordinator.

KUOSC Coordinator:

He is no ordinary guy, he is the Dumbledore and the man behind running this year’s KUOSC. Mr Saazan Mahat, the coordinator of KUOSC, is someone who has been working as a full-stack web developer ( React + Django ) but aspires to become a machine learning engineer in the future. Currently in the third year, Computer Engineering, and is from Chaukot, Dhulikhel. The vision that he carries for this tenure is to create communities of practice in which the healthy open source ecosystem thrives, help the students discover and learn about different programming languages and tools through regularly organized workshops, events, meetups, competitions, boot camps and related opportunities.

Now, going accordingly, let’s get to know the community coordinators.

1. Game Development Coordinator

She is someone who enjoys reading manga, watching animes, gaming and also sketching in her free time. She is the one who believes, there is always that first step that needs to be taken while starting any sort of journey, whether it be diving deep into certain interests or passions or it is on the academic side. She is Ms Aditi Baral, the Game Development Coordinator, for the tenure 2021–2022. She believes this community to be a great help for the one who is just beginning, who is in dilemma for where to begin from, and those who need the kind of help in-game development-related problems.

2. Design Coordinators

The dual power backs up this year’s Design Community. Among them, One is a passionate soul who loves to travel, make human connections and also value human conversations the most. His interests are inclined more toward visual designs, design psychology, and the design-thinking process. He is Mr Sushant Subedi, the Design coordinator for the tenure, 2021–2022.

While the other one loves challenging himself to enhance the current skills so that he can learn new skills to see and achieve a better version of himself. He is totally an ambitious soul, who loves setting goals to achieve new heights. He is Mr Kushal Manadhar, the Design Coordinator for the tenure, 2021–2022, even in his free time, you can find him involved in some kind of designing work or playing games.

Together, they plan to take the Design Community to new levels, expand it, organize programs, workshops, events, not just focusing on the basics, but sharpening each basic that can be sharpened.

3. Flutter Coordinators

The flutter community is also backed up with dual power. Mr Aadarsha Dhakal, the Flutter Coordinator for the tenure, 2021–2022, is the guy who as a developer thinks that “We have used many tools that are open source and are being maintained and developed by many selfless and generous developers, and as a beneficiary, I think it’s every developer’s duty to contribute back in the way they can.”

Mr Gaurav Rizal, the Flutter Coordinator for the tenure, 2021–2022, is the guy who says, he was completely unknown to the deep level of the thing that the coding world provided, but once he fell in love with how and what a single line of code can do, he was totally happy with the decision of falling in love with the idea of coding and started his journey on learning the Flutter and its different scope. Together this duo has planned a timeline where they are totally excited about leading this community to a great height. From the recent ongoing work on the development of the KUCC app to the workshops and boot camps, they have planned together to execute, everything is set to unload as the time comes!

4. Documentation Coordinator

Reading books, drooling over the new release of books and their hardcover, playing badminton, photography, watching anime, creating content, and journaling is what she does in her free time. Balancing every work, giving time to certain tasks at once is what her core beliefs are. She believes, everyone has the potential to reach their desired goals, just sometimes, they lack that inner belief which for sure will be provided if the mind is filled with great thoughts, encouraging words and a calm breathing state. She is Ms Siza Adhikari, the Documentation Coordinator, for the tenure 2021–2022. She hopes to restore the belief that every single person can be a great writer if they start from basics, start from experimenting with different genres of writing if they are guided with a proper set of feedback, and with this team, she is really excited to fulfil the main vision of bringing this community back to life!

5. Machine Learning Coordinator

In his free time, he can be found writing lyrics, composing raps, playing instruments, but, when he is determined and all set to go, he can be found involved in various research-based works and for sure Machine learning workshops. Another strong pillar of KUOSC is Mr Bisheshwor Neupane, who runs the Machine Learning Community. He believes in running this community by motivating and encouraging all the enthusiasts despite where they are in their journey, by teaching the correct approach to machine learning.

6. Cybersecurity Coordinator

A simple guy who dreams of inspiring a secure technological world. He believes information security is the responsibility of not only the ethical hackers or security analysts but every person in the world who uses technology in one or the other way. He thinks being complacent is never an option in life. Totally driven by passion and fueled up with determination, the Cybersecurity Coordinator, Mr Hritik Thapa, has kept his entire focus on uplifting this community and taking it to the heights that it deserves to take by introducing every attendee of the community to scenarios describing how they could get hacked or how they can hack someone/something in an ethical way. The learning curve won’t get constant here though. If you are going to be taught how you could be hacked, you are going to be trained on how to avoid or defend any of those attack scenarios as well. And the theme will be backed by regular workshops, seminars, gatherings, competitions and on-demand events.

