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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Good morning UG, it’s Monday 6th June 2022 and we are in the last week of the semester 2 exams. I hope your exams are going well, not long now until they are all over and you can celebrate! The end of this week also marks the end of the 2021/22 academic year, which for me seems to have flown by. Congratulations on making it through the year and for all the hard work you’ve put in since September, well done!
If you are leaving us this year, then I’d like to wish you the very best with what comes next, whether you are pursuing further study or you are taking that first step onto the employment ladder. Hopefully we will see you at the graduation ceremony in July. If you are going on placement, then make the most of the opportunity, we look forward to seeing you back in September 2023. If you are returning in September, then have a good summer and make the most of the break.
Don't forget that voting for next year's student reps closes today, so please get voting! Monday Mail will return for Welcome Week in September. I hope this week goes well, on with today’s news ...
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | Deadlines Chart | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | SSLC | Student Support Office | Wellbeing | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | ITFAQ | Remote access | CS Support Desk | IT Support
The competition is part of our first harm reduction campaign which we have developed in consultation with current students and our Students’ Union. Read more about why we think this campaign is in the best interest of student safety on Student News.
The UG team would like to wish you a good summer, we look forward to seeing you again in September.
Any FSE computer cluster not on the above list will remain available as normal.
The list of remaining projects can be found here.
To book your place, please visit the event page.
Deadline for submissions is Monday, June 13th, 2022. A panel (incl design specialists and CS staff) will assess the ideas submitted. The winning idea will be turned into a professionally designed window design, implemented over the next academic year, with an explanation on the ground floor outside Kilburn Building. The window dimensions are as follows: left and right panels are 1220mm (w) x 2170mm (h) each; centre panel is 1330mm (w) x 2170mm (h).
Good morning UG, it’s Monday 30th May 2022 and we are into the second week of the semester 2 exam period. I hope your exams are going well. It’s the Jubilee bank holiday this week, so Thursday and Friday are national holidays (and hence no exams) to celebrate the Queen’s 70th year as monarch. Voting for your student representatives is now open (see below) so please make sure you vote!
Have a good week, on with today’s news ...
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | Deadlines Chart | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | SSLC | Student Support Office | Wellbeing | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | ITFAQ | Remote access | CS Support Desk | IT Support
Any FSE computer cluster not on the above list will remain available as normal.
The list of remaining projects can be found here.
Deadline for submissions is Monday, June 13th, 2022. A panel (incl design specialists and CS staff) will assess the ideas submitted. The winning idea will be turned into a professionally designed window design, implemented over the next academic year, with an explanation on the ground floor outside Kilburn Building. The window dimensions are as follows: left and right panels are 1220mm (w) x 2170mm (h) each; centre panel is 1330mm (w) x 2170mm (h).
We are running a series of focus groups to find out more about how we could better support/accommodate our LGBTQ+ students when they travel as part of their studies. We want to make sure that every student feels safe and comfortable when they travel. The focus groups are an opportunity for students to share personal experiences, provide feedback and suggest changes they would like to see in provision for LGBTQ+ students when they travel. Refreshments will be provided, and you will also receive a £25.00 Love2Shop Voucher for your participation. Sign up here. If you have any questions about the focus groups, please contact charlotte-taylor-2@manchester.ac.uk.
Good morning UG, it’s Monday 23rd May 2022, and the semester 2 teaching period has now finished. This week is the first week of the exam period, which runs for the next three weeks. If you have any issues during the exam period, then you can contact SSO or your year tutor (see below). Remember that help is available if you need it. Best of luck in your exams, I hope they go well!
Have a good week, on with today’s news ...
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | Deadlines Chart | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | SSLC | Student Support Office | Wellbeing | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | ITFAQ | Remote access | CS Support Desk | IT Support
You can find more information on their website. Remember you can always contact the Student Support Office in Computer Science for any advice or help at any time.
Voting closes on the 27th of May, so you will have until then to cast your vote. Good Luck with your exams!! Thank you for coming to the first ball after a long time!! Everyone looked amazing….We hope you enjoyed the evening. Here are a few remembrances of the evening.
2022 Elections: Voting for the next Crackchester Committee is now open! Be sure to cast your vote before the 29th May. The vote will close at 5pm sharp. This is your chance to help shape our society and it's committee so be sure to vote! Click this link below to find out more! If you have any questions regarding the elections feel free to ask on our discord! That's all from us this week, be sure to follow us on social media to stay up-to-date with the latest Crackchester news!
Any FSE computer cluster not on the above list will remain available as normal.
The list of remaining projects can be found here.
Deadline for submissions is Monday, June 13th, 2022. A panel (incl design specialists and CS staff) will assess the ideas submitted. The winning idea will be turned into a professionally designed window design, implemented over the next academic year, with an explanation on the ground floor outside Kilburn Building. The window dimensions are as follows: left and right panels are 1220mm (w) x 2170mm (h) each; centre panel is 1330mm (w) x 2170mm (h).
Good morning UG, it’s Monday 16th May 2022, it’s Week 12, and it’s the last week of teaching, The exams start next week, so please make sure you know when and where your exams are taking place. The past semester of teaching has flown by and it's hard to imagine that we are nearing the end of the academic year. If you have any outstanding coursework to complete then please make sure you do so before the end of the week (unless the deadline is later). I hope you all had fun at the May Ball last week, I look forward to seeing some photos!
Have a good week, on with today’s news ...
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | Deadlines Chart | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | SSLC | Student Support Office | Wellbeing | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | ITFAQ | Remote access | CS Support Desk | IT Support
We look forward to providing you with in-person support whilst we also develop our digital services to give you the best support possible during your studies!
* EXAM SUPPORT. We know that the exam season can be a very stressful time, and if you are feeling the pressure, please remember that there are lots of ways that you can access support. There are many events and activities that you can get involved with to take a break from your revision and de-stress. The exam website is your one-stop shop for all things exam related, whether that be for revision tips, how to view your exam timetable or how to access support for your wellbeing.
Any FSE computer cluster not on the above list will remain available as normal.
What will you do?
If you are interested and need more information, please email me.
Sign up here.
Welcome back to Gareth’s Puzzle Corner, this is your weekly fix of brain teasers and logic puzzles. Today we have the usual four puzzles: an easy Sudoku; a more challenging Sudoku; a different form of puzzle and a chess puzzle. We also have the latest challenge set by the Crackchester team. I hope you enjoy the puzzles and if you have any puzzles you wish to feature or ideas for Puzzle Corner then please get in touch.
Easier Sudoku - Classic Sudoku by sudoku.com
Normal sudoku rules apply.
Challenging Sudoku - Discombobulated by Kennet's Dad
Normal sudoku rules apply. Digits along an arrow sum to the digit in the circle. Digits in a cage sum to the given total. A purple line contains a series of consecutive digits in any order. Identical digits cannot appear in the same position within any two 3x3 boxes.
Bonus Puzzle - Star Battle by puzzlemadness.co.uk
The aim of this particular Star Battle puzzle is to insert one star in to every row, column, and region. Stars can't be adjacent horizontally, vertically or diagonally.
Chess Puzzle - Wellington Vs. Seul, 2020
Drag and drop the Black pieces to win the chess match.
Crackchester Puzzle
Here's our latest challenge! There's something amiss with this block of code, can you figure out what it is? As always if you're struggling you can always message our discord for some hints!
Answers to Last Week’s Puzzles
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning UG, it’s Monday 9th May 2022 and we have reached Week 11, the penultimate week of teaching. The department is running a competition where we want you to suggest what we can display in the large window looking out onto Oxford Road from the 1st floor of the Kilburn building - there’s a prize for the winning suggestion (see below). Good luck to the third year students who have their Q&A sessions scheduled for this week and to the first years who have their project presentations. Well done to the winners of the staff-student programming competition, particularly for beating the staff so convincingly! If you are going to the May Ball, then have fun (don’t go celebrating too hard!).
Have a good week, on with today’s news ...
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | Deadlines Chart | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | SSLC | Student Support Office | Wellbeing | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | ITFAQ | Remote access | CS Support Desk | IT Support
The staff were annihilated. Congratulations to the winners, and thanks to all those who competed. Special thanks go to the student helpers: Jovan Petreski (Year 3, CS4), Yonggang Wang (Year 3, AI), Asma Alshebli (Year 1, AI), Arun John (Year 1, CS4), Lanre Borishade (Year 3, CS), Reshma Prabhakar (Year 1, CS4).
The dress code is formal.
Welcome back to Gareth’s Puzzle Corner, this is your weekly fix of brain teasers and logic puzzles. You are given 4 different puzzles to tackle. One is an easier Sudoku, the second is a more challenging Sudoku, the third is a different form of puzzle and the fourth is a chess puzzle. Finally, we also have another intriguing puzzle from Crackchester for you to think about. I hope you enjoy the puzzles and if you have any puzzles you wish to feature or ideas for Puzzle Corner then please get in touch.
Easier Sudoku - Classic Sudoku by sudoku.com
Normal sudoku rules apply.
Challenging Sudoku - Squarrows by Walking Writer
Normal sudoku rules apply. The digits along an arrow must sum to the number in the connecting pill (read left-to right or downwards) or circle. Each number in the four highlighted pills must be a perfect square, none of which can be repeated among those four pills. Digits connected by a white dot must be consecutive. Not all white dots are shown.
Bonus Puzzle - Futoshiki by puzzlemadness.co.uk
The objective is to place the numbers such that each row and column contains only one of each digit. Some digits may be given at the start. Inequality constraints are initially specified between some of the squares, such that one must be higher or lower than its neighbor. These constraints must be honored in order to complete the puzzle.
Chess Puzzle - Kovacevic Vs. Gimenez, 2020
Drag and drop the White pieces to win the chess match.
Crackchester Puzzle
We've got another challenge lined up for you all. One of our committee documented touching grass this week, but they were slacking with regards to personal security! How much can you find out about their walk? Stumped?
