The significance of collaboration between educational institutions and industry cannot be overstated, as it plays a crucial role in fostering mutual growth and development. At SYRMIA, we passionately believe in the power of these synergistic partnerships, and we are proud to have established fruitful collaborations with technical faculties across all four cities where our offices are located (Belgrade, Nis, Novi Sad and Banjaluka).
By actively engaging with academia, we strive to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, nurturing a symbiotic relationship that propels innovation and empowers the next generation of engineers. This year, we held several lectures at the faculties, trying to connect students with the captivating world of technical topics we work on.
Delving into the World of the LLVM Compiler
Our Djordje Todorovic is an active participant in the open-source community and a true LLVM wizard. With his passion for the subject, Djordje eagerly shares his expertise through engaging lectures. In the first half of this year, he delivered two enlightening talks titled "LLVM Compiler Infrastructure and Optimization". The first lecture took place at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade, and his second presentation was equally impactful as he traveled to the Faculty of Natural Science and Mathematics in Banja Luka, sharing his knowledge, and fostering a deeper understanding of LLVM's compiler infrastructure and optimization techniques.
During May, our Zoran Jovanovic held university lectures for two groups of students at the University of Belgrade, Mathematical Faculty. The subject was “Register allocation in compilers by using graph coloring algorithm”. The purpose of the lectures was to give insight to the students on how some mathematical graph theory is used inside top-rated open-source compilers - particularly GCC and LLVM. In the lectures, the following topics have been covered: data structures used to represent graphs inside compilers, description of compiler passes necessary for successful register allocation (e.g., liveness analysis, creating interference graph, etc.), description and comparison of Chaitin and Chaitin-Brigs algorithms for graph coloring, register allocation examples, optimizing compiler passes for improved register allocation.
Demystifying Machine Learning mechanisms
Embarking on a thrilling knowledge-sharing adventure in Novi Sad, our colleagues Dejan Latinovic and Ljubomir Papuga gave a lecture to students as part of the Open Days of the Science and Technology Park Novi Sad. The main topic was convolutional neural networks, highlighting the hurdles encountered during the development of a Machine Learning System on Chip (MLSoC) platform. They also provided insightful examples from their ongoing project.
Our Slobodan Josic and Nenad Petrovic took the stage at the Faculty of Technical Sciences in Novi Sad, conducting an engaging workshop centered around machine learning. Through the YOLO (You Only Look Once) neural network lens, they revealed interplay between platform choices (processors or graphics cards) and network versions and how that affects performance and accuracy of your neural network.
Safeguarding Lives on Wheels: Functional Safety & ISO 26262
In March, Milan Beric and Vanja Arbutina held a lecture at the MakeITwork fair in Banja Luka about some aspects of work in the automotive industry. The main topics were Functional Safety and ISO 26262, essential in developing sophisticated systems in modern road vehicles that can directly impact human lives. During the lecture, students had the opportunity to delve into the significance of safety and why it is of utmost importance to prioritize it when creating advanced automotive technologies. They highlighted the critical need to assess and mitigate risks associated with complex automotive systems. The speakers provided practical examples and guidelines on effectively applying the ISO 26262 standard to identify potential hazards, manage risks, and ensure end-users safety.
Exploring the Dynamic Universe of Microcontrollers
As the 2nd semester was reaching its end, the Department of Electronics and the ETF Student Union in Banja Luka hosted a workshop in June titled "Introduction to the World of Microcontrollers". Participants included both fresh-faced first-year students and ambitious high schoolers. Under the expert guidance of mentors, they unraveled the secrets of these miniature marvels, discovering the realm of possibilities they offer within their electronic cores. As the workshop ended, an exhilarating finale awaited - the Three Days Challenge competition. Among the esteemed members of the expert jury, our very own Milan Medic helped to recognize and reward the brightest stars of the challenge.
Unleashing the Power of AI
In the student lesson on "New trends in hardware and software development for deep learning models", held at the Faculty of Mathematics in Belgrade, our Branko Arsic talked about the most modern achievements that shape the field of artificial intelligence. Participants gained insights into the latest developments in specialized hardware, such as GPUs and TPUs, tailored to accelerate the training and inference processes. Additionally, the lesson covers emerging software frameworks and libraries that optimize model performance and ease the development of complex neural networks.
