Your weekly round-up of undergraduate life in The University
of Manchester
Department of Computer Science
from Paul Nutter, Director of Undergraduate Studies.
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Hello UG! I hope academic year 2016-17 has been a great year for you all. In this final Monday Mail of the year we’re taking a look back at all the amazing things UG students have got involved with since last September, and as you'll see below, it’s an impressive list, featuring all kinds of successes! Well done everyone!
Best wishes,
Toby Howard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Your essential links: HELP Mitigating-Circumstances ?UG SSO Timetable ?Counselling Report-absence Handbook Courses Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Kilburn access Have-your-say SSC MM @csmcr FB IT-FAQ HelpDesk
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 5 June, and it’s the fourth and final week of Exams. I hope they’ve been going well – in case of emergencies contact SSO (0161 306 8155). This is almost the last Monday Mail for this academic year – next week’s will be a roundup of the highlights of the year – so I'll take this opportunity now to wish you a happy and rewarding summer. If you’re graduating, we hope to see you and your families here on Graduation Day. If you’re about to start a year's Industrial Experience, good luck for what I’m sure will be a fantastic time for you. If you’re returning for your next year of study with us in September, have a great summer and we look forward to seeing you again soon. On with today’s news...
Best wishes,
Toby Howard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Your essential links: HELP Mitigating-Circumstances UG SSO Timetable Counselling Report-absence Handbook Courses Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Kilburn access Have-your-say SSC MM @csmcr FB IT-FAQ HelpDesk
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 29 May, and it’s the third week of exams. It’s also a Bank Holiday today so a valid out-of-hours pass will be required to use LF31, Tootill and 1.8 Labs from 08:00-23:30. I hope the exams are going well – in case of emergencies contact SSO (email, 0161 306 8155).
Best wishes,
Toby Howard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Your essential links: HELP Mitigating-Circumstances UG SSO Timetable Counselling Report-absence Handbook Courses Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Kilburn access Have-your-say SSC MM @csmcr FB IT-FAQ HelpDesk
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 22 May, and it’s the second week of Exams. I hope things are going well. Once again, 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 email SSO (or call 0161 306 8155) immediately if you think you have any issues. Now, on with today’s news!
Best wishes,
Toby Howard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Your essential links: HELP Mitigating-Circumstances UG SSO Timetable Counselling Report-absence Handbook Courses Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Kilburn access Have-your-say SSC MM @csmcr FB IT-FAQ HelpDesk
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 15 May, scheduled teaching activities are now over, and the Exams period starts this week on Thursday 18 May. I hope all goes well. 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 the central contact point is SSO, and you should email them immediately (or call 0161 306 8155) if you think you have any issues. Now, on with today’s news...
Best wishes,
Toby Howard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Your essential links: HELP Mitigating-Circumstances UG SSO Timetable Counselling Report-absence Handbook Courses Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Kilburn access Have-your-say SSC MM @csmcr FB IT-FAQ HelpDesk
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 8 May and it’s week 12, the last week of scheduled activities before the start of the exam period on Thurs 18 May. It’s certainly been a long Semester, and I hope it’s been a good one for you. Please make sure you get all outstanding marking out of the way ASAP and definitely by the end of this week. Now, on with today’s news!
Best wishes,
Toby Howard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Your essential links: HELP Mitigating-Circumstances UG SSO Timetable Counselling Report-absence Handbook Courses Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Kilburn access Have-your-say SSC MM @csmcr FB IT-FAQ HelpDesk
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 1 May, and it’s Week 11, an A week – and it’s the May Day Bank Holiday, so no scheduled activities today. Kilburn is open but you'll need your out-of-hours pass. On with today’s news!
Best wishes,
Toby Howard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Your essential links: HELP Mitigating-Circumstances UG SSO Timetable Counselling Report-absence Handbook Courses Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Kilburn access Have-your-say SSC MM @csmcr FB IT-FAQ HelpDesk
* UOM GOT TALENT. Got any kind of weird or not-weird talent? Or maybe you would like to come and see what your student community has to offer? Tonight 20:00-22:00 at Whitworth Park, Grove House (M13 9WJ) the UoM Got Talent show, with all proceeds to The Children’s Society charity. Register as a performer, or buy tickets (only £4).
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 24 April, and it’s Week 10, a B week. I hope you had a good three weeks of vacation! There are now three more weeks of teaching and scheduled activities, and the exam period begins on 18 May. As the end of term nears, if you have lab work that needs marking, make sure to check the deadline arrangements for your courses. Now, on with today’s news!
best wishes,
Toby Howard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Your essential links: HELP Mitigating-Circumstances UG SSO Timetable Counselling Report-absence Handbook Courses Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Kilburn access Have-your-say SSC MM @csmcr FB IT-FAQ HelpDesk
* DAVID MALAN TALK. If you missed David Malan’s splendid CS50 talk here in the School last month, you can watch it online, and see his slides. David is also interviewed by Jez Lloyd in Episode 17 of the CS@Manchester podcast. And Episode 16 of the podcast features an interview with Jon Parkinson, who has just finished a four-year PhD in unsupervised machine learning with Ke Chen. They discuss scientific research and life after a PhD.