Answers to the Last Week’s Puzzles
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning UG, it’s Monday 2nd May 2022 and it’s Week 10. Today is a bank holiday in the UK (a public holiday), so there are no scheduled teaching activities and the Kilburn building is closed to students. It was great to see all the great projects developed by the first year groups last week in the project showcase, well done to the winners! The third year project Q&A sessions start this week, so good luck to all third years!
Have a good week, on with today’s news ...
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | Deadlines Chart | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | SSLC | Student Support Office | Wellbeing | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | ITFAQ | Remote access | CS Support Desk | IT Support
The dress code is formal.
Welcome back to Gareth’s Puzzle Corner, this is your weekly fix of brain teasers and logic puzzles. You are given 4 different puzzles to tackle. One is an easier Sudoku, the second is a more challenging Sudoku, the third is a different form of puzzle and finally we have a chess puzzle for you. I hope you enjoy the puzzles and if you have any puzzles you wish to feature or ideas for Puzzle Corner then please get in touch.
Easier Sudoku - Classic Sudoku by sudoku.com
Normal sudoku rules apply.
Challenging Sudoku - Assassin8 by Ore
Each row, column and region contains the digits 1-8. Digits along an arrow sum to the digit in that arrow's circle, and can include repeat digits. Digits in a cage sum to the small number in the top left corner.
Bonus Puzzle - Suko by puzzlemadness.co.uk
Your aim is to insert the numbers 1-9 in to the grid so that each number only appears once, and all the totals are satisfied.
Chess Puzzle - Slepov Vs. Puglia, 1959
Drag and drop the White pieces to win the chess match.
Answers to the Last Week’s Puzzles
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning UG, it’s Monday 25th April 2022 and it’s Week 9. I hope you managed to have some time off and take a well earned break over the Easter vacation. We are in the last stretch of the semester (and the year) with only four weeks of teaching left before the exam period starts. If you are a 3rd year student, don’t forget that the deadline for the project report and screencast is this Friday (29th April). The timetable for the Q&A sessions has now been published (link below). If you are starting your 3rd year in September then you have until the end of the week to select projects you are interested in from the projects list. Don’t forget that the deadline for registering for the staff-student programming competition is this Wednesday. Finally, the 1st year project showcase is taking place in Kilburn today, so please pop along and have a look at the applications created by the 1st year teams (see below).
Have a good week, on with today’s news ...
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | Deadlines Chart | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | SSLC | Student Support Office | Wellbeing | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | ITFAQ | Remote access | CS Support Desk | IT Support
You can find more information on their website. Remember you can always contact the Student Support Office in Computer Science for any advice or help at any time.
The competition is open to staff and students (undergraduate and postgraduate) in Computer Science. Teams will consist of a whole number of persons between 1 and 3 inclusive. Staff teams must have at least one member of staff (including RAs, but excluding PhD students) and must otherwise consist entirely of staff (including RAs) and PhD students. Student teams must consist entirely of students (graduate or undergraduate). No person may be in more than one team. Problems will be given out at the start of the competition. Teams will try to solve as many as they can. Contestants may use any of the supported languages: C, C++, Java, and Python. Each team should bring a laptop computer with the desired compiler(s) installed. It is allowed to bring any printed materials into the competition room; however the use of stored electronic files or of the internet to access any sites other than the competition site is forbidden. Refreshments–-free to contestants–-will be provided in the course of the afternoon in the Lower First Floor area. To participate, visit here by the deadline for participation. Space is limited, and teams will be accepted on a first-come-first-served basis, subject to a reasonable balance of staff and students.
To apply, please complete the online application form (If you are unable to complete the form online please email for a paper copy). You will be contacted via email within two weeks of the review date for the month of entry. You can find more information here.
Find out more here.
Welcome back to Gareth’s Puzzle Corner, this is your weekly fix of brain teasers and logic puzzles. You are given the usual puzzles: an easier Sudoku, a more challenging Sudoku, a different form of logic puzzle and a chess puzzle. We also have a bonus puzzle this week set by Crackchester. I hope you enjoy the puzzles and if you have any puzzles you wish to feature or ideas for Puzzle Corner then please get in touch.
Easier Sudoku - Classic Sudoku by sudoku.com
Normal sudoku rules apply.
Challenging Sudoku - Plaid Lunchbox by Rdndnt
Normal sudoku rules apply. Digits cannot repeat in a cage and sum to the clue in the upper left corner. A clue outside the grid indicates the sum of the digits between the 1 and the 9 in that row or column.
Bonus Puzzle - Kakuro by puzzlemadness.co.uk
Place the numbers 1 to 9 into the puzzle grid so that each continuous horizontal or vertical run of empty squares adds up to the value to the left of it or above it respectively. This value is shown either to the right or below a diagonal line.
Chess Puzzle - Naiditsch Vs. Van de Wiel, 2004
Drag and drop the Whitepuzz pieces to win the chess match.
Answers to Week 8 Puzzles
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning UG, it’s Monday 28th March 2022, it’s Week 8, and the last week of teaching before the Easter break. UCU are striking again this week, which may have an impact on your learning (more information below). If you are a 3rd year student then don’t forget that the deadline for stopping work on the implementation element of your project is this Friday (more below).
Make the most of the Easter break and try to find some time to relax and take a break from your studies. Monday Mail will be taking a break over the Easter vacation and will return on Monday 25th April.
Have a good week and enjoy your Easter break, on with today’s news ...
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | Deadlines Chart | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | SSLC | Student Support Office | Wellbeing | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | ITFAQ | Remote access | CS Support Desk | IT Support
You can refer yourself to the counselling service by booking an appointment online. Remember you can always contact the Student Support Office in Computer Science for any advice or help at any time.
The competition is open to staff and students (undergraduate and postgraduate) in Computer Science. Teams will consist of a whole number of persons between 1 and 3 inclusive. Staff teams must have at least one member of staff (including RAs, but excluding PhD students) and must otherwise consist entirely of staff (including RAs) and PhD students. Student teams must consist entirely of students (graduate or undergraduate). No person may be in more than one team. Problems will be given out at the start of the competition. Teams will try to solve as many as they can. Contestants may use any of the supported languages: C, C++, Java, and Python. Each team should bring a laptop computer with the desired compiler(s) installed. It is allowed to bring any printed materials into the competition room; however the use of stored electronic files or of the internet to access any sites other than the competition site is forbidden. Refreshments–-free to contestants–-will be provided in the course of the afternoon in the Lower First Floor area. To participate, visit here by the deadline for participation. Space is limited, and teams will be accepted on a first-come-first-served basis, subject to a reasonable balance of staff and students.
Welcome back to Gareth’s Puzzle Corner, this is your weekly fix of brain teasers and logic puzzles. You are given the usual puzzles: an easier Sudoku, a more challenging Sudoku, a different form of logic puzzle and a chess puzzle. We also have a bonus puzzle this week set by Crackchester. I hope you enjoy the puzzles and if you have any puzzles you wish to feature or ideas for Puzzle Corner then please get in touch.
Crackchester Puzzle
Do you have what it takes to solve the first of our Crackchester Puzzles? This first puzzle seems to be a QR code, but for some reason it doesn't appear to scan correctly. Can you figure out how to fix it? Need a hint? Feel free to ask one of the committee members on our discord here.
Easier Sudoku - Classic Sudoku by sudoku.com
Normal sudoku rules apply.
Challenging Sudoku - Stitches Sudoku by Walking Write
Normal sudoku rules apply. Digits on a gray line must be between the digits in the circled ends. A clue outside the grid gives the sum of the digits along the indicated diagonal, which may include repeats. Digits connected by an X sum to ten. Digits connected by a V sum to five. Digits connected by a white circle must be consecutive. Not all X's, V's and white circles are shown. Digits along the blue diagonal cannot repeat and must alternate between odd and even.
Bonus Puzzle - Numberlink by puzzlemadness.co.uk
The numbers must be at each end of the line. Lines can't cross each other. No T-junction. Lines can't loop back and 'touch'. All squares must be filled.
Chess Puzzle - Royce Vs. Liao, 2014
Drag and drop the Black pieces to win the chess match.
Answers to Last Week’s Puzzles
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning UG, it’s Monday 21st March 2022, and it’s Week 7 of semester 2. Huge congratulations to all the CS students who took part in the Darren Huyton Sports Day last week, the Department ended up winning the competition overall (more below). Well done to all those who took part! Just a reminder that if you are doing your project next year you should start thinking about what type of project you would like to do. Whilst academic staff in the department offer projects to supervise, we very much encourage you to consider proposing your own project, for which you will need to find a willing supervisor, which you should do as soon as possible (more below).
Don't forget that Monday Mail includes links (essential links below) to a number of pages where you can find essential information, general information, as well as help and support.
Make the most of the sunshine this week. On with today’s news ...
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | Deadlines Chart | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | SSLC | Student Support Office | Wellbeing | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | ITFAQ | Remote access | CS Support Desk | IT Support
You must familiarise yourselves with these procedures as well as evacuation routes and assembly points.
You can find details on the project selection process in Blackboard, in the CS UG Community pages. We hope to have a list of staff projects for next academic year available around the Easter vacation. You can email Tim Morris if you have any queries. The project book should go live for you to start making choices on the 26th March.
Welcome back to Gareth’s Puzzle Corner, this is your weekly fix of brain teasers and logic puzzles. You are given 4 different puzzles to tackle. One is an easier Sudoku, the second is a more challenging Sudoku, the third is a different form of logic puzzle and finally we have a chess puzzle for you. I hope you enjoy the puzzles and if you have any puzzles you wish to feature or ideas for Puzzle Corner then please get in touch.
Easier Sudoku - Classic Sudoku by sudoku.com
Normal sudoku rules apply.
