Good morning! It's Monday 12 May and it’s the first of the 3 exam weeks. I hope all goes well. I know it sounds obvious, but make sure you know your exam schedule and locations precisely – it's your responsibility to be in the right place at the right time! In case of emergencies contact SSO immediately → compsci-sso@listserv.manchester.ac.uk or 0161 306 6625.  On with today’s news...

Best wishes,
Toby → http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/~toby

---

MAY BALL.

  Last Friday 9 May was the annual May Ball at the Midland Hotel run with the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures. A great evening by all accounts!

---

REVISION HELP.

  The Library is running study sessions to help students work out their best strategies for revision. Find out more and book a place → http://goo.gl/pqbyI3

---

LF31 CLOSED THIS WEEK.

  LF31 will be closed for essential system maintenance from tomorrow Tues 13 May to Friday 16 May inclusive. Please use Tootill, Collab or the 3rd Year lab (Room 1.8) instead.

---

IE MEETING TOMORROW.

  There’s an important meeting, with pizza, in IT407 at 13:00 tomorrow Tues 13 May for all students going out on Industrial Experience this summer. The meeting will cover what you need to do before, during and after your placement. If you can't make it, please let Duncan know asap → Duncan.Hull@manchester.ac.uk

---

SUPPORT A SCHOOL.

  Manchester Grammar School is running a ‘Computing for Beginners’ week. They’re looking for students with  Linux and RPi skills to help for 1 or 2 days, between 24-27 June. A great opportunity to enthuse kids about Computer Science, get some experience, and enhance your CV. For full details contact Simon Duffy → s.j.duffy@mgs.org

---

IMPROVING STUDENT LIFE.

  Have you got an idea that could improve student life using digital tech? You could get £5,000 to develop it this summer → http://jisc.ac.uk/student-innovation

---

SMART CITIZEN.

  Future Everything is running a free workshop on Weds 28 May and giving away 25 Arduino and Intel powered Ambient Sensors to be deployed around Manchester. Get tickets (deadline this Weds 14 May) → http://futureeverything.org/events/smart-citizen-workshop/

---

BEST ELEARNING AWARDS.

  Have you done a course this year which makes innovative and effective use of eLearning? Vote for the best and win an iPod or iPad (deadline 16 May) → http://is.gd/epsbest

---

CAREERS / COMPS / REPORT ENVIRONMENT ISSUES.

  → Links at http://tinyurl.com/themondaymail

Good morning! It's Monday 5 May and it’s Week 12, a B week, and the final teaching week of the year. It's the Early May Bank Holiday today too – so no timetabled activities in the School today, back to normal tomorrow. Have a nice day whatever you’re doing. On with today’s news...

Best wishes,
Toby → http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/~toby

---

FIRST YEAR PROJECT SHOWCASE.

  The showcase last week was a great success and the work on show was as fantastic, original and imaginative as ever. Well done to all First Year students!

---

DUCK NEWS.

  We may well be the only School of Computer Science in the country (the world?) with our own family of ducks. For the last 4 years Mrs Duck has visited us every Spring to lay her eggs in the courtyard. She must like it here! Thanks to local charity Animals In Distress, the family were collected last week and taken to more comfortable accommodation in Cheshire.

---

PIZZA AND CHAT.

  We’re reviewing the way we teach, and we need your input. What do you like/dislike about our teaching methods? If you have views, make them heard – come to our informal chat session 12:30–14:00 next Monday 12 May. Pizza will be served. Pre-registration required, sign-up deadline 17:00 this Friday 9 May → http://goo.gl/mF6cPP

---

COURSE UNIT FEEDBACK.

  Another way to make your views known is the online Unit Survey, so please give us your feedback on each of your Semester 2 course units – deadline this Friday 9 May. We take your feedback seriously, and we act on it → http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/enhancing-my-experience/tellus

---

SUMMER VACATION WORK.

  Deadline 17:00 today Monday 5 May for applying for work in the School during the summer vac → http://studentnet.cs.manchester.ac.uk/employment/vacationjobs

---

PASS NEXT YEAR.

  We’re still recruiting PASS leaders for next year, and holding another PASS Expectations session for potential leaders tomorrow Tues 6 May at 13:00-14:00 in Collab1. Sign up → http://goo.gl/7D6MwS

---

ATHENA SWAN SUCCESS.

  We’re delighted to announce that the School has received an Athena SWAN Bronze Award, which recognises good practice in recruiting, retaining and promoting women in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine in academia → www.manchester.ac.uk/athenaswan

---

EXAM RESULTS.

  Exams begin on Thursday 15 May. For details of when results will be published → http://studentnet.cs.manchester.ac.uk/assessment/results/index.php?view=ug

---

REVISION SUPPORT.

  Speaking of exams, the Library is running study sessions to help students work out their best strategies for revision. Find out more and book a place → http://goo.gl/pqbyI3

---

MENTORING YOUNG CODERS.

  The Festival of Code are looking for mentors as part of Young Rewired State (YRS) over the summer of 2014. If you have expertise and enthusiasm for software development, robotics or data crunching you'd like to pass onto young people, why not get involved? → http://festivalofco.de/mentors

---

SMART CITIZEN.

  Future Everything is running a free workshop on Weds 28 May and giving away 25 Arduino and Intel powered Ambient Sensors to be deployed around Manchester. Get tickets (deadline 14 May) → http://futureeverything.org/events/smart-citizen-workshop/

---

IMPROVING STUDENT LIFE.