* GIVE US YOUR FEEDBACK. The Unit Survey gives you the chance to tell us what you think about your course units, and for Semester 2 it runs from today until 9 May. Please take a moment to give us your feedback – you can use Blackboard or download the app (iOS | Android). We take your views seriously, we react, and we publish a response to your views, for every course unit.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 3 April, and it’s the first week of the 3-week Easter break. I hope you’re enjoying a well-earned rest and perhaps planning a bit of catchup and revision. 3rd Year students, good luck with writing your project reports and making your screencasts, and remember to ask your Supervisor for feedback on drafts of each. The Monday Mail is having an Easter break, but will be back again on Monday 24 April (Week 10, a B week). Meanwhile, on with today’s news, and have a Happy Easter!
Best wishes,
Toby Howard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Your essential links: HELP Mitigating-Circumstances UG SSO Timetable Counselling Report-absence Handbook Courses Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Kilburn access Have-your-say SSC MM @csmcr FB IT-FAQ HelpDesk
* SMELLY FRUIT ALERT. If you were in Kilburn late Friday afternoon you’ll know that we evacuated the building after reports of a strong smell of gas. It was indeed a strong smell but it turned out to be from some durian fruit in a waste-bin! Well you can’t be too careful…
* NATIONAL STUDENT SURVEY. Final year students, the giant Easter bunnies have now wrapped 52% of Kilburn up, so if you haven’t yet done your NSS please help the bunnies in their task, and take your NSS ack to SSO for your free bar of choc and your chance to win £100 in our final prize draw on 28 April.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 27 March – Week 9, an A week. It’s been a very long Semester so far, but the good news is that next week is the start of the 3-week Easter break. Now, as always, on with today’s news!
Best wishes,
Toby Howard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Your essential links: HELP Mitigating-Circumstances UG SSO Timetable Counselling Report-absence Handbook Courses Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Kilburn access Have-your-say SSC MM @csmcr FB IT-FAQ HelpDesk
* TEACHING AWARDS. Is there a lecturer/TA/SSO person that you think deserves a pat on the back for being especially fabulous? Then vote for them in the annual Manchester Teaching Awards run by the Students’ Union. Vote now! (deadline this Fri 31 Mar).
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 20 March, and it’s Week 8, a B week. I hope everything is going ok. Only two weeks until the Easter break... and don't forget that next Sunday 26 March at 01:00, British Summer Time starts – clocks go forward one hour to 02:00. But now on with today's news, and as usual, there's rather a lot of it!
Best wishes,
Toby Howard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Your essential links: HELP Mitigating-Circumstances UG SSO Timetable Counselling Report-absence Handbook Courses Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Kilburn access Have-your-say SSC MM @csmcr FB IT-FAQ HelpDesk
* CS50. This from Cristian Bodnar (Y2, CS): The CS50 Hackathon will take place this coming Saturday 25 March, at The Landing in MediaCityUK starting from 11:30. Organised by HackSoc Manchester together with Harvard University and the School of Computer Science, the event is a 5-hour coding session based on CS50, the largest Computer Science course from Harvard. The event will be run by Harvard’s David J. Malan (in the pic) and the rest of the CS50 staff who will give workshops and be there to answer any questions you might have. The hackathon is suited for both people with no prior experience in programming and Computer Science students as well. There will be something new to learn and challenging enough for all levels of experience. We have over 300 people registered and we are expecting a full house on Saturday. If you want to join the waiting list or want to find out more about the event, check cs50.hacksoc.com.
* RED NOSE BAKE. This Friday 24 March is Red Nose Day, and there’ll be a charity cake sale in the Staff Common Room from 15:00. Do some baking and bring your stuff along! Or just come along and buy and eat – £1 a cake/bun/whatever!
* OXFORD ROAD REOPENS. The section of Oxford Road between Booth Street and Charles Street reopens today. Eleven of the 13 new bus stop platforms are complete and in use with the remaining two due to open in April. Completion of carriageway works is set for the end of April. In the meantime there will continue to be some disruption to pedestrians while footways are finished. There are also plans to install new lighting columns, street furniture, and the planting of many new varieties of trees.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 13 March, and it’s Week 7, an A week. I hope all is well. On with today's news, and quite a lot today!
Best wishes,
Toby Howard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Your essential links: HELP Mitigating-Circumstances ?UG SSO Timetable ?Counselling Report-absence Handbook Courses Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Kilburn access Have-your-say SSC MM @csmcr FB IT-FAQ HelpDesk
* PODCAST WITH CRISTIAN. Part 1 of Episode 15 of the CS@Manchester podcast features an interview with Cristian Bodnar (Y2, CS) one of the organisers of StudentHack V (see above!). Jez Lloyd asks Cristian what hackathons are all about, why he's got involved and what someone would expect to get out of attending one of these huge events. Stay tuned for Part 2 next week, featuring interviews with participants and other organisers at the event this past weekend.