Challenging Sudoku - Theorema van Thoen by Aad van de Wetering
Normal sudoku rules apply. Cells separated by a knight's move (in chess) cannot contain the same digit. The yellow line is a palindrome and must read the same backwards and forwards. Digits along an arrow must sum to the digit in that arrow's circle.
Bonus Puzzle - Network by puzzlemadness.co.uk
Each puzzle has one power cell marked with a lightning bolt, the aim of a Network puzzle is to link every cell in the puzzle to that power cell. Dead-ends are not allowed.
Chess Puzzle - Shaw Vs. Khenkin, 2008
Drag and drop the Black pieces to win the chess match.
Answers to Last Week’s Puzzles
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning UG, it’s Monday 14th March 2022, and it's Week 6. We are halfway through the semester already, and we have just three more weeks to go until the Easter break. If you are graduating this year then please don’t forget to complete the National Student Survey … best to get it out of the way before Ipsos MORI, who run the survey, start contacting you by phone to ask you to complete it! If you are a second year student, or you’re currently on placement, then it’s time to start thinking about your final year project … more details below.
Have a good week, on with today’s news ...
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | Deadlines Chart | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | SSLC | Student Support Office | Wellbeing | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | ITFAQ | Remote access | CS Support Desk | IT Support
Fill out the survey now on the NSS website
There are a number of training sessions taking place from now until Easter for students. Sign up for these is open here.
We strongly encourage you to consider creating and proposing your own project, i.e. your own idea for a project - is there an interesting problem you'd like to explore? or software you'd like to develop to fill a gap? - then you could think about proposing it as an own project. There will also be a wide range of project topics offered by staff that you can choose from. Either way, now is the time to think about what sort of project you would like to do: an in-depth investigation into a particular area? Implementing a substantial application? Investigating solutions to some interesting problem? Working on a specific platform? Working in a specific subject area? The opportunities are endless.
To help you decide, we have a number of resources:
You can find details on the project selection process in Blackboard, in the CS UG Community pages. We hope to have a list of staff projects for next academic year available around the Easter vacation. You can also mail me if you have any queries.
Have your question answered or just listen to others ask theirs! Attend one (or more) of the Q&As listed below for your year group:
Q&As open to all 1st and 2nd Year students:
Q&As open to all 3rd and 4th Year students:
Welcome back to Gareth’s Puzzle Corner, this is your weekly fix of brain teasers and logic puzzles. You are given 4 different puzzles to tackle. One is an easier Sudoku, the second is a more challenging Sudoku, the third is a different form of logic puzzle and finally we have a chess puzzle for you. I hope you enjoy the puzzles and if you have any puzzles you wish to feature or ideas for Puzzle Corner then please get in touch.
This week, the bonus puzzle has been suggested by Andrew Forsyth (Year 2, AI) - thanks Andrew - we hope you enjoy it!
Easier Sudoku - Classic Sudoku by sudoku.com
Normal sudoku rules apply.
Challenging Sudoku - Thermo Sudoku by Seri Tyshchenko
Normal Sudoku rules apply. Along thermometers, digits increase from the bulb.
Bonus Puzzle - Suguru by puzzlemadness.co.uk
The aim of Suguru is to fill each n-sized region with the numbers 1-n. For example, if a region has 3 cells, you need to insert the numbers 1, 2 and 3 in to those cells. If a region has 4 cells, you need to insert the numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4 in to those cells. Each number can't be next to the same number in an adjacent cell, this includes horizontally, vertically, and diagonally.
Chess Puzzle - Shocron Vs. Gacharna, 1953
Drag and drop the Black pieces to win the chess match.
Answers to the Last Week’s Puzzles
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning UG, it’s Monday 7th March 2022, and Week 5 of semester 2 … time is flying by so quickly! The semester 1 marks have now been released, I hope you got the marks you were expecting. If you want to chat to someone about your marks, then feel free to speak to your Personal Tutor, or your Year Tutor. You will be meeting with your Personal Tutor over the next couple of weeks to discuss your results anyway. If you are interested to know what your results mean when it comes to progressing/graduating then take a look at the Undergraduate handbook (more information below). Finally, just a reminder that 2-factor authentication starts for students from Wednesday, so you need to make sure you are set up with Duo and have the app installed on your phone.
Have a good week, on with today’s news ...
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | Deadlines Chart | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | SSLC | Student Support Office | Wellbeing | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | ITFAQ | Remote access | CS Support Desk | IT Support
* MONDAY MAIL FEEDBACK. Do you like what we post in Monday Mail? Is there enough content? Is there too much content? Do you find it useful? Is there anything else we could be writing about? Please feel free to provide me with feedback on what we currently include in Monday Mail, or tell me of anything else we should be informing students about. Thanks, Paul.
Don’t miss out, register now.
Welcome back to Gareth’s Puzzle Corner, this is your weekly fix of brain teasers and logic puzzles. You are given 4 different puzzles to tackle. One is an easier Sudoku, the second is a more challenging Sudoku, the third is a different form of logic puzzle and finally we have a chess puzzle for you. I hope you enjoy the puzzles and if you have any puzzles you wish to feature or ideas for Puzzle Corner then please get in touch.
Easier Sudoku - Classic Sudoku by sudoku.com
Normal sudoku rules apply.
Challenging Sudoku - Yo Banana Boy! By Danny Mecler
Normal Sudoku rules apply. Diagonals contain the digits 1-9 once. Each line is a palindrome, consisting of only 2 digits (ie: ABABA, ABBA).
Bonus Puzzle - Nurikabe by Adolfo Zanellati
Tint the grey boxes of the chart black or white. The black fields divide the diagram into areas of orthogonally contiguous white fields. The white areas must not touch each other orthogonally (but diagonally). A cell with a number is always white; each white area has exactly one field with a number. The number indicates how many fields make up the white area. The black squares must not cover a 2x2 area anywhere and must form a single orthogonally contiguous area.
Chess Puzzle - Przemyslaw Vs. Marcin, 2021
Drag and drop the White pieces to win the chess match.
Answers to last week’s puzzles
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning UG, it’s Monday 28th February 2022 and we are into week 4 already! The semester 1 exam results will be released at 1pm this Friday, so I hope you get the results you are hoping for! The UCU strikes continue this week (Monday to Wednesday) which may have an impact some of your teaching. Did you know that the Department has a hardware library that is free for students to use? We have a wide range of items you can borrow, see below for more information. Finally, just a reminder that the undergraduate handbook contains all the information you need to know about your studies, again you can find further information below.
I hope you have a good week, on with today’s news ...
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | Deadlines Chart | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | SSLC | Student Support Office | Wellbeing | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | ITFAQ | Remote access | CS Support Desk | IT Support
Welcome back to Gareth’s Puzzle Corner, this is your weekly fix of brain teasers and logic puzzles. You are given 4 different puzzles to tackle. One is an easier Sudoku, the second is a more challenging Sudoku, the third is a different form of logic puzzle and finally we have a chess puzzle for you. I hope you enjoy the puzzles and if you have any puzzles you wish to feature or ideas for Puzzle Corner then please get in touch.
Easier Sudoku - Classic Sudoku by sudoku.com
Normal sudoku rules apply.
Challenging Sudoku - Highs and Lows by RK2793
Normal sudoku rules apply. The cage shows its sum. Symbols on the left of cells indicate if the digit in the cell is lower (-) or higher (+) than the cell on its left. Symbols at the top of cells do the same comparing to the cell above. Clues to the left of the grid sum all cells in the row which only have - signs. Clues above the grid sum all cells in the column which only have + signs.
Bonus Puzzle - Creek by Iwa Daigeki
Tint the grey boxes of the chart black or white. The number in a circle indicates how many of the orthogonal neighbouring fields are to be blackened. All white squares must form a single orthogonally contiguous area.
Chess Puzzle - Baadur Vs. Andrei, 2021
Drag and drop the Black pieces to draw the chess match.
Answers to the Previous Week Puzzles
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning, it’s Monday 21st February and it’s week 3. I hope everything is going okay so far!! The University and College Union (UCU), which represents academics and staff in the University, will be holding a series of strikes starting this week (Monday and Tuesday), which may have an impact on some teaching activities. We have a meeting of the student-staff liaison committee on Wednesday (23rd Feb) so please contact a rep if you have any issues that you would like to raise (or to report something positive!). Finally, Manchester has been recognised as the most targeted by the UK's top 100 graduate employers.
Have a good week … on with the rest of today’s news.
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | Deadlines Chart | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | SSLC | Student Support Office | Wellbeing | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | ITFAQ | Remote access | CS Support Desk | IT Support
Hackathons are a fantastic way of gaining invaluable skills that will help accelerate your career in the industry. You would not want to miss out!
which may have an impact on teaching during these periods. Members of UCU have voted to strike over pay and working conditions. You can find out more information here. You can also find more information on the Manchester Students’ Union webpages.
Welcome back to Gareth’s Puzzle Corner, this is your weekly fix of brain teasers and logic puzzles. You are given 4 different puzzles to tackle. One is an easier Sudoku, the second is a more challenging Sudoku, the third is a different form of logic puzzle and finally we have a chess puzzle for you. I hope you enjoy the puzzles and if you have any puzzles you wish to feature or ideas for Puzzle Corner then please get in touch.
Easier Sudoku - Classic Sudoku by sudoku.com
Normal sudoku rules apply.
Challenging Sudoku - The Leaning Tower of ZooZ by Joseph Nehme
Normal sudoku rules apply. Cells separated by a knight's move (in chess) cannot contain the same digit. Digits along an arrow sum to the digit in that arrow's circle.
Bonus Puzzle - Chocona by Kurotento
Color the gray cells of the diagram black or white. A number in a region indicates how many cells in this region must be blackened. In a region without a number any number of cells may be blackened (also none). The black cells must form rectangular areas, independently of the region borders. The rectangular areas must not touch orthogonally (diagonally is allowed).
Chess Puzzle - Karadeniz Vs. Vokarev, 2003
Drag and drop the Black pieces to draw the chess match.