7. Javascript Coordinator

An explorer, who loves travelling and has a keen interest in spending time with plants and being around nature. He came across JavaScript while learning HTML/CSS in grade 11. Then, he started learning, exploring, experimenting on various aspects and scopes of Javascript and its domination on things. The way it

influenced him can be seen as his curious soul led him to be the JavaScript Coordinator. He is Mr Sabin Thapa, the man behind knitting successful plans, events for this years’ JavaScript Community. He hopes to help as much as possible to all the newcomers, or even the mid-levels in their JavaScript journey by sharing experiences, helping pick JS technologies and frameworks.

8. Python Coordinator

He is a person who believes in helping and motivating anyone in any way possible. He says, “For the very first time when he came across the python tutorial, he fell in love with it. And ever since, he has fallen in love with it.” He is more inclined and obsessed with automating everything and developing Back-End services. Mr Ishar Maharjan, the Python Coordinator, for the tenure 2021–2022, believes that this community will serve as a great treasure for those who desire to learn and build innovative artefacts (technology) with the magic of Python, and have the enthusiasm for Python and appreciation for its charisma as a language.

A glance at KUOSC

Being a coordinator is neither a fun thing, nor it’s a piece of cake, it’s something that adds up responsibilities of taking the leads, taking the responsibility of training the members, fulfilling and meeting the expectations, helping each other grow as a team. But, as they say, everything has its own perks and its own challenges. Despite the challenges, the way everyone works, helps each other grow together as a family inside and outside the KUOSC is an amazing quality that this sister club has retained. Despite all having their own communities to handle, their own problems to solve, own responsibilities to fulfil, whenever needed everyone has each other’s back, and that’s what they say as the proud coordinators of the KUOSC.

Crafted with passion by

Siza Adhikari aka Starter_ Startler

You can find my readings on Medium and Facebook.

Website for KUOSC: http://kucc.ku.edu.np/kuosc/#communities

“ NOT SO PROTECTED !!”

“ NOT SO PROTECTED !!”

KUCC Journal

 Chaos — — Peace 

We are enslaved to the artistic realm of tech for almost every work that we perform. We have a skewed intuitional notion about the technologies we employ. That does not appear to be the situation at all.

What do you think is the foundation of truth? Where do you think we take a stand? What is the motivating force behind our irrational beliefs? 

Are you aware of the Big technologies and their way of working?

Would you rather believe me if I told you that one-fourth of your life is spent in the digital space? When compared to the early 10’s, this is a cent per cent gain. Aside from the outrageous rise in engagement in the digital domain post-Covid, effective insightful chirping is yet to be seen.

The globe was anticipated to remain free of conflicts and battles for a long time after World War II, but the ‘cold’ war sprang out swiftly. We hadn’t seen a power fight on a new, less waded virtual battlefield, though. The development of spies and the use of technology for their activities during and after the Cold War altered the curves of the future in unexpected ways.

In the present, the speed at which a layman’s access to the most modern technology of the era is being made accessible is commendable, but the lack of understanding of how these technologies can intrude their ‘Not-So-Personal’ space can be a source of considerable concern. The phrase “Personal Space” was first used in the 1960s to refer to one’s psychologically owned space, but as we can see, this is no longer the case. The space has become a virtual bubble of data that can in no way be described as personal.

Have you ever come across the name “George Orwell”? Doesn’t ring a bell? 1984 by George Orwell?? Of course, now it does!



 So, while I was drafting this article, I came across a paper which was about “The invasion of Privacy,” written by Christopher H. Pyle. This article solely focused on the main idea of privacy and also on the prediction made by George Orwell and even some contradiction to his idea. I am reflecting on an idea from one of the paragraphs of the research paper which says“ As Orwell predicted, ministries of state security have found the new technology for invading privacy irresistible; indeed, they have pioneered its development.” For example, much of the early research into hallucinogenic drugs was conducted by the army and the CIA, sometimes with tragic results for unsuspecting human subjects. Computers, which most Americans associate with the socially conscious International Business Machines Corporation, are equally the brainchild of the military intelligence services, which have used their wizardry to breach the privacy of foreign and domestic communications.
As if this were not enough, officials use the same sort of secrecy ploys used in 1984 to deprive the people of accurate information and to distort history. Orwell understood that the primary purpose of all official efforts to debase language and undermine the reliability of information is to strip citizens of the capacity and confidence to make moral judgments about the government’s use of power.

In simple words, if we want to summarize the concept from the above paragraph, it simply demonstrates chillingly that nothing invades privacy more than the manipulation of communications in order to destroy the ability of individuals to know the truth and thereby defend themselves against psychological manipulation.

Many of us believe that this digital space, which we use to express our personal views, concerns, and activities, is being thrown out without the user’s consent and left in the world of zeros and ones to either work as a tool to gain more control over the layman or to earn tons of money via various digital methods and medium for the top 1%, who still have access to more than 80% of global wealth via various digital methods and medium.

On one hand, while the impact of cutting-edge technology on facilitating virtual social interaction is commendable, its impact on reducing physical engagement, drying and dying human empathy, a factor in a variety of personality disorders, should also be considered. Early screen exposure on a child is a risk factor for obesity and sleep issues, according to a study published in the “US NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE”.