* CAPTURE THE MEMES. Madalina Raicu (Y2, HCI4wIE) writes: Interested in cybersecurity? Interested in memes? Get plenty of both in Capture The Memes, this coming Saturday 18 March in Kilburn, organised by CSSoc. It’s a series of different challenges to test your abilities in cryptography, wifi password cracking, and much more! The perfect opportunity to learn more about network security in a full day of awesomeness, from 10:00-18:00 – everyone welcome to give it a go :) It's also a chance to win awesome prizes from our sponsor (there may or may not be some Amazon echos around... ;) ) So get in groups (max. 4 people), get cracking, and see you on Saturday! Pizza is provided, as well as cool gadgets for everyone.
* SCHOOL BOARD UPDATE. This from Luke Beamish (Y1, CS) and Rifad Lafir (Y1, CS4wIE) – your SSC reps who attend the monthly School Board. Last week the Board met to discuss many of the ongoing changes around the School. The first of three phases of the ground floor refurbishment ends next week, with the next phase expected to take 5 months. The project will create a large open plan office space for IT Services. Plans are currently being made to transform the courtyard area into a multi-purpose space which will be levelled to allow better wheelchair access, the neighbouring walkway will be widened creating a space suitable as a soft seating area. It is hoped that the courtyard area will be functional around mid-July. All of the windows around Kilburn will be replaced with double-glazing starting from April. Work is being done to upgrade the lighting in the IT building, possibly extending to Kilburn. Enabling works have also begun for the creation of the tallest building on campus, the £150m Royce Institute (see pic), next to the Alan Turing Building. The Board also discussed the exciting new changes to our PhD programmes. The newly approved EngD will give students the chance to work on 4-6 research level projects over 4 years alongside an industrial partner. Changes to the core PhD programmes also aim to make them more flexible for students and allow entry to specific projects or research areas prior to finding an academic supervisor.
* GNU R. At Manchester Free Software's March Meeting, Michael Dorrington will give a talk+tutorial on GNU R, the popular free software for stats computation and graphing (install it first on your laptop). Next Tues 21 March 19:00, at Madlab (M4 1HN).
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 6 March, and it’s Week 6, a B week. Only 4 weeks to Easter! I hope all is well – and good luck to 3rd Year students whose project demonstrations start this week. On with today's news!
Best wishes,
Toby Howard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Your essential links: HELP Mitigating-Circumstances UG SSO Timetable Counselling Report-absence Handbook Courses Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Kilburn access Have-your-say SSC MM @csmcr FB IT-FAQ HelpDesk
* NATIONAL STUDENT SURVEY. Final year students – help us to paint Kilburn completely blue (it’s currently 42% blue) by completing the NSS survey. Take your acknowledgement to SSO for a free bar of delicious chocolate and your chance to win £100 in the next prize draw this Friday 10 March.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 27 February, and it’s Week 5, an A week. I hope everything is going well. On with today's news!
Best wishes,
Toby Howard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Your essential links: HELP Mitigating-Circumstances UG SSO Timetable Counselling Report-absence Handbook Courses Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Kilburn access Have-your-say SSC MM @csmcr FB IT-FAQ HelpDesk
* MEET THE PRESIDENT. The President of the University, Nancy Rothwell, is making her annual visit to the School this Weds 1 March and she's holding an informal open 30-minute meeting for students at 15:00 in Kilburn 2.19 (second floor). If you’d like to have the chance to talk directly to her, here’s your opportunity. If you can’t make it yourself, why not ask a Student Rep to raise an issue on your behalf.
* GOOGLE SUMMER OF CODE. So far Google Summer of Code (GSOC) has seen more than 12,000 students in 104 countries over 12 years working on 568 open source projects to write over 30 million lines of code. If you'd like to join them and spend this summer learning about open source development while earning money, the 2017 mentors for #GSOC are announced today (27 Feb) with applications closing on 20 March.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 20 February, and it’s Week 4, a B week. Spring is in the air, and the daffodils and snowdrops are coming up around the campus. On with today's news, and I have quite a lot for you today!
Best wishes,
Toby Howard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Your essential links: HELP Mitigating-Circumstances UG SSO Timetable Counselling Report-absence Handbook Courses Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Kilburn access Have-your-say SSC MM @csmcr FB IT-FAQ HelpDesk
* NEW BLOGPOST. Last week I introduced you our latest student blogger: Aayush Chadha (Y1, AI). Check out his new post The noob’s survival guide to hackathons. If you’re interested in becoming a student blogger (we pay!) contact Jez Lloyd.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 13 February, and it’s Week 3, an A week. I hope everything is going well. And hello to all our Foundation Year students, who will now be getting the Monday Mail too. On with today’s news!