Answers to the Previous Week
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 14th February 2022 and it’s week 2. I hope you have settled back into a routine and that you now know your teaching timetable. The deadline for making any course unit choices is 3pm this Friday, so please make sure you have selected your optional course units by this deadline. As a number of students will be using Linux on the Kilburn PCs for the first time, we've provided some advice on how to set up your Linux environment, please read this (see below). We (finally) have a table tennis table in the Department, located in the Turing lounge (Kilburn 1st floor), which was requested by students via SSLC a number of years ago ... better late than never! If you use it, please look after it.
Lots of news today … and have a happy Valentine’s Day!
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | Deadlines Chart | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | SSLC | Student Support Office | Wellbeing | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | ITFAQ | Remote access | CS Support Desk | IT Support
You can find more information on their website. Remember you can always contact the Student Support Office in Computer Science for any advice or help at any time.
See this article for further information.
The survey only takes 5 minutes and is completely anonymous. Further information about the NSS is available from your School or the NSS website. For more information about surveys and feedback in general visit Your Say.
Nominations must be received by 1 April 2022, so start your entries now! More details, and the entry form can be found here.
Places are limited this year! Register here before Wednesday, 9th March 2022 to secure your place.
which may have on your teaching during these periods. Members of UCU have voted to strike over pay and working conditions. You can find out more information here.
Welcome back to Gareth’s Puzzle Corner, this is your weekly fix of brain teasers and logic puzzles. You are given 4 different puzzles to tackle. One is an easier Sudoku, the second is a more challenging Sudoku, the third is a different form of logic puzzle and finally we have a chess puzzle for you. I hope you enjoy the puzzles and if you have any puzzles you wish to feature or ideas for Puzzle Corner then please get in touch.
Easier Sudoku - Classic Sudoku by sudoku.com
Normal sudoku rules apply.
Challenging Sudoku - Arrow Canal View by Abed Hawila
Normal sudoku rules apply. Digits along an arrow must sum to the digit in that arrow’s circle. Shade some cells so that all shaded cells form one orthogonally connected area. Arrow circles are the clues for a “Canal View” puzzle. Ie They cannot be shaded, and represent the number of shaded cells connected in a straight line horizontally or vertically to the clue. No 2x2 region may be entirely shaded. Additionally, digits cannot repeat within unshaded regions.
Bonus Puzzle - Snake by Otto Janko
Color the gray cells of the diagram black or white. The black cells must form a single "snake" which is exactly one cell wide, starts and ends in the marked cells and never touches itself, not even diagonally. A number on the top and left edge of the diagram indicates how many cells must be blackened in the corresponding row or column.
Chess Puzzle - Kurtesch Vs. Flesch, 1966
Drag and drop the Black pieces to win the chess match.
Answers to the Previous Week
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 7th February 2022 and it’s the start of semester 2 (week 1). I hope you managed to take some time off and relax last week. It’s a new semester, so you have a new timetable to follow. You should check your personal timetable regularly over the next few few weeks, as it may change as the number of students enrolled on course units settles down. Please continue to keep safe on campus and respect your fellow students and staff by continuing to wear face masks when inside university buildings, in lectures, labs etc. It’s a packed Monday Mail today, and a welcome return of Gareth’s Puzzle Corner after its Christmas break.
Please continue to keep safe … on with today’s news.
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | Deadlines Chart | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | SSLC | Student Support Office | Wellbeing | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | ITFAQ | Remote access | CS Support Desk | IT Support
Students and staff who have an Occupational Health approved exemption from wearing a face covering will be issued with lanyards to indicate the exemption and avoid them being challenged. The Risk Assessments are:
The University will review the restrictions again on the 21st February and any changes will be communicated to all students.
Why are we making this change? Passwords are increasingly easy to compromise. They can often be stolen, guessed, or hacked – you might not even know if someone is accessing your account. 2-factor authentication provides an extra layer of security by requiring two types of information before you can log in. These two types include entering your password (as you already do) and then confirming your login, usually through an app on your phone or through a different device. Our 2-factor authentication service is provided by a company called Duo and is already used by all staff and postgraduate research students. Duo has shown great success in helping us stay safe and increasing the University’s security.
What next? From mid-February, look out for communications from IT Services with further information and instructions for you to register for 2-factor authentication, using your smartphone. If you don’t have a smartphone, or you have specific needs that you wish to discuss, please contact the IT Support Centre today, by calling 0161 306 5544. If you’re on campus you can also visit one of the Walk-up IT support desks. If you’re already set up with Duo and have registered a device in the IT Account Manager then you are all set - just make sure you have the Duo App ready on your smartphone. Find out more on about 2-factor authentication.
Students will be expected to attend - and check into - all timetabled activities as part of their course whether on-campus or online. The only exceptions to this are optional/drop-in activities, which will be clearly shown on your timetable (and not available to check-into from My Attendance). Many of you have questioned why you have to check in your attendance in the first place, we are not checking up on you, it’s for your own wellbeing. It gives us an accurate picture of attendance and engagement so our student support teams can use the data to ensure that we can identify, reach out and help students who are having problems, whether those are welfare, personal or academic related issues. We have lots of help and information about how to use the online attendance system, and you can access this through the links below. If you have any questions or need help using it, please email compsci-sso-ug@manchester.ac.uk and one of the team will get back to you. For information about the system click on this link My Attendance | Welcome to Manchester | The University of Manchester. From this page you can link the Video portal of The University of Manchester, a video guide to using the Attendance Monitoring System and list of FAQs which includes how to access on a mobile device.
“Computing has, for many years, been one of the least demographically diverse STEM fields, particularly in terms of women’s participation. The last decade has seen a proliferation of research exploring new teaching techniques and their effect on the retention of students who have historically been excluded from computing. This research suggests interventions and practices that can affect the inclusiveness of the computer science classroom and potentially improve learning outcomes for all students. But research needs to be translated into practice, and practices need to be taken up in real classrooms. The current paper reports on the results of a focused systematic "state-of-the-art" review of recent empirical studies of teaching practices that have some explicit test of the impact on women in computing. Using the NCWIT Engagement Practices Framework as a means of organisation, we summarise this research, outline the practices that have the most empirical support, and suggest where additional research is needed.”
We will be meeting on zoom, details and paper are at sigcse.cs.manchester.ac.uk. (Public domain image of Margaret Hamilton standing next to a print out of software that she and her MIT team produced for the Apollo Guidance Computer in 1969 via Wikimedia Commons)
There are a few responsibilities:
The key benefits are:
This role is only available for students in their first academic year. If you wish to apply, fill out the form here. If you have any questions about what the society does, look at the website linked above and if you still have questions, email us. Thank you for your application and good luck, The MUDSS Team.
The team needs your help to make sure all Library sites provide pleasant places to study. When you’re in a Library site, please:
Welcome back to Gareth’s Puzzle Corner, this is your weekly fix of brain teasers and logic puzzles. You are given 4 different puzzles to tackle. One is an easier Sudoku, the second is a more challenging Sudoku, the third is a different form of logic puzzle and finally we have a chess puzzle for you. I hope you enjoy the puzzles and if you have any puzzles you wish to feature or ideas for Puzzle Corner then please get in touch.
Easier Sudoku - Classic Sudoku by sudoku.com
Normal sudoku rules apply.
Challenging Sudoku - A Meandering Path by 10feet
Normal sudoku rules apply. Digits on a line must be between the digits in the connected circles, i.e. greater than the lower of the two circled digits and lower than the greater of the two circled digits. Digits connected by a black dot must have a ratio of 2:1. Not all possible dots are given.
Bonus Puzzle - Creek by Otto Janko
Color the gray cells of the diagram black or white. A number in a circle indicates how many of the 4 adjacent cells must be blackened. All white cells must form a single orthogonally contiguous area .
Chess Puzzle - Labunskiy Vs. Davydov, 1982
Drag and drop the White pieces to win the chess match.
Answers to the Semester 1 Week 12 puzzles
The answers to the semester 1 week 12 puzzles can be found here.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 31st January 2022. The exams have now finished (hurrah!), I hope they went well. We hope to release the results in the first week of March. You have a free week this week, as semester 2 teaching starts on Monday 7th February (next week). Just a reminder that we no do not offer a remote learning option in semester 2, and that all students are now expected to be in Manchester and attending teaching activities on-campus. Enjoy your week off, make sure you take a break and make the most of your free week!
Please continue to keep safe … on with today’s news.
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | Deadlines Chart | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | SSLC | Student Support Office | Wellbeing | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | ITFAQ | Remote access | CS Support Desk | IT Support
In addition, we encourage you to:
You can find more information about our COVID-19 guidance and staying safe on campus on our Health, Wellbeing and Safety webpage. You can see the recent announcement here.
Further information about Safezone and how to register can be found online here.
Nominations are open for 2022, and close at 23:59 on Sunday 6th March. You can find out more information here.
* LAB AVAILABILITY. If you are interested in knowing when a lab is not booked for a timetabled activity, then follow this link, select “Kilburn” for the building, select the lab you’d like to use from the locations panel and select “View Timetable”. You will be shown what activities are using that room for the current week. You are free to use the lab outside of these timetabled activities. Please note, you may have to be on campus or running the VPN to get access to the timetable.
The Library’s Student Team made a significant contribution to the development of the online resource, you can read their recent review of the tool in My Manchester Student News Introduction to Digital Capabilities.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 24th January 2022. This week is the second week of the semester 1 exam period, I hope everything is going okay. Remember, if you have any issues with attending an exam then please let SSO know immediately.
Even though the government advice on wearing masks has been relaxed, we are asking you to continue to wear masks when inside a University building, and to continue to take lateral flow tests during the exam period (more below). You have a week’s break next week before teaching resumes, and semester 2 begins on Monday 7th February.
Please continue to keep safe … on with today’s news.
