Codemania v6.0 | Workshop 01 - Data Pre-Processing & Augmentation
February 11, 2026 · 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM @ Online event
Description
The Codemania v6.0 | Workshop 01 – Data Pre-Processing & Augmentation session was successfully conducted on 11th February 2026 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM as an online technical workshop via Zoom. Organized by the IEEE Computer Society Student Branch Chapter of SLTC, this workshop marked the first knowledge-sharing phase of the Codemania v6.0 journey, aligning with the competition’s transition into a data-driven datathon format. The session commenced with a warm welcome delivered by the Co-Chairperson of Codemania v6.0, Ravishka Rathnayaka, who formally welcomed the guest speaker and all participants to the workshop. He expressed appreciation for their presence and emphasized the importance of active engagement throughout the session. The workshop was moderated by Naveen Kariyawasam, who ensured a smooth flow of the session while maintaining active engagement with the participants. The moderator introduced the guest speaker and facilitated interaction throughout the program, creating a professional and well-structured virtual environment. The guest speaker for the session, Mr. Indeera Wirasinhge, Data Scientist at John Keells Octave, delivered an in-depth and industry-oriented presentation on data pre-processing and augmentation techniques. His session focused on the practical aspects of handling real-world datasets, including managing missing values, handling outliers, encoding categorical variables, normalization, feature scaling, and the importance of feature engineering. He further elaborated on data augmentation strategies that enhance model performance, particularly in scenarios with limited datasets. Real-world case studies and industry experiences were shared to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and practical implementation. The session was highly interactive, with participants actively engaging during the Q&A segment. Students gained clarity on workflow structuring, common mistakes in data cleaning pipelines, and best practices to optimize datasets under time-bound conditions such as datathons. The discussion also reinforced the idea that model performance is significantly dependent on the quality of data preparation rather than solely on algorithm selection. The event concluded with the Vote of Thanks delivered by Nipuni Senarathna, Secretary of Codemania v6.0. Appreciation was extended to the guest speaker for his valuable insights and time, to the moderator for effectively managing the session, and to all participants for their enthusiastic involvement. Gratitude was also conveyed to the organizing committee and academic advisors for their continuous guidance and support. Workshop 01 successfully set the technical foundation for Codemania v6.0 by equipping participants with essential data-handling skills required for competitive data analysis. The session not only enhanced participants’ understanding of data pre-processing strategies but also strengthened their readiness for the upcoming stages of the Codemania v6.0 datathon.
Agenda
7:00 PM – 7:05 PM - Initiation of the Session 7:05 PM – 7:10 PM - Welcome Speech 7:10 PM – 8:40 PM - Main Session 8:40 PM – 8:50 PM - Q & A Session 8:50 PM – 8:55 PM - Token of Appreciation 8:55 PM – 9:00 PM - Vote of Thanks