Best wishes,
Toby Howard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Your essential links: HELP Mitigating-Circumstances UG SSO Timetable Counselling Report-absence Handbook Courses Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Kilburn access Have-your-say SSC MM @csmcr FB IT-FAQ HelpDesk
* NEW BLOGGER. Say hello to our newest student blogger: Aayush Chadha (Y1, AI). Read his first post Namaste, Manchester. If you’re interested in becoming a student blogger (paid!), contact Jez Lloyd.
* CHARITY BAKE. Ana Gabriela Pandrea (Y1, AI4wIE) writes: Homemade goodies just for you! Carefully prepared, with lots of love, sweet and cheap, and what is best, all the money goes to charity! Make sure you come and grab your piece of happiness this Thursday 16 Feb, between 12:00 and 14:00, on LF near Tootill. All money raised will go to The Children's Society, through the RAG Brazil challenge. For more details and online donations, please see my Justgiving page.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 6 February, and it’s Week 2, a B week. I hope you're getting back into the swing of things after the exams period. We plan to announce provisional exam results on Thursday 23 Feb. On with today’s news...
Best wishes,
Toby Howard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Your essential links: HELP Mitigating-Circumstances UG SSO Timetable Counselling Report-absence Handbook Courses Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Kilburn access Have-your-say SSC MM @csmcr FB IT-FAQ HelpDesk
* HACKING THE HACKS. The COMP101 Guest Lecture this week is from Paul Vlissidis from NCC Group. He’ll be talking about penetration testing and security, using an example of (permitted) hacking into a journalist’s (hack) personal account. All welcome, 11:00 this Thurs 9 Feb in LT 1.1.
* VENTURE CAPITAL. This from Struan McDonough (Y3, CMwIE): The University is launching one of the first student Venture Capital groups in the UK with Campus Capital. Apply to become a part of this exciting new group where you’ll learn about investment by becoming a student VC, and working with real startups.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 30 January, and it’s week 1 of Semester 2 teaching, an A week. The exams are over, and lectures and other activities start today. Check your timetable! I hope you’re ready for the new semester, and I hope everything goes well over the coming months. On with today's news!
Best wishes,
Toby Howard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Your essential links: HELP Mitigating-Circumstances UG SSO Timetable Counselling Report-absence Handbook Courses Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Kilburn access Have-your-say SSC MM @csmcr FB IT-FAQ HelpDesk
* MAN CITY HACK. Manchester City FC are running a hack which aims to discover the next best digital fan engagement initiative, looking for new ideas about how to engage with people on digital platforms. Apply for a place.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 23 January, and it’s the second and final week of the Semester 1 exams. I hope they’re going well. Make sure you know your schedule, and in case of emergencies, don't delay, email SSO immediately or call them on 0161 306 8155. Semester 2 teaching starts next Monday – something to look forward to! Now, on with today's news...
Best wishes,
Toby Howard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Your essential links: HELP Mitigating-Circumstances UG SSO Timetable Counselling Report-absence Handbook Courses Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Kilburn access Have-your-say SSC MM @csmcr FB IT-FAQ HelpDesk
* BBC GAME PLAY. Final year students – the BBC would like to invite you to participate in their Game Play event. It’s a day of game related creative thinking, doing and pitching on Thu 23 Feb at MediaCityUK in Salford, Manchester. How to apply (deadline 3 Feb).
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 16 January. Welcome back and Happy New Year to you! I hope you had a good break. The two-week exams period starts today, so I wish you good luck. Top tips: stay calm, write and illustrate your answers clearly – and keep in mind that someone has to actually read your writing! Now, on with today's news!
Best wishes,
Toby Howard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Your essential links: HELP Mitigating-Circumstances UG SSO Timetable Counselling Report-absence Handbook Courses Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Kilburn access Have-your-say SSC MM @csmcr FB IT-FAQ HelpDesk
* EXAM SUPPORT. From now until 20 January, calm your brain, have a croissant and get exam support at sessions in the Learning Commons. They have a Sleep Pod too for a 20-minute nap with ambient music.
* UG OF THE YEAR. Could you be an Undergraduate of the Year 2017? TARGETjobs Undergraduate of the Year is an annual awards competition to find the best undergraduates in the UK. Prizes include work placements and overseas trips. Applications are now open in 11 categories. Deadline for entering the competition is Mon 30 Jan. Why not enter?
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 12 December. Not only is it Week 12, but it’s also the last week of term – but I suspect you already know this! I hope that this Semester has been a stimulating, interesting, and enjoyable 3 months for you. The Monday Mail will be back on 16 January, for the first week of the exams. Until then, I wish you a very happy Xmas break, and see you in 2017! Now, on with today's news… lots of it too!