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | Deadlines Chart | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | SSLC | Student Support Office | Wellbeing | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | ITFAQ | Remote access | CS Support Desk | IT Support
You can refer yourself to the counselling service by booking an appointment online.
Remember you can always contact the Student Support Office in Computer Science for any advice or help at any time.
What to expect on the day
Exam Preparation Tips
The workshops will take place on:
We want to hear your views on how we can improve our digital platforms. For instance:
Please register your interest for the workshops (you only need to choose one of the above) if you’d like to take part. If you do, you will receive a £15 Amazon voucher as a thank you! Thank you for getting involved!
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 17th January 2022. Welcome back and Happy New Year! I hope you managed to take some time to relax over the Christmas break, and are ready and raring to start what will be a busy period. A big warm welcome to those students who were working remotely in semester 1. Welcome to Manchester!
The Semester 1 examinations start this week and run for two weeks, finishing on Friday 28th January, with all undergraduate exams being held on-campus. Please make sure that you are familiar with your exam timetable and the location of your scheduled exams. This is particularly important if you are new to Manchester, so please take some time to identify the location of each exam before they take place! You can view the full list of exams here, or see your personal exam timetable. Please note: some exams originally scheduled in 2.25A, G23 and LF31 in the Kilburn building have been moved to 1.8+1.10. However, personal timetables have not been updated. Any students affected by these changes will have been contacted by email, so please check your University email if you haven't done so already. Staff will be available on the day of the exams to guide students to the new location. If you have any issues on the day of an exam then please contact SSO immediately. Good luck in your exams!
Please continue to keep safe … on with today’s news
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | Deadlines Chart | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | SSLC | Student Support Office | Wellbeing | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | ITFAQ | Remote access | CS Support Desk | IT Support
Find out more: Exam & Assessment Support.
* EXAM BREAKFAST. Over the next two weeks (Monday 17th – Friday 28th January) we will be running exam breakfast’s every weekday from 8-10am from both the Barnes Wallis and Manchester Engineering building student hubs. You can come along at any time between 8am and 10am and staff from both Welfare and Student Experience will be there to support you with any pre-exam worries and stress. Free breakfast snacks and drinks will be available and we would love to see you there!
What to expect on the day:
Exam Preparation Tips:
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 13th December, it’s week 12 and the last week of teaching! It's been a very busy semester and the past 12 weeks have flown by, I hope you’ve enjoyed it. The course unit surveys open today, so please provide us with feedback on how things have gone this semester and what we do to improve our teaching. The exam timetable is now available, so please check when your exams are happening and put them in your diary!
This will be the last Monday Mail until the exam period starts in January. Enjoy your Christmas break, and have a happy New Year. Make sure you take some time off to relax over the break before you start to prepare for the exams in January. I look forward to seeing you all in 2022!
Please keep safe … on with today’s news.
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | Deadlines Chart | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | SSLC | Student Support Office | Wellbeing | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | ITFAQ | Remote access | CS Support Desk | IT Support
* COVID SAFETY ON CAMPUS. A number of students have been ill already this semester, not just with COVID (although numbers are thankfully low) but other similar illnesses too. Consequently, to help reduce the spread of infection, we strongly encourage you to follow our safety guidelines – this will help us protect each other and reduce the chance of spreading COVID-19 on campus. Remember "hands, face, space".
You can find more information on the University health and wellbeing website.
* PASS2. Jingxuan Chen (Y3, AI) and Carmen Faura Praxedes (Y3, SEwIE) write: Heyyy from the PASS2! Hope you enjoyed last week’s exam tips session! Our slides are available on our website now. This Thursday (16th December) will be our last semester 1 session so we prepared a special quiz for you! Same place, same time: 12pm, in Collab (with free snacks) & on Zoom. Hope to see you all there!
All other Library sites will be closed from Thursday, 23 December 2021 to Monday, 3 January 2022. Face coverings in our University are mandatory in all indoor spaces with the exception of solo use spaces. They are available at building entrances. This includes when you are in the Library and seated at a study space. Find out more here.
Welcome back to Gareth’s Puzzle Corner, this is your weekly fix of brain teasers and logic puzzles. You are given 4 different puzzles to tackle. One is an easier Sudoku, the second is a more challenging Sudoku, the third is a different form of logic puzzle and finally we have a chess puzzle for you. I hope you enjoy the puzzles and if you have any puzzles you wish to feature or ideas for Puzzle Corner then please get in touch.
Easier Sudoku - Classic Sudoku by sudoku.com
Normal sudoku rules apply.
Challenging Sudoku - Whisperstop World Tour by Starwarigami
Normal sudoku rules apply. Travel around the world following the international whisper lines from Berlin to Moscow. The arrival hall at each airport (red) tells you the minimum difference between digits along the next leg of the journey, starting from the departure lounge (green). A terminal with a white control tower must contain consecutive digits. A black control tower indicates the digits are in a ratio of 1:2.
Bonus Puzzle - Nurikabe by Otto Janko
Color the gray cells of the diagram black or white. The black cells divide the diagram in areas of orthogonally contiguous white cells. The white areas must not touch each other orthogonally. All cells with a number belong to a white area; to a white area belongs exactly two cells with a number. The sum of the numbers in these cells indicates how many cells belong to the white area. The black cells must not cover an area of 2x2 cells or larger and must form an orthogonally contiguous area.
Chess Puzzle - Nepomniachtchi Vs. Bocharov, 2011
Drag and drop the White pieces to win the chess match.
Answers to the Previous Week
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 6th December and it’s week 11 … the penultimate week of teaching! The UK government has introduced new measures following the emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID, which means that face masks are now mandatory when travelling on public transport or when in shops. The University has also made it mandatory to wear a mask in ALL indoor spaces on campus, so please wear a mask at ALL times on campus. More information can be found below. The deadline for the Kate Kneebone bursary is this Friday. If you are a second year student, then please consider applying.
Please continue to stay safe … on with today’s news.
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | Deadlines Chart | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | SSLC | Student Support Office | Wellbeing | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | ITFAQ | Remote access | CS Support Desk | IT Support
You can find more information on the University health and wellbeing website.
Day trips
Events
To book onto a session follow this link. The Socials are only for our members. If you are not yet a member, you can sign up here.
We are also looking for volunteers to support with community engagement. Manchester is hugely diverse and over 100 languages are spoken across the City. We especially need volunteers who can speak other languages so we can offer advice and support to people who otherwise might not be able to access it. Click here to find out more and apply.
Welcome back to Gareth’s Puzzle Corner, this is your weekly fix of brain teasers and logic puzzles. You are given 4 different puzzles to tackle. One is an easier Sudoku, the second is a more challenging Sudoku, the third is a different form of logic puzzle and finally we have a chess puzzle for you. I hope you enjoy the puzzles and if you have any puzzles you wish to feature or ideas for Puzzle Corner then please get in touch.
Easier Sudoku - Classic Sudoku by sudoku.com
Normal sudoku rules apply.
Challenging Sudoku - Don’t You Dare by Bakpao
Normal sudoku rules apply. Digits do not repeat in cages, which show their sums in the top left-hand corner.
Bonus Puzzle - Kuromasu by Koyoppz
Colour the gray cells of the diagram black or white. A cell with a number cannot be blackened. The number indicates how many white cells can be seen altogether looking north, south, east and west (including the cell with the number) up to a black cell or the edge of the diagram. Black cells must not be orthogonally adjacent. All white cells must form a single orthogonally contiguous area.
Chess Puzzle - Nepomniachtchi Vs. Tang, 2020
Drag and drop the white pieces to win the chess match.
Answers to the Previous Week
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 29th November and welcome to week 10! There may be some disruption to teaching on Wednesday to Friday this week due to strike action by members of the University and College Union, you can find out more about why academics are striking below. If you are a second year, then please consider applying for the Kate Kneebone Bursary. Hope you enjoyed the snow on Sunday!
Stay safe … on with today’s news.
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | Deadlines Chart | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | SSLC | Student Support Office | Wellbeing | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | ITFAQ | Remote access | CS Support Desk | IT Support
You can find more information on the University health and wellbeing website.
This link provides useful information about workload management, both for exams and throughout the year. We hope these resources help, we will provide further information and drop-ins throughout the year. Please request an appointment directly with your Student Support and Welfare Administrators, Guy Malkin and Maria Sloan in the SSO office, or, drop into the student hubs and ask to speak to someone confidentially about anything that might be affecting you and your studies. Also, remember to contact your Academic Adviser if you are struggling and feel you need guidance academically.
Day Trips
Events
Weekly Socials on campus
The Socials are only for our members. If you are not yet a member, you can sign up here.
The position is available as soon as possible till the end of January in the first instance. For informal and formal inquiries please get in touch with Dr Ahu Gumrah Dumanli-Parry.
This is an awesome, low time commitment opportunity that allows you to give back to the community and develop a huge range of communication and leadership skills which would look great on a CV! Find out more about this opportunity over on the Volunteering Hub.
To find out more about how the Library can help you, visit our exam and assessment support page.
Please go to Locations and opening hours for more information.
Welcome back to Gareth’s Puzzle Corner, this is your weekly fix of brain teasers and logic puzzles. You are given 4 different puzzles to tackle. One is an easier Sudoku, the second is a more challenging Sudoku, the third is a different form of logic puzzle and finally we have a chess puzzle for you. I hope you enjoy the puzzles and if you have any puzzles you wish to feature or ideas for Puzzle Corner then please get in touch.
Easier Sudoku - Classic Sudoku by sudoku.com
Normal sudoku rules apply.
Challenging Sudoku - Eye of the Beholder by Kyle Watt
Normal sudoku rules apply. Digits on thermometers increase from the bulb to the end. Digits on arrows sum to the number in the attached circle. The central cell must be less than its orthogonally adjacent neighbors. The greater than symbols ‘point’ to the smaller cell.
