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 5th June 2023 and it’s the last week of the semester 2 exams. I hope your exams have gone well. Only a few days left until they are all over and you can finally celebrate. This week marks the end of the academic year, which also means this is the last edition of Monday Mail for 2022/23. Where has the time gone? The year has just flown by! Congratulations on making it through the year and well done for all your hard work.
I’d like to wish the best of luck for the future for those students who are leaving us this summer. I really hope you enjoyed your time in Manchester and, in particular, the Department. Don’t forget to come to see us for one last time at the graduation ceremony in July. If you are going on placement next year, then make the most of the opportunity, it’s a great experience where you will learn a lot, we look forward to seeing you return to Manchester in 2024. If you are returning in September, then make the most of the summer break to recharge your batteries, it won’t be long until you are back with us.
If you are returning to the 3rd year in September and do not have a project yet, then the deadline for selecting one is this Friday (see below). Finally, we should celebrate the success of two of our students, Ishikka Ladia and Nora Tuta, for being recognised at the recent University Volunteer of the Year awards ceremony (see below).
Enjoy your final week and have a safe trip back home. Signing off for this academic year ...
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | Deadlines Chart | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | SSLC | Student Support Hub | Wellbeing Team | Wellbeing Support | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | CS Support Desk | IT Support
You can find out more information in this article.
Well done to both of you! Volunteering your time in such a way is a great achievement and the recognition you have received is well deserved. The photo below shows Nora and Irene at the awards ceremony.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
Your participation will help us create better dashboards for everyone.
For more information or if you have any questions, please get in touch.
Good morning! It’s Monday 29th May 2023 and it’s the penultimate week of the semester 2 exams. I hope your exams are going well … the end is now in sight! Today is the Spring Bank Holiday (public holiday in the UK), so there should be no exams taking place today!
If you are currently a 2nd year student (or a student on placement) and are interested in becoming involved with PASS2 next academic year, then please consider applying (more below).
Enjoy 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 Hub | Wellbeing Team | Wellbeing Support | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | CS Support Desk | IT Support
*SENTENCE COMPREHENSION STUDY. Paul Stott writes: Hello everyone, I am recruiting participants for a study. It’s a simple task: you’ll listen to 120 sentences and respond to words that pop up on the screen. You’ll also answer some comprehension questions. It should take around 40 mins to 1 hour to complete. Please see the Participant Information Sheet which provides detailed information on the study. If you’d like to participate, or have any questions, please do get in touch with me. I am recruiting participants as of NOW and will begin running the study as soon as possible.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 22nd May 2023 and the 2nd week of the semester 2 exam period. I hope your exams are going well! Don’t forget, if you have any issues during the exam period then you can contact the student hub or your year tutor (see below). Remember that help is always available if you need it.
Well done to the PASS2 team on their success at the recent Peer Support Celebration evening (see below). It's great to see that the PASS support in the Department, which we value highly, is recognised externally. The Department is proud of the PASS support we offer, and the great PASS leaders and organisers that work hard to make it a huge success. It's clear that PASS2 is unique in the University and is very much a product of the culture in CS.
Next Monday is another bank holiday (national holiday in the UK), so enjoy your 3-day weekend!
Enjoy the rest of the 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 Hub | Wellbeing Team | Wellbeing Support | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | CS Support Desk | IT Support
* SUPPORT SERVICE SPOTLIGHT - QWELL. Qwell offers a range of anonymous support options for students, including an online messaging service with qualified mental health professionals, providing safe and anonymous online mental health support whenever you need it. There are no waiting lists for support, and no referral needed and access is available instantly 24/7. You can find out more here, and you can access the service at quell.io.
Day trips
Visit the International Society website for more information and to book.
Events
Visit the International Society website for more information and to book.
