Software Systems Engineering students win ‘Best Mining Challenge Paper’ at Montreal MSR conference

Last month, a group of five MSc Software Systems Engineering students from UCL Computer Science were selected to present their paper at the 16^th International  Conference on Mining Software Repositories (MSR), 2019, in Montreal. Whilst a prestigious achievement in itself, the group went on to further success by winning ‘Best Mining Challenge paper’ at the conference.

The A-ranked conference took place in Montreal, Canada, at the end of May. It has hosted a mining challenge since 2006. This challenge encourages a close connection between research and industry by analysing a common data set.

“I am delighted that the students have done so well,” said Dr Jens Krinke, who leads on this module. “The Computer Science department is very proud of its industry-relevant teaching, and this success serves as a further example of how we address the Connected Curriculum at UCL.”

The successful students came up with the idea for their submission in a piece of coursework entitled ‘Tools and Environments’. By combining the latest thinking in software engineering with decades’ worth of experiences of academic staff members working on real-life projects, the module prepares students for the fundamental practices of any software professional.

Students within the team commented; ‘’It is incredible that what was really a piece of coursework for us received the honour of Best Mining Challenge Paper at the Conference! The most exciting part for us was presenting in front of such a large audience - a first for us! Although it was certainly also a slightly nerve-wrecking experience, with the continuous support of Prof. Jens Krinke and our team members, our journey to Montreal turned out to be one of the absolute highlights of our studies at UCL!’’

Professor Licia Capra, Departmental Tutor for UCL Computer Science, praised the students’ enthusiasm for their studies: “This success is a testament to the open and inclusive atmosphere we have in the Computer Science department, making the students feel part of the department and its many activities!"

Please join us in congratulating our students; Nikolaos Bafatakis, Niels Boecker, Wenjie Boon, Martin Cabello Salazar and Gazi Oznacar and their dedicated Teaching Assistant; Robert White, on their success.

Photo: (left to right) Sebastian Baltes, Niels Boecker, Jens Krinke, Wenjie Boon, Christoph Treude

Photo credit: Daniel German - University of Victoria