Bonus Puzzle - Kurotto by Iwa Daigeki
Color the gray cells of the diagram black or white. A cell with a circle must not be blackened. The number in a circle indicates the total number of all cells in black areas which are orthogonally adjacent to the numbered cell.
Chess Puzzle - Hulusija Vs. Gasic, 1967
Drag and drop the White pieces to win the chess match.
Answers to the Previous Week
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 22nd November, it’s the start of week 9, and we’re into the last third of the semester! I hope things are going okay. If you want to know anything about your degree programme, such as how we calculate your final degree mark, how we deal with mitigating circumstances, what industrial experience involves, coursework processes etc. then you will find all this information in the undergraduate handbook (see below). If you are a 2nd year student then please consider applying for the Kate Kneebone Acorn Bursary, an annual award in memory of a former student of the Department, Kate Kneebone (details below).
Please continue to stay safe … on with today’s news.
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | Deadlines Chart | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | SSLC | Student Support Office | Wellbeing | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | ITFAQ | Remote access | CS Support Desk | IT Support
Keep a look out on our social media for more information on the events and links on how to book onto them!
You can find more information on the University health and wellbeing website.
This article written by a current student at Manchester explains more… Contract cheating’ – what it is and how to avoid it.
Welcome back to Gareth’s Puzzle Corner, this is your weekly fix of brain teasers and logic puzzles. You are given 4 different puzzles to tackle. One is an easier Sudoku, the second is a more challenging Sudoku, the third is a different form of logic puzzle and finally we have a chess puzzle for you. I hope you enjoy the puzzles and if you have any puzzles you wish to feature or ideas for Puzzle Corner then please get in touch.
Easier Sudoku - Classic Sudoku by sudoku.com
Normal sudoku rules apply.
Challenging Sudoku - Late 4 the Party by Botaku
Normal sudoku rules apply. On each of the four grey clones, the same digits occur in the same positions. Digits may repeat along the indicated diagonals, and sum to the given values.
Bonus Puzzle - Curving Road by Otto Janko
Color the gray cells of the diagram black or white. Black cells must not be orthogonally adjacent. All cells with circles are white. Any path on white cells from a circled cell to any other circled cell must turn at least two times. All white cells must form a single orthogonally contiguous area.
Chess Puzzle - Wagner Vs. Kubicka, 2021
Drag and drop the White pieces to win the chess match.
Answers to the Previous Week
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 15th November and it’s the start of week 8. I hope everything is going well and you are managing to keep on top of your work. If not, then it's important that you speak to someone, your personal tutor (for 3rd years this is your project supervisor), your Year Tutor (see below), or contact SSO. This is particularly important as we enter the latter part of the semester where you may find that you have more coursework to complete, particularly the last few weeks. Consequently, it’s very important to plan your time and not to leave work until the last minute. Make use of the deadlines Gantt chart to see where your deadlines fall and manage your time accordingly. If any issues have prevented you from submitting by a deadline (illness etc) then submit a late flag removal request.
Please continue to stay safe … on with today’s news.
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | Deadlines Chart | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | SSLC | Student Support Office | Wellbeing | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | ITFAQ | Remote access | CS Support Desk | IT Support
You can find more information on the University health and wellbeing website.
First-year project presentations: Although they might seem far away, remember how you just began your first year 7 weeks ago, time flies! Don't forget to make good use of your PASS leaders as they can provide you with lots of advice on what makes a good presentation.
Threshold vs Good Submissions: We all had at least one coursework where we've done just the right amount to get the rubric ticked, but is that all we really want. As the next big wave of coursework approaches we will start to discuss, what is a good submission, how it helps you develop as a computer scientist, and what methods and systems you can employ to give you the best chance to do so. Tune in to your PASS sessions to find out more.
See you on PASS, Alex and Mohammed.
Upcoming Trips
Upcoming Events
For more information or to book onto a session follow this link.
Welcome back to Gareth’s Puzzle Corner, this is your weekly fix of brain teasers and logic puzzles. You are given 4 different puzzles to tackle. One is an easier Sudoku, the second is a more challenging Sudoku, the third is a different form of logic puzzle and finally we have a chess puzzle for you. I hope you enjoy the puzzles and if you have any puzzles you wish to feature or ideas for Puzzle Corner then please get in touch.
Easier Sudoku - Classic Sudoku by sudoku.com
Normal sudoku rules apply.
Challenging Sudoku - The Devil’s Whirlpool by Marvin Kannhäuser
Normal sudoku rules apply. Digits in cages sum to the small clue in the top left corner of the cage. Digits along arrows sum to the digit in that arrow’s circle. In large circles (without arrows) the indicated digit must appear in one of the surrounding cells. Cells separated by a small white dot must contain consecutive digits.
Bonus Puzzle - Nondango by Not Hatsuduki
Color the gray cells of the diagram black or white. In every region exactly one circle must be black. There must not be three circles of the same color in a horizontal, vertical or diagonal line without a circle of a different color or an empty cell in between.
Chess Puzzle - Ajay Vs. Mulenga, 2020
Drag and drop the White pieces to draw the chess match.
Answers to the Previous Week
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 8th November and it’s week 7. Welcome back after Reading Week, I hope you managed to take a break last week. We are back to the normal teaching timetable this week. Great to see an app developed by a team of Imago students being used at COP26, well done to all those involved!
I hope you enjoyed the fireworks last week, where we celebrated Bonfire Night (or Guy Fawkes night) in the UK on the 5th November. If you are an overseas student you may be wondering what it was all about! Well, Bonfire Night is when we commemorate the failed gunpowder plot of 1605, where a dissident group attempted to kill King James I by trying to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London. The event is observed by setting off fireworks and lighting bonfires where we burn a ‘guy’, an effigy of Guy Fawkes, one of the key conspirators in the plot.
Please continue to stay safe … on with today’s news.
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | Deadlines Chart | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | SSLC | Student Support Office | Wellbeing | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | ITFAQ | Remote access | CS Support Desk | IT Support
You can find more information on the University health and wellbeing website.
Congratulations to the top four Manchester teams: ‘Last Dance’: Dragos Petrut Marin (CS, Year 3), Alex Iordachescu (CSwIE, out on IE), Andrei Gabriel Bostan (CS, Year 3); ‘robuman’: Alexandru Stoica (CSwIE, Year 2), Ignes Simeonova (CS, Year 2), Andrej Velichkovski (CS, Year 2); ‘Am I ready for FAANG now’: Tudor Bujdei-Leonte (AI4wIE, Year 2), Petr Kolar (external), Anthony Nguyen (CM, Year 2); ‘DetaAC’: Codrut-Grigore Irimie (AIwIE, Year 2), Alexandru-Stefan Buburuzan (AIwIE, Year 1), Claudiu Craciun (CMwIE, Year 2).
Weekend day trips
Event
Capoeira Night Wed 10th November. Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian mix of dance, acrobatics, martial arts and music, all combined in a fun group activity suitable for all physical conditions. That’s the perfect occasion to try it! Come along to our taster class to learn new moves, meet new friends and have fun!
*HELP SHAPE THE UNIVERSITY’S FLEXIBLE LEARNING STRATEGY. As a University, we want to move in this direction to give you an outstanding student experience and the best learning outcomes and moving to a blended and flexible strategy is key to this. As a student in the University we are keen to hear your ideas and suggestions to help us shape the Flexible Learning strategy. In November and December, we’ll be running one-hour online workshops in a variety of areas from technology to assessments and we want YOUR input. If you take part in one of these sessions, you’ll also be invited to a joint staff and student session in February, and you will receive a £15 Amazon voucher as a thank you! Register your interest for the workshops. You can find out more information here.
Volunteers are welcome to apply for any of the following:
Follow this link to find out more information and how to apply.
Welcome back to Gareth’s Puzzle Corner, this is your weekly fix of brain teasers and logic puzzles. You are given 4 different puzzles to tackle. One is an easier Sudoku, the second is a more challenging Sudoku, the third is a different form of logic puzzle and finally we have a chess puzzle for you. I hope you enjoy the puzzles and if you have any puzzles you wish to feature or ideas for Puzzle Corner then please get in touch.
Easier Sudoku - Classic Sudoku by sudoku.com
Normal sudoku rules apply.
Challenging Sudoku - Fibonacci Thermo by Sumanta Mukherjee
Normal sudoku rules apply. Along the thermo, 2-digit numbers increase from the bulb - any 2-digit numbers beginning with 2 or 8 must have an odd second digit. The black dot join digits with a 1:2 ratio.
Bonus Puzzle - Nonogram by Hermann Kudlick
Color the gray cells of the diagram black or white. The black cells form stripes which are one cell wide. The number, sequence and lengths of the stripes are specified by the clue number sequences on the top and on the left edge of the diagram. Each clue number defines the length of a stripe in the corresponding row resp. column. Two stripes of black cells are separated by at least one white cell.
Chess Puzzle - Muzychuk Vs. Jakab, 2006
Drag and drop the Black pieces to draw the chess match.
Answers to the Previous Week
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 1st November, it’s week 6 and we are nearly halfway through the semester already. Where’s the time gone? This week is reading week. What does that mean? It means that for most of you there are no teaching activities scheduled this week (well no COMP activities) but you may have some coursework deadlines this week, and some external course units may still have activities. Try and make use of your free time this week if you can, take a break and recharge your batteries. Why not go and meet 'Little Amal' on Wednesday?
Keep safe ...
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | Deadlines Chart | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | SSLC | Student Support Office | Wellbeing | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | ITFAQ | Remote access | CS Support Desk | IT Support
You can find more information on the University health and wellbeing website.
Once you have completed the required training and the test please email compsci-sso-ug@manchester.ac.uk with a screenshot of the completed training and test along with confirmation of your student ID number. SSO will then activate your University ID card so you can gain access to the building out of hours. This will be done within 3 working days of your email.
Weekend trips
Events
If you want more info or would like to book a trips or event, then follow this link.