Digital Futures are excited to bring you the next instalment of the Digital Trust & Security Seminar Series, with guest speaker Robert di Schiavi. Cybersecurity has become a major concern in the digital age, as the increasing reliance on technology has led to an increase in cyberattacks. The psychology of cyber security involves the study of the human factors that contribute to the success or failure of cybersecurity efforts. This includes the behaviour of both attackers and defenders, as well as the social and psychological factors that influence the effectiveness of security measures. Understanding the psychology of cyber security is crucial in developing effective strategies to prevent cyberattacks and protect sensitive information. Key areas of research include understanding user behaviour and decision-making, creating effective security awareness programs, and designing secure systems that consider the human element. By considering the psychological factors that influence cybersecurity, we will look at how organisations can better protect themselves and their customers from the growing threat of cybercrime. Full registration details here.
The Centre for Digital Trust and Society was launched in 2021 to focus interdisciplinary research expertise at the University of Manchester on the barriers and enablers of trust in digital technologies. The Forum brings together an exciting range of international experts, interdisciplinary researchers and key partners to explore current challenges and opportunities in trust and security in our digital society. We welcome researchers, public sector, industry and community partners with an interest in digital trust and security issues in society to join us for an engaging day of building connections and sharing insights. The event is in-person with lunch provided, and the event will be followed by canapes and drinks. Speakers include international guest experts such as Professors Bart Preneel (KU Leuven) and Liz Campbell (Monash University), leading University of Manchester expertise across the digital trust and security space (Professors Richard Allmendinger, Emma Barrett, Peter Knight, Nicholas Lord, Stephen Hutchings and Dr Louise Dennis), and guests from industry and the public sector. Full registration details here.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 15th May 2023 and the semester 2 exam period has started! If you have any issues during the exam period then you can contact the student hub, or your year tutor (see below). It's important that you know where your exams are taking place and what time they start. If you are late to an exam (by less than 30 mins), you may be allowed to sit your exam but you will not get any additional time. If you are more than 30 minutes late then you will not be allowed to sit the exam. If you are unable to attend your exam due to mitigating circumstances (such as an illness), please make sure you complete a mitigating circumstances application (see below). Best of luck in your exams, I hope they go well!
If you would like to nominate yourself as a student rep for next academic year, then the deadline is this Thursday (see below).
Enjoy the rest of the 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 Hub | Wellbeing Team | Wellbeing Support | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | CS Support Desk | IT Support
* INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY. Here’s an update on some of the things you can get involved in over at the International Society:
Day trips
Visit the International Society website for more information and to book.
Events
Visit the International Society website for more information and to book.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 8th May 2023, it’s week 12, and it's the last week of teaching for this academic year. Today (Monday) is a Bank Holiday (public holiday in the UK) to celebrate the Coronation. The past semester (and the year in general) has flown by, I hope you’ve enjoyed it. The semester 2 exam period starts next week, so please familiarise yourself with your exam timetable so you know when and where your exams are taking place.
Monday Mail will continue over the exam period, however, Gareth’s Puzzle Corner will be taking a break until the new academic year. I’d like to thank Gareth for all his hard work putting the questions together each week.
Enjoy the rest of the 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 Hub | Wellbeing Team | Wellbeing Support | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | CS Support Desk | IT Support
I would like to Thank you, once again, to all the student reps this year for their work and dedication to representing the wider student body. If you would like to be a student rep next year, then please see below.
We are confident that they will work hard to continue the great work of the previous committee, and to offer new and exciting events and opportunities for all members. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the outgoing committee members for their dedication and hard work throughout the year. Their commitment to making UniCS a success has been truly appreciated by all members, and we wish them all the best in their future endeavours. We hope that all members will continue to participate and engage with the society, and that the new committee will bring the same level of passion and energy to their roles. We hope all the best for your exams and we look forward to seeing you all at upcoming events and activities. Thank you for your continued support of UniCS.
The list of remaining projects can be found here.
Day trips
Visit the International Society website for more information and to book.
Events
Visit the International Society website for more information and to book.
Welcome 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 - Diagonal Outside Sudoku 12 by Akash Doulani
Normal sudoku rules apply. Digits outside the grid must appear in the first three cells in that direction.
Bonus Puzzle - Nonogram by Yilmaz Ekici
Tint the gray boxes of the chart black or white. The black fields form a field wide stripes , the number, order and length of which is defined by the number sequences at the top and left edge. Each number represents the length of a strip of black squares in the corresponding row or column. Two strips are separated from each other by at least one white field.