Aside from that, we have some evidence on how the invasion of our personal space has not yet been a deciding factor at all.

Only in the year 2021, as reported, have we had some situations that might make us swallow our words:

  1. Android Users Data Leak — 100+ million
  2. Thailand Visitors — 106+ million
  3. Raychat — 150 million
  4. Stripchat — 200 million
  5. Socialarks -214+ million
  6. Brazilian Database — 223 million
  7. Bykea — 400 million
  8. Facebook — 553 million
  9. LinkedIn — 700 million
  10. Cognyte — 5 billion

Considering the fact that the global population stands at about 7.753 billion, the data breach of about 5 billion records should have been a matter of trouble but still not enough light is being put upon. This year’s records are at an all-time high, as they were in prior years too. We’d be fools to believe such a large amount of data could be obtained in a day or two. This has been a methodical process for a long time before finally being this naked.

Not only that, but the fundamental components that underpin human life are also being pushed into this unified digital world. Despite the fact that the world’s greatest economies remain wary of digital assets, their rising appeal and acceptability might be the topic of research. Following the invasion of our personal space, it has been brought forward in the United Nations that our digital pockets are also being invaded in the quest for power.

The fascinating talks about meta developing its own universe called ‘metaverse’, the talk of the town ‘web 3.0’, ‘NFTs’, ‘Blockchain’ and others that we never thought of before. The fear that this turns out to be a “wall of worry” prevails much deeper than supposed. Technology can for sure give birth to new opportunities for privacy invasion, manipulation, and control, but it does not by itself create the structure of power that commits those abuses, there. Moreover, Technology can also improve the quality of arrest records since computers can be programmed to block the distribution of incomplete records and to purge outdated information systematically. As in Orwell’s words, the idea of political challenge would be surely agreed, too, by wresting these systems from the exclusive control of professionals and technocrats and restraining these professionals and technocrats to think in larger, more humane terms.

Now my dear readers, don’t you think the time has come for us to actually think hard about cultivating a solid data protection culture?

Despite all these, we are on our own and solely responsible for all the goodwill of ourselves.


Sangam Ghimire

Computer Science, Undergraduate

Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel, Nepal

The female lead in Fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)

The female lead in Fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)

KUCC Journal

Oh, being a girl and studying engineering must be tough for you?
No, actually, changing the mentality that a girl cannot study engineering is tough for me!

According to the data taken in 2021, 49.6% of the total population of the world is females. But have you ever wondered what per cent of the females in the world are working in the fields of STEM? The statistics taken to date tell a lot about women involved in the STEM field. The paragraphs following confront a few of those.

STEM stands for  Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. It’s important as it teaches critical thinking abilities and instils a passion for innovation and exploration that fuel success across a variety of tasks and disciplines. According to the research, 83% of boys in high school opt for STEM subjects, while only 64% of girls opt for STEM subjects. 13% of the surveyed male university students were taking engineering courses, compared to just 2% of female university students. The data makes it absolutely clear that more of the male population of the world is involved in the STEM field.

Women are more inclined towards other fields rather than the fields related to STEM. In 2015, women received more than half of the bachelor’s degrees awarded in the biological sciences, but far less in computer sciences (18%), engineering (20%), physical sciences (39%) and mathematics (43%), according to the National Girls Collaborative Project. Talking about Nepal, women represent only between 5% and 10% of the total population enrolled in IT.

There definitely must be some reasons for women being more inclined towards fields other than STEM. The stereotype that persists in society that women are not meant to be in the STEM field has somewhere created this huge gender gap in STEM. Most females keep themselves aloof from these fields as they think they could handle their work-family-life balance better in other streams like humanities. Some females also did not show much interest in STEM subjects while the others found no women role models in tech. The gender bias that females experience in the workspaces has also increased the number of women who quit technical jobs. The misconception (which still exists) that women are not efficient enough to build a career in the STEM field has made a huge impact on the graph representing women in tech. ‘No man is born learned’. People must keep this in consideration before symbolizing women as ‘inefficient’.

Organizations and communities have sprung like mushrooms to help women understand their potential and cope with unnecessary comments that come to their ears and pull them off the track of success. Listing down some of the national and international organizations that have made commendable changes and have empowered women.

1.  Girls in Tech

2.  Anita Borg Institute

3.  Black Girls Code

4.  Girls Who Code

5.  Smart Cheli

6.  Women Leader in Technology

7.  Women Lead Nepal

8.  Shequal Foundation

Along with these organizations, any individual, be it male or female has a responsibility to help close the gap that exists. Comments like “For a woman, you are skilled at this,” or “You are too beautiful for an engineer” should be stopped and women must be encouraged to work and excel themselves in STEM sectors. The tech industry must be gender friendly rather than a ‘boys’ only club’.The growth of women in the STEM field is remarkable and working on the positive side would help in creating history.

Melina Shakya