Best wishes,
Toby Howard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Your essential links: HELP Mitigating-Circumstances UG SSO Timetable Counselling Report-absence Handbook Courses Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Kilburn access Have-your-say SSC MM @csmcr FB IT-FAQ HelpDesk
Well done prize-winners and well done everyone for all your hard work and imagination!
* GIVE US YOUR FEEDBACK. The Unit Survey gives you the chance to tell us what you think about your course units, and for Semester 1 courses it runs from today until Fri 23 Dec. Please take a moment to give us your feedback – you can use Blackboard or download the app (iOS | Android). We take your views seriously, we react, and every year we publish a response to your views, for every course unit. For example, here are the responses to your comments on Semester 2 of last year.
* CAREERS ADVICE. December deadlines to meet? Still deciding on a career? Got an interview or assessment centre invitation? Congratulations! Need help with all of this? Not to worry. There’s still time to book in for a careers appointment with Dominic Laing, our Careers Consultant. He’s offering appointments in Room LF5, opposite Byte Café, this Thurs 15 Dec from 10:00 to 16:00. You can make a booking for a 15-minute Applications Advice session, a 30-minute Careers Meeting or a 30-minute Interview Simulation (for this one please pre-upload a copy of your application and details of the position to CareersLink). Make a booking.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 5 December, and it’s Week 11, a B week. I hope everything is going well. It's been a long and busy semester but keep going – Xmas is in sight! Good luck to all First Year students on their project presentations this week, and the poster session on Thursday (details). On with today’s news and lots to tell you about today!
Best wishes,
Toby Howard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Your essential links: HELP Mitigating-Circumstances UG SSO Timetable Counselling Report-absence Handbook Courses Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Kilburn access Have-your-say SSC MM @csmcr FB IT-FAQ HelpDesk
* GIVE US YOUR FEEDBACK. The Unit Survey gives you the chance to tell us what you think about your course units, and for Semester 1 courses it runs from today until Fri 23 Dec. Please take a moment to give us your feedback – you can use Blackboard or download the app (iOS | Android). We take your views seriously, we react, and every year we publish a response to your views, for every course unit. For example, here are the responses to your comments on Semester 2 of last year.
* PASS NIGHT. This from Struan McDonough (Y3, CMwIE): Last Thursday, the PASS schemes for Computer Science and Aerospace converged on Collab for a series of board games, twister, giant jenga and WWE (there was a surprise Cena too!). Lots of friends were made, and we can't wait for the next one in semester 2!
* SHORT FILM COMP. The University’s 2nd Annual JustFest Short Film Competition has launched. It’s an exciting opportunity for undergraduate students to make a short video (30 to 90 seconds) on an issue of social justice that matters to you, and raise awareness of social justice to other students. It’s also a great way to evidence a whole range of skills to potential employers: creativity, project management, team work. You can film your entry using a phone, tablet, digital camera and there are cash prizes for the winning entries: Grand Prize £400, People’s Choice £200, 4 x Runners Up £100. The comp is open until 12 March 2017, Last year’s winner was “When I Say I” with over 9,500 views on YouTube. To find out more visit watch the comp video or visit the website. @EGC_ Manchester #JustFest
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 28 November, and it’s Week 10, an A week. I hope everything is going well. The end of the teaching semester is fast approaching and I hope you're on top of things, but if you have any concerns, do have a chat with someone: for example, your Personal Tutor (Year 3 students this is also your Project Supervisor), or your Year Tutor, or SSO – you can find useful contacts in the link box below. Have a great week, and on with today’s news!
Best wishes,
Toby Howard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
UG · SSO · Timetable · Handbook · Course Units · Year 1 · Year 2 · Year 3 · Year 4
IT FAQ · IT & Environs Support · Kilburn access · Have your say · MM · @csmcr · FB
SSC · Report absence · Mitigating Circumstances · Counselling Service
* SKYSCANNER. You may have seen in the news last week that SkyScanner, which lets users compare prices for flights and hotels, was sold for £1.4 billion. Did you know that the company’s founders Bonamy Grimes and Gareth Williams graduated from this School? Skyscanner is currently hiring Computer Science students for summer internships and graduate roles.
* OXFORD ROAD CLOSURE. Oxford Road is currently closed for resurfacing between Brunswick Street and Booth Street until late Sun 4 Dec, and bus diversions are in place for services 15, 18, 38, 41-45, 53, X57, 85, 86, 111, 142, 143, 197, 250 and 263. Find out more about the Oxford Road changes.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 21 November, and it’s Week 9, a B week. I hope things are going well. A reminder that tomorrow Tues 22 Nov is the second of our "Meet the professionals" events which give you the opportunity to meet with recent graduates from the School who are now professionals in the Computing/IT world. Don't miss this great opportunity (details below). Now on with the rest of this week's news...!