Chess Puzzle - Liren Vs. Inarkiev, 2015
Drag and drop the White pieces to win the match.
Answers to the Previous Week
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
As this is the final week of Puzzle Corner I have also included this week’s answers here.
I hope you have enjoyed your weekly puzzles over the last academic year. As always, if you have any suggestions for future editions then please let me know.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 1st May 2023 (May already!), it’s week 11, and the penultimate week of the semester 2 teaching period. Monday is May Bank Holiday, which is a public holiday in the UK, so there are no teaching activities scheduled on Monday. Next Monday (8th May) is also a bank holiday to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III and Camilla the Queen Consort on Saturday 6th May, with celebrations taking part over the whole three-day weekend. Enjoy the celebrations and pomp and circumstance that will accompany the event! If you are returning to Manchester next academic year, and are interested in becoming a student rep, then now is the time to sign up (see below). If you are going to the May Ball on Friday then have fun!
Enjoy the rest of the 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 Hub | Wellbeing Team | Wellbeing Support | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | CS Support Desk | IT Support
Unfortunately, no staff teams registered this year. For those with Hackerrank credentials, final standings and problem descriptions are visible here. The local organisers were Ian Pratt-Hartmann, Mihnea Dumitru and David Demitriad. Thanks go in particular to the student organisers.
Day trips:
Visit the International Society website for more information and to book.
Events:
Visit the International Society website for more information and to book.
Whether you are interested in a fun day, prizes, free food or a career opportunity the event should be a memorable one to end the year! For more information and to sign up visit this link. The event is open to students from any discipline across the Faculty of Science and Engineering and beyond. Coding skills are not essential as winners will equally well include those with the brightest ideas and visionary pitches as much as for those who can excel in delivering pragmatic technical solutions to a tight deadline, no matter how rough. The event will be based on team working within groups of four students. You may register as a self-selected team of four, individually or in smaller groups. Do not worry if you have less than four people as any missing numbers will be made up once registration closes. As is the nature of such events the specific challenge will be a mystery before the day and will be broad enough to be inclusive and challenging no matter what your chosen undergraduate course may be. To get a head start it is suggested that you visit this forum.
Welcome 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 - Endeavour by BremSter
Normal Sudoku rules apply. The grid is covered with fog except for some initial cleared cells. Placing correct digits into cells clears the fog from all adjacent cells. Digits in cages must sum to the number in the top left corner of the cage, if given. Digits may not repeat within cages. Digits in a Quadruple circle must be placed at least once in the four cells touching that circle. A ? is wild and may refer to any digit.
Bonus Puzzle - Gappy by Otto Janko
Tint the gray boxes of the chart black or white. Exactly two fields must be blacked out in each row and each column. Black squares must not be adjacent, not even diagonally. A number at the edge of the chart indicates how many white squares are between the two black squares in that row or column.
Chess Puzzle - Nouri Vs. Ristic, 2022
Drag and drop the White pieces to win the match.
Answers to the Previous Week
Good morning! It’s Monday 24th April 2023, and it’s week 10. There are just a few weeks to go before the semester 2 examination period and the end of this academic year! If you are a 3rd year, well done on submitting your report and screencast, and good luck completing it if you have an agreed extension. Just the Q&A to get out of the way now - which is really important as it gives you the opportunity to talk one-to-one with the second marker of your project and to show them what you have achieved in your project. Good luck to the 1st years who have COMP10120 presentations this week. If you’ve entered the staff-student programming competition on Wednesday then best of luck! If you are going on the UniCS Alton Towers trip then have fun!
Next Monday is the first of three bank holidays (public holidays in the UK) in May, so there will be no teaching activities scheduled on that day (but there will be a Monday Mail).
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 Hub | Wellbeing Team | Wellbeing Support | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | CS Support Desk | IT Support
Then let one of your reps know! You can find a list of your reps on the SSLC page in UG Community space on Blackboard.
Congratulations to the winning teams and well done to all the teams for their hard work in producing some excellent, interesting applications over the year.
