Excel@FIT 2019: Student designed new method for bacteria classification

The fifth annual Excel@FIT IT conference organised by the Faculty of Information Technology of BUT introduced nearly sixty student works with the potential to considerably influence the world of information technology in the future. For example, on Thursday 25 April 2019, students introduced a new method for bacteria classification, a tool for placing graphical elements to live video broadcast or an app for measuring objects in space using a mobile phone.

"For a long time, the only way to analyse bacteria was to cultivate them. Nevertheless, many species of bacteria cannot be cultivated and for this reason, they were undetectable. My tool strives for automatic sample classification using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Processing and classification of individual sequences is a complex issue, that is why I designed a new method based on the taxonomic tree structure," said Nikola Valešová, an information technology student, describing her work.

Bacteria can be approached as "big data" whose thorough analysis helps us understand chronic diseases or drug functionality. But once a bacteria sample is removed from the host body to be observed under laboratory conditions, they must be cultivated in some way and the vast majority of bacteria will perish during the process. Therefore, it is sometimes necessary to load data from the sample straight to the computer, but this might mean loading up to several gigabytes of data for a single sample. The task of IT specialists is then to find ways of sorting this large amount of data and thus correctly and automatically classify bacteria. According to the evaluators, the work of Nikola Valešová shows significant research potential despite dealing with a complex experimental issue.

Other interesting projects which experts and general public could see in the premises of the Carthusian monastery in Královo Pole included functional application for automatic measurement of objects in space using Augmented Reality by Miroslav Karásek. The user only needs to point a mobile phone at the measured object to immediately receive information on the dimensions of a three-dimensional object. "Thanks to the AR measure app, you can easily measure dimensions without having to carry a measuring tape or a ruler. It can be useful for example for measuring furniture, luggage or when the user needs to determine postage based on the dimensions of the parcel," said Karásek, the author of the handy app which can be downloaded on Android for free via Google Play.

The committee has also shown interest in the work of Son Hai Nguyen who focused on the issue of inserting 2D graphics to live broadcast, for example logos or flags to broadcasts of sports matches. The committee composed of IT experts and representatives of industrial partners could grant prizes to up to twenty IT projects which, in its opinion, bring significant contribution to research or an interesting technical solution. The general public voted for five best exhibited projects; corporate sponsor partners could also decide on the best projects.

"The aim of the Excel@FIT conference is to introduce interesting student works and ideas, give students the opportunity to share their thoughts not only with their classmates but also with researchers, people from the industry and general public and also to motivate them to present their work. This conference is dedicated to the memory of a renowned teacher Jiří Kunovský who was a great personage of the Faculty of Information Technology and an exemplary teacher thanks to his approach to students," concluded Vice-Dean Vítězslav Beran, the main organiser of the Excel@FIT conference.

Panel of experts gave prizes to a total of 18 students' works. The Jiří Kunovský Award was awarded by the public to five projects based on over 900 votes. Another nine prizes were awarded by the industrial partners. The award-winning authors received stipends in the total value of 161 thousand Czech crowns. Almost sixty contestants entered the fifth year of the event; the presentation and exhibition of works along with the panel discussion with industrial partners sponsoring this conference were visited by about 400 participants from among students, teachers and representatives of companies, as well as high school students and teachers. The list of award-winners is available HERE.