Best wishes,
Toby Howard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
UG · SSO · Timetable · Handbook · Course Units · Year 1 · Year 2 · Year 3 · Year 4
IT FAQ · IT & Environs Support · Kilburn access · Have your say · MM · @csmcr · FB
SSC · Report absence · Mitigating Circumstances · Counselling Service
* INTERNATIONAL AWARD. Veneta Haramplieva (CSwIE, graduated 2016, now Software Engineer at Amazon) received a special award from the University last week in recognition of her final year project being given a "Highly Commended" rating in the international Undergraduate Awards, aka the “Junior Nobel Prizes”, placing her project (supervisor Gavin Brown) in the top 10% of undergraduates internationally, across all subjects. The scheme covered 244 universities worldwide, with a total of 5,514 project entries. Veneta was selected as one of the 9 best Computer Science projects worldwide – an exceptional achievement! You can read her project report here.
* SUPPORT SEAN AND SIMON. Sean Bechhofer (1st Year Tutor and COMP11212) and Simon Harper (COMP33511) are doing unusual things with their facial hair to make money for Movember, the annual moustache-based charity event tackling men’s health on a global scale. Why not help them raise a bit more? Click on their links above to donate.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 14 November, and it’s Week 8, an A week. I hope everything is going well. Remember, if you need any help with anything, talk to us! SSO is a great place to start – they're here to help. Have a great week, and on with today’s news!
best wishes,
Toby Howard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
UG · SSO · Timetable · Handbook · Course Units · Year 1 · Year 2 · Year 3 · Year 4
IT FAQ · IT & Environs Support · Kilburn access · Have your say · MM · @csmcr · FB
SSC · Report absence · Mitigating Circumstances · Counselling Service
* BADGES UPDATE. Since we launched the Badges scheme last week, we’ve awarded 186 badges to 137 students, celebrating their work as PASS Coordinators and Leaders, SSC Reps, and School Ambassadors. Following your enthusiastic response, this week we'll be awarding new badges for completing a year's Industrial Experience, working as a Summer Intern in the School, and engaging in our Schools Outreach activities. Thank you for sending me ideas for 'badge-worthy' things – please keep them coming! And please join me in thanking Steve Pettifer for launching the scheme (and Chief Badge Designer) and Ian Cottam and Chris Page for the tech to make it all work.
* CHILDREN IN NEED. The time has come to start clearing out your cupboards and donating any no-longer-needed items for our annual Children in Need Online Auction (a bit like eBay, only better). Please take your donations (unwanted books, DVDs, computer bits, cameras, golf clubs, anything really) to the lovely people in Kilburn Room 2.127 anytime from today. The online auction will run from today until 17:00 Fri 18 Nov. Get bidding!
* GIRL GEEKS. Practically everyone uses Wikipedia – but have you ever tried adding to it? Women are sorely under-represented in editing and contributing to Wikipedia articles, and Manchester Girl Geeks aim to shift the balance with their Voting For Change edit-a-thon. They're teaming up with the People's History Museum and the Working Class Movement Library to acquire material related to the fight for the vote, and then share this knowledge on Wikipedia. Helpers from Wikimedia UK and Manchester Girl Geeks will be on hand to help you learn and develop editing skills. Free event this Sunday 20 Nov.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 7 November, and it’s Week 7, a B week. I hope you had a bit of a break last week. Now it’s back to business as usual, and we’re on the home stretch towards Xmas – another 6 weeks to go! And good luck to all 3rd Year students whose project seminars start this week. Have a great week, and on with today’s news!
Best wishes,
Toby Howard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
UG · SSO · Timetable · Handbook · Course Units · Year 1 · Year 2 · Year 3 · Year 4
IT FAQ · IT & Environs Support · Kilburn access · Have your say · MM · @csmcr · FB
SSC · Report absence · Mitigating Circumstances · Counselling Service
* TODD AT GOOGLE. Todd Davies (CS, graduated last year) has written a blogpost about the value of internships. Read about how he got on in his internship at Google, about what life is like at one of the world’s best-known tech companies, and how he turned his internship into a full-time position as a Google Software Engineer.
* SIMON ON FONTS. Simon Harper (who teaches COMP33511 User Experience) was quoted in an interesting article in the Daily Telegraph newspaper last week, on the subject of the readability of fonts on websites.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 31 October, and it’s Week 6 – Reading Week. There are no scheduled teaching activities this week – it's a chance for you to have a break and recharge your batteries and maybe do some catchup. Usual teaching and timetabled activities resume next Monday 7 Nov (Week 7B). But this week is as busy as usual, so on with today’s news! And Happy Halloween!
Best wishes,
Toby Howard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
UG · SSO · Timetable · Handbook · Course Units · Year 1 · Year 2 · Year 3 · Year 4
IT FAQ · IT & Environs Support · Kilburn access · Have your say · MM · @csmcr · FB
SSC · Report absence · Mitigating Circumstances · Counselling Service
* MEET DOMINIC. Hi! I'm Dominic Laing, the Careers Consultant working with your School. I’ll be in Kilburn on Thursdays if you'd like to see me about anything. Just book a slot with me on CareersLink. Whatever you want to see me about, whether it's applications advice, developing your interview skills or not knowing what to do, please make a booking. Look forward to meeting you soon!