Welcome 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 - Short, Sweet, and Simple by Cassadilla
Normal sudoku rules apply. Digits along a purple line form a set of consecutive digits in any order. Adjacent digits along a green line have a difference of at least 5. Digits in red circles are high (6,7,8,9). Digits in yellow circles are low (4,3,2,1). Digits in blue circles are odd. Digits in cells joined by a black dot are in a 1:2 ratio, and all possible black dots are given. The inequality sign between cells ‘points to’ the lower digit.
Bonus Puzzle - Campixu by Johannes Kestler
Colour the grey areas of the chart black or white. The first number on the edge of the chart indicates how many squares in each row or column are black. The second number at the edge of the chart indicates how many black stripes there are in each row or column.
Chess Puzzle - Bacrot Vs. Priasmoro, 2020
Drag and drop the White pieces to win the match.
Answers to the Previous Week
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 17th April 2023, and it’s week 9. I hope you managed to take some time off over the Easter vacation to recharge your batteries ready for the final four weeks of teaching in semester 2. If you are a 3rd year student, then don’t forget that the deadline for the submission of the project report and screencast is this Friday (21st April). You will also need to make sure you meet your second marker for the Q&A session from week 10. If you are starting the 3rd year in September, then you have until the end of this week to make your project selections from the projects list. Don’t forget that the deadline for registering for the staff-student programming competition is a week today. Finally, the 1st year project showcase is taking place in the labs in Kilburn on Wednesday, so please pop along and have a look at the applications created by the 1st year teams.
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 Hub | Wellbeing Team | Wellbeing Support | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | CS Support Desk | IT Support
Advice is always free, impartial and confidential. You can find more information, including opening hours and contact details, on the University of Manchester Students' Union Advice website. Remember you can always contact the Department Wellbeing Team for advice or help at any time.
If you are unsure which email to use then use soe.hub@manchester.ac.uk for general queries.
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 may bring a laptop computer with the desired compiler(s) installed; alternatively, the lab machines can be used. 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 the registration page 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 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 - VanDerWaal by Logan Wall
Normal 6x6 sudoku rules apply. ie place the digits 1-6 once each into each row, column and 2x3 region. Digits on pink ("renban") lines must form a set of consecutive, non-repeating digits.
Bonus Puzzle - Thermometer by Otto Janko
Tint the gray boxes of the chart black or white. A number at the edge of the chart indicates how many squares in that row or column are black. The fields of a "thermometer" may only be blackened from the bottom (circle) to the top (without a space in between), but they do not necessarily have to be all black.
Chess Puzzle - Gramajo Vs. Padreny, 2021
Drag and drop the Black pieces to win the match.
Answers to the Previous Week
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 20th March 2023, it’s week 8 of semester 2, and the last week of teaching before the Easter break. If you are a 3rd year student then this Friday is the deadline for completing the practical work on your project, so please make sure you submit your "artefact" before the Friday deadline. The countdown is now running until the submission of the report and screencast on Friday 21st April. Members of UCU will continue with strike action this week, which may impact some teaching activities.
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 take a break over the Easter vacation returning on Monday 17th April.
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 Hub | Wellbeing Team | Wellbeing Support | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | CS Support Desk | IT Support
* HELP AND SUPPORT WITH RESULTS. If you have any concerns about your results, then it’s important you speak to someone. In the first instance you can speak to your academic advisor - who you should be meeting with this week to talk about your results anyway. If you are a 1st or 2nd year student, then your academic advisor is your tutor - you can remind yourself who that is for year 1 and year 2. If you are in the 3rd year, then it is your project supervisor. If you are a 4th year (MEng) student, then it is Tim Morris. You can also speak to your year tutor (see below), or have a chat with a member of the Department Wellbeing team. You can also find information about what results mean, with respect to resits/progression in the undergraduate handbook. What’s important is that if you have any concerns, or are worried about your results, then please speak to someone.
Please note that the year tutors will not be running open hours over the Easter vacation. If you need to speak to your year tutor, then please contact them by email during this period, and they will get to you as soon as they can.
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 the next academic year available around the Easter vacation. You can contact the 3rd year projects manager Terry Morley if you have any questions.
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 may bring a laptop computer with the desired compiler(s) installed; alternatively, the lab machines can be used. 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 the registration page 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.
If this is your jam, then go sign up your interest in this form!
