Deakin Simpsons Computer Vision Competition 2021
Throughout the first half of 2021, Deakin University IT students have been competing to develop the best algorithmic models in the 2021 Deakin Simpsons Computer Vision competition. With the aim of increasing student participation in co-curricular activities to help enhance student’s learning experience, Dr Mohamed Reda Bouadjenek and colleagues, Professor Peter Eklund and Dr Sunil Aryal, developed this creative competition.
Undergraduate and postgraduate Deakin University IT students were invited to take part and detect Simpsons characters individually from pictures using a machine learning model. To achieve the task at hand, the students were given a data set of 19,548 images to train their model. Once it was built, students would have to submit it to be evaluated and after evaluation, their entry appeared on a leader board to compare their performance against other contestants. Winners were chosen based on highest accuracy score and a thorough technical review, with prizes being given to the top 4.
Dr Bouadjenek said that this project “goes well beyond the scope of the technical AI material” taught in units at Deakin University. Some students have “pushed their boundaries toward goals of excellence [and] have learned how to be fully independent” as no technical support was offered for this challenge. This is a great achievement for the IT teaching team at Deakin University as participants in this competition have been able to prove their readiness to “work in a professional environment”.
Project Officer for School of Information Technology at Deakin University, Thuy Nguyen, explained how funding from Community Bank at Deakin University helped this initiative to go ahead, stating that,
“Community Bank at Deakin University made the competition possible. Without the grant, we wouldn’t have been able to reward and award the top successful submissions by students. It’s amazing to have a community partner care about providing opportunities to not only upskill our students, but unite them within teams to compete against one another in an industry-grade competition. This was the first time we’ve received a grant for a competition such as this and found it was extremely smooth working with the CBDU team. They were very responsive and supportive; the ideal partner!”
The Simpsons AI competition was very successful for the team that put it together. Student engagement was high with 76 participants in total and an amazing 386 submissions. The leader board was constantly changing throughout the competition, instilling a great sense of friendly competitiveness between peers.
At Community Bank at Deakin University, we’re proud to support initiatives such as this, that help to support and give back to the Deakin University community.
Supporting Community Bank at Deakin University is easy, it’s as simple as doing your banking with us. When you open an account, take out a loan, or buy insurance at CBDU, you’ll be helping to build a stronger university community.*
The Deakin University IT Department’s AI Simpsons Challenge is just one way Community Bank at Deakin University is helping to contribute to the Deakin University community. If you would like to apply for funding for your initiative through Community Bank at Deakin University, please visit our Community Strengthening Fund page for more information.
You can find more details on the 2021 Deakin Simpsons Challenge here.
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