* FAMILY SCIENCE DAY. Thanks to Teo Taylor (Y4, CS4) and Mihai Garbur (Y3, CS) who joined the Computing At School team on Saturday at the Manchester Museum Science Spectacular to show families how exciting Computer Science can be. Children and parents watched the Nao robot perform the Macarena, and saw how Lego Mindstorms robots can be programmed, as well as carving pumpkins in Minecraft on the Raspberry Pi. If you’re interested in getting involved with events like this, David Rydeheard would be pleased to hear from you.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 24 October, and it’s Week 5, an A week. I hope everything is going well! A reminder that next week is Reading Week and there won't be any scheduled teaching activities then – it's a chance for you to have a break and maybe do some catchup. But this week is as busy as usual, so on with today’s news!
Best wishes,
Toby Howard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
UG · SSO · Timetable · Handbook · Course Units · Year 1 · Year 2 · Year 3 · Year 4
IT FAQ · IT & Environs Support · Kilburn access · Have your say · MM · @csmcr · FB
SSC · Report absence · Mitigating Circumstances · Counselling Service
* HACKTRAIN. Congratulations to Struan McDonough (Y3, CMwIE), Daniel Thomas (Y3, CSwIE) and Daniel Ireson (MSc) on being selected as three of the lucky participants in HackTrain (4–6 Nov), arguably one of the craziest and most memorable hackathon experiences. A weekend-long adventure hacking whilst travelling on a train from London to Paris, Lyon and back again. One hundred of the very best developers, designers and entrepreneurs will be building apps, websites and hardware that tackles the transport industry's biggest challenges. If you’d like to jump aboard, the last few places are still available.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 17 October, and it’s Week 4, a B week. We're a month into the new Semester now, and I hope everything is going well. First Year students, I hope you're beginning to feel settled in the School, and in Manchester too. Remember, if you have any questions or concerns, talk to us! SSO is a great place to start and they can advise who best to speak to. Right, let's get on with today’s news, and there’s rather a lot of it – as usual!
Best wishes,
Toby Howard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
UG · SSO · Timetable · Handbook · Course Units · Year 1 · Year 2 · Year 3 · Year 4
IT FAQ · IT & Environs Support · Kilburn access · Have your say · MM · @csmcr · FB
SSC · Report absence · Mitigating Circumstances · Counselling Service
* GREAT UNI HACK. GreatUniHack 2016 will be held just up the road at Manchester Metropolitan Universiity on the weekend of 12/13 Nov. Get your free tickets now!
* GIRL POWER. JP MORGAN are running an exclusive event for female students looking to discover more about careers in technology with companies such as Accenture, BAE Systems, CGI, Deutsche Bank, ThoughtWorks and more. Students will spend a full day taking part in sessions to showcase their skills and personality including the opportunity to network with the recruitment teams, graduates and senior female managers. The event dates are: 28 October – J.P. Morgan HQ, London; 11 Nov – J.P. Morgan, Glasgow; 18 Nov – Bloomberg HQ, London; 2 Dec – Capital One, Nottingham. The event is free and travel up to £50 will be reimbursed. Find out more.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 10 October, and it’s Week 3, an A week. I hope you're doing well and enjoying life both inside and outside the School! A lot to tell you today, including a huge number of events, some of which take place in Kilburn in the evening and at weekends, and you'll need an out-of-hours pass to attend those. If you haven't got one, get one now! OK, on with the news…
Best wishes,
Toby Howard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
UG · SSO · Timetable · Handbook · Course Units · Year 1 · Year 2 · Year 3 · Year 4
IT FAQ · IT & Environs Support · Kilburn access · Have your say · MM · @csmcr · FB
SSC · Report absence · Mitigating Circumstances · Counselling Service
* QUIET LAB. Labs can often be vibrant places, and you’ve been asking (for quite a few years) for a quiet lab... and now it’s here – Room 1.8 has changed from being the “3rd Year Lab” to "The Quiet Lab”. This lab is a place for all UGs for quiet working at PCs (when the room is not in occasional scheduled use for teaching). If it’s to be a success, it needs to be QUIET, and that’s up to you. Need to talk in there? OK, we understand that, but please do so VERY VERY QUIETLY INDEED :-). The room at the far end of this lab is still the Quiet Study Room (Room 1.12) which is strictly for quiet personal study (no PCs in there). I hope you’ll find these quiet rooms helpful, and of course I’d welcome your feedback (email me).
* PI CLUB. Will Woof, PhD student and TA writes: Are you, like so many of us, impressed by the capabilities of the Raspberry Pi, but just can't think of what to do with it? We'll be running the first of a series of Pi Appreciation events at 13:30–15:00 this Weds 12 Oct in LF31 where people can share cool projects and project ideas, and get help with Pi-related topics. In particular we’ll show you how to set up your Pi as a WiFi hotspot so you can connect to your Pi outside the labs. All welcome!