Welcome 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 Agamotto by Allagem
Normal sudoku rules apply. Adjacent digits along a green line must differ by at least 5. A digit in column 1 indicates the column in which the digit 1 appears in that row. Columns 5 and 9 have the same rule for the digits 5 and 9 respectively. (For example, an 8 in R7C1 tells you there's a 1 in R7C8. A 3 in R2C5 tells you there's a 5 in R2C3.)
Bonus Puzzle - Light and Shadow by Otto Janko
Colour the grey cells of the grid black or white so that orthogonally contiguous areas of black and white cells are formed. Each area contains exactly one cell with a number; the number indicates the size of the area. Areas of the same colour must not be orthogonally adjacent.
Chess Puzzle - Krasenkow Vs. Hickl, 1996
Drag and drop the White pieces to win the match.
Answers to the Previous Week
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 13th March 2023 and it’s week 7. Only two more weeks to go until the much needed Easter break. However, we are also entering what is a very busy period in the semester, particularly for the 3rd year project!
The semester 1 exam results will be released at 12:00 (noon) on Thursday. If you have any concerns about your results then it’s important you speak to someone. In the first instance you can speak to your academic advisor, but you can also speak to your year tutor, or a member of the Department Wellbeing team (see below). You can also find information about what results mean, with respect to resits/progression in the undergraduate handbook (see below). What’s important is that if you have any concerns, or are worried about your results, then please speak to someone.
If you are returning into the 3rd year next year, then now is the time to start thinking about your final year project. Later in the semester, the project book will be opened for you, where you can select from the range of projects offered by staff. However, we strongly encourage you to consider putting forward your own project, and now is the time to start thinking about this (see below).
Strike action by members of the University and College Union resumes this week (see below), which may impact some scheduled teaching activities.
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 Hub | Wellbeing Team | Wellbeing Support | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | CS Support Desk | IT Support
Please note: students who already have exam support in place do not need to take action. However, if you feel you need changes to your exam support, then the deadline above does apply to you. Please reach out to DASS directly if you wish to review your DASS plan. Appointments with Disability Advisers in the week leading up to the deadline become booked up very quickly, so please ensure that you contact them as early as possible.If you think you may be eligible for DASS support and would like to discuss your situation with a member of the wellbeing team first, please email soe.wellbeing@manchester.ac.uk or drop into the Student Support Hub (1st Floor, Engineering Building A).
We are not only concerned with what can be fixed or done better, but also what has gone well - do you want to highlight any great teaching? Is there something that you want to see in the Department? Let us know! Our next SSLC meeting is after the Easter break - but you shouldn't wait until then to raise any issues. Please get in contact with one of your Student Reps, and the issue will be considered before the next meeting. Minutes of previous meetings and a list of Reps is available on the UG Community SSLC BB page.
The giveaways start at 9am. Get your breakfast fix before stocks run out; check out our Cost of Living page for more activities.
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 the next academic year available around the Easter vacation. You can email me if you have any queries.
More details of this workshop are below:
More details of this workshop are below:
This week there’s a traditional Indian dance class on Wednesday, 15 March, 1pm. Try something new and learn to dance a traditional Indian dance, Bharatanatyam Dance with Sanya! No dancing skills required, just come and have fun and meet new friends. Visit the International Society website for more information and to book.
Sign up for a focus group and give us your views. Our work to improve the building, facilities and teaching and learning experience continues; join a focus group and give us your views. As a thank you you’ll get a £10 voucher to spend at Food on Campus:
To sign-up email emily.robertson@manchester.ac.uk.
The University will remain open during the periods of the strike action, however, some teaching activities, such as lectures, may be affected. You can find out more information about why staff are striking on the UCU website.
Welcome 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 - Molly Hogan by DylanD
Normal sudoku rules apply. Grey lines must read the same in either direction. Digits along an arrow sum to the digit in the circle. Digits within a cage sum to the total shown at the top left of the cage. Grey and yellow cell groups are clones. The digits are the same and appear in identical order for each clone.