All eligible completers of both the first and second assessments will receive a payment of £10 to cover expenses (internet use, etc.). You will also be entered once into a prize draw for £25. For every person you recommend the study to, who also enrols for participation, you will gain another entry into the prize draw. Follow this link to find out more about the survey.
Click here to get started.
Welcome back to Gareth’s Puzzle Corner, this is your weekly fix of brain teasers and logic puzzles. You are given 4 different puzzles to tackle. One is an easier Sudoku, the second is a more challenging Sudoku, the third is a different form of logic puzzle and finally we have a chess puzzle for you. I hope you enjoy the puzzles and if you have any puzzles you wish to feature or ideas for Puzzle Corner then please get in touch.
Easier Sudoku - Classic Sudoku by sudoku.com
Normal sudoku rules apply.
Challenging Sudoku - The Odd One by Joseph Nehme
Normal sudoku rules apply. In cages, digits must sum to the small clue in the top left corner of the cage. Digits cannot repeat within a cage.
Bonus Puzzle - Kuroshuto by Otto Janko
Color the gray cells of the diagram black or white. Cells with numbers must not be blackened. Black cells must not be orthogonally adjacent. Starting at a cell with the number N exactly one of the cells with distance N must be blackened. All white cells must form an orthogonally contiguous area .
Chess Puzzle - Ojeda Vs. Alvarez, 1998
Drag and drop the Black pieces to win the chess match.
Answers to the Previous Week
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 25th October and it’s week 5. I hope everything is going okay so far. Next week is reading week, which means there are no teaching activities for COMP course units. However, you may still have some coursework to complete, or activities may be taking place for some external course units. Do try and take a break if you can. The clocks in the UK go back by one hour at 2am on Sunday 31st October … just in time for Halloween! Have a spooktacular time ...
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | Deadlines Chart | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | SSLC | Student Support Office | Wellbeing | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | ITFAQ | Remote access | CS Support Desk | IT Support
You can find more information on the University health and wellbeing website.
You can find more information on their website. Remember you can always contact the Student Support Office in Computer Science for any advice or help at any time.
What’s a tech talk? A tech talk is an information session presented by a thought leader or senior engineer to talk about industry-leading and cutting edge trends, concepts, and technology. What’s the benefit for attending? Tech talks are a great opportunity to stay up to date, learn new concepts, and express interest in a field or company that you’re curious about. It’s also a good way to explore internship/full time opportunities and increase your exposure. We hope you’ll be able to join us.
Welcome back to Gareth’s Puzzle Corner, this is your weekly fix of brain teasers and logic puzzles. You are given 4 different puzzles to tackle. One is an easier Sudoku, the second is a more challenging Sudoku, the third is a different form of logic puzzle and finally we have a chess puzzle for you. I hope you enjoy the puzzles and if you have any puzzles you wish to feature or ideas for Puzzle Corner then please get in touch.
Easier Sudoku - Classic Sudoku by sudoku.com
Normal sudoku rules apply.
Challenging Sudoku - Even Arrow Sudoku by Scott Strosahl
Normal sudoku rules apply. Digits along an arrow must sum to the digit in that arrow's circle. Cells containing a grey square must contain an even digit.
Bonus Puzzle - Creek by Iwa Daigeki
Color the gray cells of the diagram black or white. A number in a circle indicates how many of the 4 adjacent cells must be blackened. All white cells must form a single orthogonally contiguous area.
Chess Puzzle - Eppinger Vs. Fleck, 1986
Drag and drop the Black pieces to win the chess match.
Answers to the Previous Week
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 18th October and it’s week 4. I hope that everything is going well as we make our way (what feels) rapidly through the semester. We are running course unit health checks this week to discover how course units are going so far this semester, as this will allow us to tackle any issues quickly, so please complete the survey (see below). It’s that time of year when we get illnesses spreading across campus, so if you have a cough or cold/flu-like symptoms please can I ask you to stay at home and minimise the spread of infection. If you have cold/flu-like symptoms then it’s important that you get yourself tested for COVID and receive a negative PCR test before you return to campus. If you are ill, or self isolating, then you can join any teaching activities online, and you can let us know if this impacts the submission of work (see below).
Have a great week, on with today’s news and please continue to wear masks when moving around campus ...
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | Deadlines Chart | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | SSLC | Student Support Office | Wellbeing | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | ITFAQ | Remote access | CS Support Desk | IT Support
You can find more information on the University health and wellbeing website.
Further information about Safezone and how to register can be found online here.
You can find more information here.
Day trips
Events
Weekly Events
The best individuals from Manchester will be able to form teams to compete in the North West Europe Regional Programming Competition (NWERC), which will be hosted virtually by the University of Reykjavik in November 2021. (For a summary of what is known, see https://www.nwerc.eu/). Realistically, we can expect to be able to enter two or three teams from Manchester. Note that we will enter a team to NWERC only if all of its members have competed in UKIEPC 2021.
The detailed rules on eligibility are explained on the ICPC website. However, in practice, any UG or Master's student at Manchester, as well as some PhD students, are eligible.) Please understand that this is all being arranged in great haste, and details are likely to change, so please keep checking the competition website. There will be some training sessions occurring Wednesday on 20 and 27 October, from 14 to 17 in G41. There is also an opportunity to join online. People who are interested in joining UKIEPC have the chance to see the format and the type of problems, which will appear in the official contest. This event is also supported by the HCI Society. For information on how to register, join the Discord server or send a mail to marin.dragos296@gmail.com. Have fun and good luck!
More information can be found here.
If you'd like to take part, please remember to use a computer (desktop or laptop) and to do it in one sitting. For more information, or if you have a question, please contact Mohammed Alhamadi.
We look forward to seeing your application! If you have any questions or queries, please don’t hesitate to get in touch at entrepreneurship@manchester.ac.uk.
Welcome back to Gareth’s Puzzle Corner, this is your weekly fix of brain teasers and logic puzzles. You are given 4 different puzzles to tackle. One is an easier Sudoku, the second is a more challenging Sudoku, the third is a different form of logic puzzle and finally we have a chess puzzle for you. I hope you enjoy the puzzles and if you have any puzzles you wish to feature or ideas for Puzzle Corner then please get in touch.
Easier Sudoku - Classic Sudoku by sudoku.com
Normal sudoku rules apply.
Challenging Sudoku - River Sudoku by Xailran
Normal sudoku rules apply. A river is a snake path of orthogonally connected cells starting next to a cage; the digit in that cage shows the length of the river. The number in the top-left corner of the cage shows the sum of the digits along the river. Rivers must strictly decrease in digit value, starting from next to the cage. Rivers must not include cages. Rivers may touch themselves orthogonally, and rivers may overlap.
Bonus Puzzle - Pills by Otto Janko
In the diagram N pills are hidden. A pill is a rectangle of size 3x1 or 1x3 cells. The value of a pill is the sum of the numbers in the three cells of the pill. There exists exactly one pill with every value from 1 to N. A number at the edge of the diagram indicates the sum of the values in the pill cells in the corresponding row resp. column.
Chess Puzzle - Kasparov Vs. Vachier-Lagrave, 2011
Drag and drop the White pieces to win the chess match.
Answers to the Previous Week
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 11th October, welcome to week 3, I hope everything is going fine so far. It's great to get feedback on the tools we provide to help you, even better when students suggest improvements, so Id like to say a big thank you to David Baxter for providing a new CSS stylesheet to enable SPOT to work and look better on mobile devices. We are always ready to listen to student suggestions, so if there is something you would like to see change, do tell us! I'd also like to express my thanks to all the students who have nominated themselves as student reps this year; I look forward to working with you to improve the student experience offered in the Department. A number of our societies are recruiting team members, so if you want to get involved then get applying! Each week we will highlight some of the support services available through the University, today it’s Togetherall and the University Counselling Service.
Please consider your fellow students and staff by wearing a mask indoors. Have a great week, on with the rest of today’s news ...
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: UGweb | SPOT | Wellbeing | Remote access | Mitigating-Circumstances | SSO | Timetable | Deadlines Chart | Counselling | Report absence | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | MM | UG cal | SSC | Facebook | @csmcr | ITFAQ | HelpDesk
You can find more information on the University health and wellbeing website.
You can refer yourself to the counselling service by booking an appointment online. Remember you can always contact the Student Support Office in Computer Science for any advice or help at any time.
The stylesheet was provided by one of our 3rd year students, David Baxter (Computer Science with Year in Industry). Big thanks to David for his contribution and for taking the time to create the stylesheet. We are open to further feedback, so if you have any suggestions how we can improve SPOT then drop Stewart Blakeway an email and we will consider any sensible ideas.
Welcome back to Gareth’s Puzzle Corner, this is your weekly fix of brain teasers and logic puzzles. You are given 4 different puzzles to tackle. One is an easier Sudoku, the second is a more challenging Sudoku, the third is a different form of logic puzzle and finally we have a chess puzzle for you. I hope you enjoy the puzzles and if you have any puzzles you wish to feature or ideas for Puzzle Corner then please get in touch.
Easier Sudoku - Classic Sudoku by sudoku.com
Normal sudoku rules apply.
Challenging Sudoku - 400k Milestone Medley by Olima
Normal sudoku rules apply. The arrow outside the grid shows the sum of the indicated diagonal. Other clues outside the grid are the sum of digits sandwiched between the 1 and the 9 in that row/column. Grey circles show odd digits. White dots join consecutive digits. Digits on thermos increase from the bulb. Digits on arrows sum to the number in the attached circle. Digits next to each other on the green line have a difference of at least 5. The purple line joins a set of consecutive digits, not necessarily in order. The cage shows its sum.
Bonus Puzzle - Gappy by Otto Janko
Color the gray cells of the diagram black or white. In each row and each column exactly two cells must be blackened. Black cells must not be adjacent, not even diagonally. A number at the edge of the diagram indicates the number of white cells between the two black cells in the corresponding row or column.
Chess Puzzle - Rosenberg Vs. Belenkaya, 2021
Drag and drop the White pieces to win the chess match.