* UAV SOC. Ismaeel Ramzan (School of Chemistry) writes: I would like to invite you to join the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles society. We are a student-run society that aims to attract students to work together on producing drones for autonomous flight competitions. We require no previous experience and are happy to provide instruction but most of the learning will be self-directed. Some of the things we are working on are rapid creation of orthomosaic photomaps, target identification using computer vision, communication between drones and a ground station, and communicating between the pixhawk autopilot and another board such as a Raspberry Pi. Interested? Email me !
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 3 October, and it’s Week 2, a B week. I hope you’re enjoying the new Semester, and first year students, I hope you’re settling in well. Need any help? Call into SSO. Lots to tell you today, so let’s get on with the news, and I hope you have a good week!
best wishes,
Toby Howard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
UG · SSO · Timetable · Handbook · Course Units · Year 1 · Year 2 · Year 3 · Year 4
IT FAQ · IT & Environs Support · Kilburn access · Have your say · MM · @csmcr · FB
SSC · Report absence · Mitigating Circumstances · Counselling Service
* SU UNION OFFICERS. And speaking of representing students, the SU elections are open. If you have ideas for events, campaigns or things the Students' Union and the University could be working on to improve the Manchester experience, then stand for election as a Student Officer. The Students' Union has a range of Student Officer roles filled by a cross-campus election each October. They offer training, support and advice throughout the year and all the resources you'll need to effectively represent the students you're working for. Use this form to stand for election, and see full role descriptions. Deadline 17:00 this Friday 7 Oct.
* BBC CHALLENGE. Want to enhance your skills and employability? Relish the opportunity to gain insight into the operations of three major organisations while competing against other Northern Universities? Teams are invited to apply for the 2016 #UniTechChallenge – and we hope will retain the title we won last year (last year's winners pictured)! If you'd like to enter, email Duncan Hull before this Friday 7 Oct with details of your team members (maximum 7 per team) and why you think your team should be selected to represent The University of Manchester.
* PI TALK. If you’re interested in the past and future of the Raspberry Pi, check out Pi founder and CEO Eben Upton answering lots of interesting questions from Slashdot readers.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 26 September, and it’s Week 1A of Semester 1. Teaching starts today for all years. Throughout the semester we alternate Week A's and Week B's, with different timetabled activities according to A and B. The Monday Mail will always remind you which week it is – and this is a Week A (here's the full UG timetable). OK, on with today’s news… and have a good week!
Best wishes,
Toby Howard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
UG · SSO · Timetable · Handbook · Course Units · Year 1 · Year 2 · Year 3 · Year 4
IT FAQ · IT & Environs Support · Kilburn access · Have your say · MM · @csmcr · FB
SSC · Report absence · Mitigating Circumstances · Counselling Service
* CS SOCIAL SOC. Riccardo Biraghi (Y2, CS) and Stefania-Anais Hristea (Y2, HCIwIE), pictured here, write: this Weds 28 Sept at 15:00 in LF15 CSSoc are recruiting for our committee roles, so everyone is welcome! We also have our first meeting after recruitment and FREE pizza and drinks for everyone who's coming.
* PODCAST. The School’s latest podcast features Laura Howarth-Kirke (pictured here) who graduated from the School in 2013 and won the national SET Student of the Year Award. She’s since worked at the BBC in their graduate scheme and is now a software developer for BBC Sport.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 19 September, it's Welcome Week, and a very warm welcome to you all, especially to students joining us for the first time. I'm Toby Howard, Director of Undergraduate Studies, and you are reading the Monday Mail – which I send to all undergraduates every Monday during term-time – to keep you up-to-date with what's happening in the School. And there's always a lot happening! So have a great week, and on with today's news.
Best wishes,
Toby Howard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
UG · SSO · Timetable · Handbook · Course Units · Year 1 · Year 2 · Year 3 · Year 4
IT FAQ · IT & Environs Support · Kilburn access · Have your say · MM · @csmcr · FB
SSC · Report absence · Mitigating Circumstances · Counselling Service
* WE'RE HERE TO HELP. Got any questions? Need any help? Call into the Student Support Office (aka SSO) open Mon-Fri 09:00-17:00 in Kilburn Room LF21, compsci-sso@listserv.manchester.ac.uk, 0161 306 8155. You’ll also see lots of people around campus wearing ASK ME badges so… ask them things!
* UNDERGRAD AWARDS SUCCESS. Congratulations to Veneta Haralampieva (CSwIE, graduated 2016) who was Highly Commended in the international Undergraduate Awards for her 3rd Year Project. The scheme, which recognises exceptional performance at UG level, ran across 244 universities worldwide, with a total of 5,514 project entries. Veneta was selected as one of the 9 best Computer Science projects worldwide – an exceptional achievement!