Bonus Puzzle - Akari by Mokuani
Place light bulbs in some of the white cells so that all white cells are lit and no light bulb is lit by another light bulb. A light bulb shines horizontally and vertically up to the next black cell or the edge of the grid. A number in a black cell indicates how many light bulbs must be placed in orthogonally adjacent cells.
Chess Puzzle - Aronian Vs. Radjabov, 2013
Drag and drop the White pieces to win the match.
Answers to the Previous Week
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 6th March 2023, it’s week 6, and we’ve reached the halfway point of the semester. Where’s the time gone? Apologies for the delay in releasing the semester 1 exam marks; this was outside of the control of the Department. Marks will now be released on Thursday 16th March at 12:00pm (noon).
If you are interested in being a PASS leader/coordinator next year, then please consider applying (more below). There are a number of summer internships being offered by the School for this summer, which is a great opportunity to get some paid experience working in the School (see below). If you are graduating this year then please don’t forget to complete the National Student Survey (see below) … 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!
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 Hub | Wellbeing Team | Wellbeing Support | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | CS Support Desk | IT Support
* SUPPORT SERVICE SPOTLIGHT: Living Cost Support Fund. The Living Cost Support Fund, open to all students, is designed to help students experiencing financial hardship to ensure no one is struggling whilst studying at The University of Manchester. This has become increasingly prevalent due to the current cost of living crisis. The fund is designed to help as many students as possible, so if you feel that you are struggling to make ends meet and cover essential daily living costs, please apply, and you will be assessed to determine what kind of assistance may be offered to you. Awards are granted on a case-by-case basis, and we cannot guarantee financial support to every student who applies. There is no cap on the number of awards we make each year and we award grants of up to £2000.You can find out more about your eligibility, what you may be entitled to and the application process on the university website. If you have any further queries or concerns, please contact us.
Please note: students who already have exam support in place do not need to take action. However, if you feel you need changes to your exam support, then the deadline above does apply to you. Please reach out to DASS directly if you wish to review your DASS plan. Appointments with Disability Advisers in the week leading up to the deadline become booked up very quickly, so please ensure that you contact them as early as possible.If you think you may be eligible for DASS support and would like to discuss your situation with a member of the wellbeing team first, please email soe.wellbeing@manchester.ac.uk or drop into the Student Support Hub (1st Floor, Engineering Building A).
If you aren’t sure which service is right for you or if you need help with accessing support and would like to meet with a Wellbeing Advisor, you can email the Student Wellbeing Team on studentsupport@manchester.ac.uk. If you feel as though you need immediate support please see here.
* INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY. To celebrate International Women’s Day this Wednesday (8th March), the University will be running a number of events. This year’s theme is #EmbraceEquity which recognises the role we can all play in fostering a gender equal world. Equality focuses on providing all genders with equal opportunities, such as a woman’s right to vote. Yet, women often require more than a level playing field. They need to belong in a global culture that actively promotes and supports them in all aspects of their life, from education to the workplace to health. You can find out more information about the events running here.
Find out more and register for the event. You’ll need to show your confirmation email to attend.
You can apply for the positions on CareerConnect by simply clicking on the "Search” tab -> “Vacancies”. Once in the Vacancies search, you can simply filter the vacancies by clicking “UoM Schemes” and then selecting the relevant scheme for your programme, e.g. “SoE Computer Science Summer Internships 2023” or “SoE Mechanical Engineering Summer Internships 2023”. Make sure you read the project proposals thoroughly. Internships will be funded by the school for a max. of 180 hours of work at a rate of £11.06 an hour. The earliest interns can start work is Monday 12th June 2023. The final date interns can work is Friday 15th September 2023. Applications will be reviewed following the closing date and shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to the next stage of the process, which will be a video interview that will be reviewed by the project supervisor. If you have any questions about the internship programme, please email SOE.StudentExperience@manchester.ac.uk.
The University will remain open during the periods of the strike action, however, some teaching activities, such as lectures, may be affected. You can find out more information about why staff are striking on the UCU website.
Welcome 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 - Dominoku by Sander Moolenbeek
Normal sudoku rules apply. Each cage contains a unique pair of digits.
