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.
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
