Software conference showcases nerdy goodness in Montreal

The Canadian University Software Engineering Conference (CUSEC) celebrated its 10th birthday recently.

The massive event brought together students and professionals from across the country. Over 300 delegates attended the conference, which was held from January 13 through 15 at the Marriott Chateau Champlain Hotel in downtown Montreal.

Billed as a place for students to take their passion for software engineering (SOEN) to another level, the conference offered undergrads the chance to meet well-known professionals face-to-face while getting a better feel for the field. Over the past decade, CUSEC has become known for providing its delegates with the opportunity to share ideas with their peers, network with firms and take the first steps towards a future career in software engineering.

Sven James, Concordia graduate and conference co-chair, smiled at the success of the event that, he said, "crams a semester's worth of useful knowledge into a weekend. It's three days of non-stop mind-stimulating technological goodness and a can't-miss for any SOEN undergrad."

James was particularly pleased with the involvement of Concordia's Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science (ENCS), which has sponsored the event from its inception. This year, professors in the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering even made some classes optional so that students could attend the conference without penalty.

CUSEC's Concordia ties have been strong from the beginning, as the conference was founded by ENCS alumnus John Kopanas. He came up with the idea while still an undergraduate studying Computer Science in the early ’00s. Frustrated by a previous experience attending a conference "full of corporate talking heads," Kopanas decided to create an event that would give students the chance to meet their heroes and learn from each other.

A decade later, CUSEC continues to provide just that. This year's event featured talks by such noteworthy speakers as Yehuda Katz, Michael Lopp (better known as Rands), Drew Conway, Julie Steele and Mike Shaver, Mozilla’s Vice-President of Engineering, plus lots of dynamic presentations from industry and useful tutorials on subjects ranging from cloud computing to founding a startup. Hopefully this open spirit of innovation and exchange will keep CUSEC at Concordia for decades to come.

Related link:
•  Canadian University Software Engineering Conference