NEWS
A Competition in The Fields of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Using the Kaggle Platform College of Information Technology at UoB Holds the Third Programming Competition for Universities
Sakhir – University of Bahrain (Khadijah Abdusalem)
4 July 2023
In cooperation with the Computer Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE Bahrain Computer Society Chapter), branch of the Kingdom of Bahrain, the College of Information Technology at the University of Bahrain (UoB) organized the third programming competition on the topic of artificial intelligence and machine learning using the Kaggle platform, on Thursday (June 22, 2023), at the Benefit Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Computing, located in the College’s building, with support of the Labor Fund (Tamkeen).
The students worked on building an automated model to estimate real estate prices using artificial intelligence and machine learning, as UoB students participated in the competition with nine teams, while the University of Applied Sciences participated with three, the British University in Bahrain with two, and the American University in Bahrain with one team.
Several workshops were held to train students on the competition’s requirements, during the period from 13 to 21 June 2023, aimed at developing the skills of aspiring programmers in data science and machine learning, as Professor of Artificial Intelligence in the Department of Computer Science at UoB, Prof. Faisal Al-Khatib, presented a workshop on artificial intelligence and machine learning, in which he shared his expertise, especially in data science applications, to provide the teams with the opportunity to effectively participate in the Competition.
Following that, the artificial intelligence expert and CEO of SayG, Dr. Shaikha Eshaa Mohammed Hamad Al Khalifa, presented a workshop to introduce the participating students on how to use Kaggle for the competition, as the platform allows the participants to know their ranking according to the general results, and to know their own result according to the programs they present on the platform.
The Dean of the College of Information Technology, Dr. Hessa Jassim Al-Junaid, affirmed the College’s keenness to develop students’ creative talents, support their innovative projects, and provide a platform to set out the challenges, and present solutions and ideas that contribute to raising the level of programming and technology, especially in artificial intelligence.
While the head of the organizing committee of the Competition, Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science, Dr. Abdullah Mohammed Al-Qaddumi, drew attention to the students’ enthusiasm and positive participation in the Competition and its workshops, as well as the interviews. He also stressed that the appropriate environment, and the support of the faculty members, enabled them to prove their academic and professional capabilities in the field of software, and to provide smart solutions in artificial intelligence and technical sciences.
The results of the Competition were presented to a jury consisting of artificial intelligence experts from various universities participating in the competition, namely: Associate Professor at the Department of Computer Science at UoB, Professor Faisal Al-Khatib, from the University of Applied Sciences, Dr. Moayad Khader, and from the Information and e-Government Authority, Ms. Ilham Abdullah.
The winners shall be announced at the Competition’s closing ceremony, under the auspices of the President of UoB, Dr. Fuad Mohammed Al-Ansari, in September 2023.
Moreover, the head of IEEE Bahrain, Dr. Resala Abdullah Al-Adraj, stated that the students who won the first five positions will receive valuable cash prizes provided by the Labor Fund (Tamkeen).
