APU Students Shine at ICAN 2025 with Expert Mentorship

Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU) has once again demonstrated its commitment to nurturing innovation and academic excellence, this time on the global stage. Partnering with Chitkara University, India, APU played an instrumental role in the 5th International Conference on Computing, Analytics, and Networks (ICAN 2025), held in hybrid mode on 18 July 2025.

A standout highlight of ICAN 2025 was the outstanding performance of APU students Dimoharan Pragash and Amaan Rashid, both pursuing the Bachelor of Computer Engineering with Honours. 

Mentorship in Action: Guiding Students Towards Excellence

Under the mentorship of Dr Mukil Alagirisamy, Senior Lecturer at the School of Engineering (SoE), Dimoharan and Amaan entered the ACM-sponsored Student Symposium with their innovative project, ResQZone: Smart Disaster Shelter Allocation System.

The project impressed judges with its practical approach to improving disaster management through intelligent shelter allocation. 

Among nearly 50 global entries, only 13 were shortlisted for presentation—and APU’s ResQZone not only made the cut but went on to secure Second Prize, along with an Indian Rupee (INR) 3000 cash prize.

Their achievement doesn’t end there—the duo have been invited to submit their work to the Journal of Technology Management for Growing Economies, offering them a prestigious publication opportunity early in their careers.

Reflecting on their win, both students expressed deep gratitude to Dr Mukil, whose dedication, constructive feedback, and technical guidance ensured their idea was refined to professional standards. 

The conference brought together distinguished academics, researchers, and industry leaders from around the world to explore cutting-edge developments in engineering, computing, and networks. 

A Prestigious Platform for Innovation

Supported by global partners such as Daffodil International University (Bangladesh), Springer Nature, the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) student chapters, ICAN 2025 became a vibrant hub for multidisciplinary collaboration. 

Representing APU at the leadership level were Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Ts Dr Murali Raman, and Director of the Strategic Research Institute (SRI), Professor Dr Mohammad Falahat Nejadmah Falahat. 

Their guidance was complemented by the hands-on leadership of Dr Mukil, who played a pivotal role in the planning and execution of the event. 

The Power of Academic Support and Collaboration

APU’s presence was strongly felt through its members serving on the Advisory Committee and Technical Programme cum Reviewer Committee, ensuring the relevance, originality, and academic rigour of the conference’s content. 

This thorough review process means accepted papers will appear in a special Scopus-indexed issue of the Journal of Transformative Technologies and Sustainable Development (Springer Nature).

Dr Mukil’s involvement in ICAN 2025 extended beyond student mentorship, as she also chaired the ‘AI in Healthcare’ conference session.

Collectively, such contributions reinforce APU’s reputation as a centre of both academic leadership and practical innovation, where faculty actively shape the direction of international research dialogues while empowering students to participate meaningfully.

APU’s Role in Elevating Global Academic Standards

By being part of ICAN 2025’s core organising team, APU not only amplified its institutional presence internationally but also showcased how a university can bridge academia and industry, research and application, and students and experts.

The conference covered diverse emerging topics—AgriTech, Agenetic Systems, Hardware Security, Deep Learning, AI in Healthcare, and Optimisation—providing APU’s participants with invaluable exposure to global research trends.

For APU students like Dimoharan and Amaan, this experience was transformative. Beyond winning an award, they engaged with international peers, received feedback from experts, and built networks that will support their professional journeys.

Innovation with Purpose: APU’s Ongoing Commitment

As ICAN 2025 concluded, APU’s contribution stood out not just for the technical excellence of its students but for the culture of mentorship, collaboration, and high academic standards that made such success possible.

This milestone reflects the university’s ongoing commitment to providing students with international platforms to showcase their skills, backed by faculty who are passionate about guiding them towards their fullest potential.