  Have you got an idea that could improve student life using digital technology? You could get £5,000 to develop it this summer → http://jisc.ac.uk/student-innovation

---

BEST ELEARNING AWARDS.

  Have you done a course this year which makes innovative and effective use of eLearning? Vote for the best and win an iPod or iPad (deadline 16 May) → http://is.gd/epsbest

---

JOIN A LONDON STARTUP.

  Silicon Milk Roundabout is a huge London jobs fair for startups. If you’re a final year student looking for a job, their next event is this coming weekend 10-11 May → http://www.siliconmilkroundabout.com/

---

CAREERS / COMPS / REPORT ENVIRONMENT ISSUES.

  → Links at http://tinyurl.com/themondaymail

Good morning! It's Monday 28 April and it’s Week 11, an A week. I hope you had a good Easter break, and you're back refreshed for the last two weeks of scheduled teaching, then the exams! On with today’s news...

Best wishes,
Toby → http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/~toby

---

PASS AWARDS SUCCESS.

  The Students as Partners Celebration Evening was held at the Palace Hotel on Thurs 3 April, and the School won second place in the PASS Scheme of the Year awards. There are 23 PASS schemes across the University, so this is a fantastic achievement! Congratulations to our Student Coordinators Matt Akerman (Y3, CSE4) and Dalwinder Bagdi (Y3, CSwIE), Year2 PASS Coordinators Danielle Grayston (Y3, AIwIE) and Jack Evans (Y3, CS), all of our 33 PASS Leaders, and Staff Coordinators Andrea Schalk and Gavin Donald. Well done all!

---

PASS NEXT YEAR.

  We’re still recruiting PASS leaders for next year, so please sign up and help the scheme to get even better in 2014! We’re holding another PASS Expectations session for potential leaders next Tues 6 May at 13:00-14:00 in Collab1. Sign up → http://goo.gl/7D6MwS

---

FIRST YEAR PROJECT SHOWCASE.

  The 1st Year Project Showcase takes place today Monday 28 April at 11:00 on LF. Everyone is welcome to come and see the great project work from 1st year students → https://moodle.cs.man.ac.uk/mod/wiki/view.php?id=1140&page=Phase4+Step11

---

COURSE UNIT FEEDBACK.

  Please give us your feedback on each of your Semester 2 course units – deadline 9 May. We take your feedback seriously. Use  a handy app or on-line  → http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/enhancing-my-experience/tellus

---

SUMMER VACATION WORK.

  We’re offering paid work opportunities in the School during the summer vac. Enhance your CV with new skills and tech, and do important work for the School. Application deadline 17:00 next Mon 5 May → http://studentnet.cs.manchester.ac.uk/employment/vacationjobs

---

TEACHING FORUM.

  We’re reviewing the way we teach, and we want your input. What do you like/dislike about our teaching methods? Do you like/dislike lectures Do you prefer workshops? Or something else? Why? We're running an informal Forum session at 12:30 – 14:00 on Mon 12 May (note the change of date) to hear your views on teaching methods. Pizza will be served! Pre-registration required, sign-up deadline this Friday 2 May → http://goo.gl/mF6cPP

---

ARM TALK.

  Dr Anton Lokhmotov of ARM will be giving a guest lecture for COMP35112 Chip Multiprocessors today Monday 28 April at 15:00 in LT1.3. The main topic is ARM's high performance SIMD attached processor ‘Mali’ system, and Anton is promising to tell some interesting stories accompanied by demos, so it should be entertaining. All welcome.

---

CALIFORNIAN PYTHON.

  Fernando Perez from the University of California, Berkeley will be giving a seminar today Monday 28 Apr at 14:00 (Lecture Theatre G20, Mansfield Cooper building) on Python and IPython as alternatives to MATLAB, Mathematica and SPSS → http://www.cs.manchester.ac.uk/about-us/news-and-events/full-article/?articleid=883

---

REVISION SUPPORT.

  The Library is running study sessions to help students work out their best strategies for revision. To find out more and book a place → http://goo.gl/pqbyI3

---

GREAT PRENEURS.

  Great Preneurs is hosting its first Conference about Manchester Startups this coming Saturday 3 May at Techhub Manchester. People from the Manchester Startup Scene will talk about raising capital, growing In Manchester, getting into an accelerator and investing in Manchester tech startups. Register → http://greatpreneurs.com/conference/

---

WAR OF NATURE.

  Andrea Schalk and Colin Caine (PhD) have contributed to Manchester Museum’s From the War of Nature exhibition. Colin features in the exhibition discussing his computer simulations of conflict and co-operation and how life evolves. Why not have a look? (it’s the building opposite University Place) → http://www.museum.manchester.ac.uk/whatson/exhibitions/fromthewar

---

MUSIC TALK.

  This Weds 30 April, at 14:00 in LT1.4, David De Roure from the University of Oxford e-Research Centre will talk about  Digital Music Research: from Music Objects to Social Machines. “The music business from studio to sofa (and studio on sofa) is well on the way to being digital end-to-end” → http://www.cs.manchester.ac.uk/our-research/seminars

---

BEST ELEARNING AWARDS.

  Have you done a course this year which makes innovative and effective use of eLearning? Vote for the best and win an iPod or iPad (deadline 16 May) → http://is.gd/epsbest

---

CAREERS / COMPS / REPORT ENVIRONMENT ISSUES.

  → Links at http://tinyurl.com/themondaymail