Answers to the Previous Week
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning! It’s Monday 4th October and Week 2 of teaching. I hope everything is going well and you have started to settle into a routine - although I suggest you check your personal timetable as changes have been made - see below. Apologies for the issues with the network at the beginning of last week that impacted lectures and remote delivery. Hopefully these issues have now been resolved by IT Services. We have two tools that help you visualise your marks and assessment deadlines: SPOT, which allows you to view your marks, and the deadlines Gantt chart, which helps you to visualise where deadlines fall and makes it easier for you to manage your time. Information for both of these tools can be found below. If you’d like to know when labs are available to use outside of scheduled teaching, then we’ve provided some instructions on how to check room timetables below. Please can I remind you to make sure you regularly read your university email, as this is our main form of communication when getting in touch with you.
Please consider your fellow students and staff by wearing a mask indoors. Have a great week, on with today’s news ...
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: UGweb | SPOT | Wellbeing | Remote access | Mitigating-Circumstances | SSO | Timetable | Deadlines Chart | Counselling | Report absence | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | MM | UG cal | SSC | Facebook | @csmcr | ITFAQ | HelpDesk
You can find more information on the University health and wellbeing website.
* PASS1. Mohammed Madi (Y3, AI) and Alexandru-Mihai Suciu (Y3, CS4wIE) write: Hello everybody it is finally time for PASS! This week on Wednesday at 12, you will get to meet your PASS Leaders and have your first session. The group allocations can be found here. Your PASS Leaders will get in contact with you soon. PASS might show in a different location in your timetable but please head to the room from the sheet. If by Tuesday morning you have not been contacted by your leaders please get in touch with us (alexandru.suciu@student.manchester.ac.uk mohammed.madi-3@student.manchester.ac.uk). For any other questions related to PASS1 feel free to contact us. We can't wait to see you on PASS!
Welcome back to Gareth’s Puzzle Corner, this is your weekly fix of brain teasers and logic puzzles. You are given 4 different puzzles to tackle. One is an easier Sudoku, the second is a more challenging Sudoku, the third is a different form of logic puzzle and finally we have a chess puzzle for you. I hope you enjoy the puzzles and if you have any puzzles you wish to feature or ideas for Puzzle Corner then please get in touch.
Easier Sudoku - Classic Sudoku by sudoku.com
Normal sudoku rules apply.
Challenging Sudoku - Trifecta by Jeet Sampat
Normal Sudoku rules apply. Orthogonally adjacent cells must not contain consecutive digits. In cages, digits cannot repeat.
Bonus Puzzle - Thermometer by Otto Janko
Color the gray cells of the diagram black or white [interactively]. A number at the edge of the diagram indicates how many cells are black in the corresponding row or column. Cells in a "thermometer" must be blackened from bottom (circle) to top without gaps but must mot necessarily be completely black.
Chess Puzzle - Rotsagov Vs. Mohr, 1994
Drag and drop the White pieces to win the chess match.
Answers to the Previous Week
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 27th September and teaching starts today, so please make sure you know your teaching timetable (see below). If you’ve joined us in Manchester then I hope you have settled in and have managed to get out and explore the campus and all the sights that Manchester has to offer. It was great to present the welcome talk to first years last Monday, although it felt very strange considering it’s nearly 20 months since I last gave a lecture in a lecture theatre!
Each year we recognise outstanding achievement by awarding prizes to our students, last year’s recipients are recognised below. Congratulations to all the prize winners! We now have a new lab ready for you to use (see below) - thank you to everyone who helped to set the lab up in such a short space of time.
Please consider your fellow students and staff by wearing a mask indoors. Have a great week, on with today’s news ...
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: UGweb | SPOT | Wellbeing | Remote access | Mitigating-Circumstances | SSO | Timetable | Deadlines Chart | Counselling | Report absence | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | MM | UG cal | SSC | Facebook | @csmcr | ITFAQ | HelpDesk
You can find more information on the University health and wellbeing website.
Apply now. If you require any further information or the job description for the role please contact Alyson Owens.
Welcome back to Gareth’s Puzzle Corner, this is your weekly fix of brain teasers and logic puzzles. You are given 4 different puzzles to tackle. One is an easier Sudoku, the second is a more challenging Sudoku, the third is a different form of logic puzzle and finally we have a chess puzzle for you. I hope you enjoy the puzzles and if you have any puzzles you wish to feature or ideas for Puzzle Corner then please get in touch.
Easier Sudoku - Classic Sudoku by sudoku.com
Normal sudoku rules apply.
Challenging Sudoku - The Greedy Cup’s Whispers
Normal sudoku rules apply. Digits next to each other on a green line must have a difference of at least 5. An orange line contains a consecutive sequence of digits, with no repeats, not necessarily in order. Digits cannot repeat in cages, which contain their sums. The white dot joins two consecutive numbers.
Bonus Puzzle - Kakurasu by Otto Janko
Blacken some cells of the diagram [paper] resp. color the gray cells of the diagram black or white [interactively]. The numbers on the upper and left edge of the diagram denote the sum of the values of the black cells in the respective row or column. The numbers on the right edge of the diagram denote the values of the cells in the corresponding row for the column sums; the numbers on the lower edge of the diagram denote the values of the cells in the respective column in the row sums.
Chess Puzzle - Meiber Vs. Gühring, 2020
Drag and drop the Black pieces to win the chess match.
Answers to the Previous Week
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning! It’s Monday 20th September, 2021 and it’s Welcome Week. If you are a new student joining us, then welcome to the Department of Computer Science. If you are a returning student, then welcome back (this time on campus). My name is Paul Nutter and I’m the Director of Undergraduate Studies, which basically means I’m responsible for the day-to-day running of the undergraduate degree programmes in the Department. This email is called Monday Mail and it is sent to all undergraduate students every Monday morning during term-time. The aim of Monday Mail is to keep you up-to-date with what’s happening in the Department, as well as publicising all the great things our students get up to! There are a number of University societies that our students are closely involved with who will publish activities throughout the year, so please get involved. If there’s anything you’d like to share via Monday Mail, then please send me an email. I’m very much looking forward to getting back on campus and life on campus returning to some form of normality (for now). If you are joining us online for semester 1 then I hope you can engage fully with all the activities that are running this semester.
Please make sure you install the VM image we have provided to support your learning this semester (details below) and make sure you find your way round Blackboard, where all the teaching material for your course units can be found.
Have a great week, there’s lots of news items today ...
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: UGweb | SPOT | Wellbeing | Remote access | Mitigating-Circumstances | SSO | Deadlines Chart | Counselling |
Report absence | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | MM | UG cal | SSC | Facebook | @csmcr | ITFAQ | HelpDesk
Left to right: Hannah Cousins, Teaching & Learning Manager; Graham Richardson, Senior Postgraduate Administrator; Alyx Adams, Student Support Office Intern; Anna Warburton-Ball, Student Experience Intern; Lisa Wright, Senior Undergraduate Administrator; Mabel Yau, Careers & Employability Officer; Chris Calland, Postgraduate Administrator; Cameron Macdonald, Undergraduate Assistant; Nicola Evans, Timetabling Administrator; Sophie Joannou, Assessment Officer; Selina Low, Teaching & Learning Intern
The SSO Drop-In table will be located on the Lower First Floor of the Kilburn building. Please note that after Welcome Week we will not be able to facilitate queries in the Kilburn Building and these need to be directed at Engineering Building A Student Support Hub.
You can find more information on the University health and wellbeing website.
There will be other activities scheduled throughout the week, so please check the timetable in Blackboard. Zoom details will also be provided for those students who are studying remotely in semester 1.
This year’s competition will celebrate the university’s position leading the world on sustainable development. The quality and scale of our impact against the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been ranked first in the world in the Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings in 2021. As well as our usual awards there will be additional prizes for the most enterprising approach to supporting sustainable development here at Manchester. The 17 UN SDGs are the world’s call to action on the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing humanity and the natural world. Just show us how your Bright Idea can help. Simply consider the 17 SDGs described in the link below and choose 1 or 2 which your enterprising Bright Idea would contribute to most and in your entry describe how it does this. Learn how The University of Manchester is supporting the Sustainable Development Goals here.
Find out more and enter online.
A ONE-day weekend gathering of high school, university and college students & teams organised to address specifically defined challenges! Students using a fast-paced ‘hackathon” methodology will be introduced to a global issue by subject matter experts. Students will choose a challenge to address, receive mentoring and feedback in generating an app showcase and integrated solutions, and present their app ideas to a set of judges for cash awards and recognition, all on the same day!
You can also attend an online induction session or visit us on campus to learn everything you need to know about using the Library from our friendly team:
Welcome back to Gareth’s Puzzle Corner, this is your weekly fix of brain teasers and logic puzzles. You are given 4 different puzzles to tackle. One is an easier Sudoku, the second is a more challenging Sudoku, the third is a different form of logic puzzle and finally we have a chess puzzle for you. I hope you enjoy the puzzles and if you have any puzzles you wish to feature or ideas for Puzzle Corner then please get in touch.
Easier Sudoku - Classic Sudoku by sudoku.com
Normal sudoku rules apply.
Challenging Sudoku - Treasure Map by BremSter
Normal sudoku rules apply. Digits along an arrow must sum to the digit in that arrow’s circle. Digits cannot repeat along either of the main diagonals (marked in blue).
Bonus Puzzle - Norinori by Iaw Daigeki
Classic Norinori Rules. Shade exactly two cells in each cage. Each shaded cell is orthogonally adjacent to exactly one other shaded cell. Every shaded cell must be part of a 2x1 or a 1x2 domino, independently from the region borders. Use the default colour of DG for your dominoes.
Chess Puzzle - Perez Perez Vs. Spassky, 1964
Drag and drop the Black pieces to win the chess match.
Answers to the puzzle will be revealed in next weeks Monday Mail