Bonus Puzzle - Water Fun by Niwabee10
Colour the grey cells of the grid black or white. A number at the edge of the grid indicates the number of black cells in the corresponding row or column. Black cells are filled with water. A region must be filled with water (ie black cells) from bottom to top. A cell to which the water can flow may not remain empty.
Chess Puzzle - Svidler Vs. Topalov, 2004
Drag and drop the White pieces to win the match.
Answers to the Previous Week
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 27th February 2023, it’s week 5, and the semester is flying by! The semester 1 exam results will be released on Thursday, I hope you get the results you aspire to! 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 few weeks to discuss your results anyway. Every year we get asked questions about what the results mean, for example, “I failed a final year course unit, does this mean I won’t get an honours degree?”. The Undergraduate handbook (see below) contains information about progression/graduation and can help you to understand what your marks mean. Of course, we have only completed the first half of the year, so the bigger picture of what your results mean will only become clearer after the semester 2 exams have taken place.
Is there anything you’d like to see in Monday Mail? If you have any suggestions then please get in touch!
Have a good week. There’s lots of news and events listed today ...
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | Deadlines Chart | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | SSLC | Student Support Hub | Wellbeing Team | Wellbeing Support | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | CS Support Desk | IT Support
If you are unsure which email to use then use soe.hub@manchester.ac.uk for general queries.
Please note: students who already have exam support in place do not need to take action. However, if you feel you need changes to your exam support, then the deadline above does apply to you. Please reach out to DASS directly if you wish to review your DASS plan. Appointments with Disability Advisers in the week leading up to the deadline become booked up very quickly, so please ensure that you contact them as early as possible. If you think you may be eligible for DASS support and would like to discuss your situation with a member of the wellbeing team first, please email soe.wellbeing@manchester.ac.uk or drop into the Student Support Hub (1st Floor, Engineering Building A) to speak to someone directly.
If you aren’t sure which service is right for you or if you need help with accessing support and would like to meet with a Wellbeing Advisor, you can email the Student Wellbeing Team. If you feel as though you need immediate support please see here.
The giveaways start at 9am. Get your breakfast fix before stocks run out and check out our Cost of Living page for more initiatives.
Some more information & Agenda is down below:
More about the speakers and the talks:
Please RSVP if you would like to attend.
Find out more and register for the event. You’ll need to show your confirmation email to attend.
Take part in this term’s Faculty Forum, which is open to all FSE students. The Faculty Forum will focus on Improving Student Voice and shaping how you give feedback to the university. You’ll also have the opportunity to find out more about how we’ve used student feedback to make improvements to the home of Engineering and Materials. To prepare for the Forum, you could think about examples of how you engage in giving us feedback including feedback on your course with unit surveys. To secure your place, sign up to take part by Tuesday, 7 March. If you wish to sign up after this point, please email studentreps@manchester.ac.uk for the joining information. We look forward to seeing you there! Free pizza will be provided!
The University will remain open during the periods of the strike action, however, some teaching activities, such as lectures, may be affected. You can find out more information about why staff are striking on the UCU website.
Welcome 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 - XY Difference Sudoku by Clover
Normal sudoku rules apply. If there's a diamond between two horizontally adjacent cells, then the absolute value of their difference is the same as the first digit in that row. If there's a diamond between two vertically adjacent cells then the absolute value of their difference is the same as the first digit in that column. All possible diamonds are given. (Note that because there are no diamonds shown in this puzzle, there are no adjacent pairs whose difference equals the first digit in their row/column).
Bonus Puzzle - Creek by Sakuhina
Color the gray cells of the grid 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 - Karpov Vs. Gurevich, 1991
Drag and drop the White pieces to win the match.
Answers to the Previous Week
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 20th February 2023 and it’s week 4. If you are a final year student, then please don’t forget to complete the NSS, as your (anonymous) feedback is important to us! UCU announced on Friday that there will be a pause in strike action this week and next week (Week 5), so no teaching activities should be affected over the next two weeks. 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.
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 Hub | Wellbeing Team | Wellbeing Support | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | CS Support Desk | IT Support
* ACADEMIC ENGLISH WORKSHOPS. Throughout Semester 1, the University Centre for Academic English (UCAE) delivered a number of workshops and standalone sessions to international students on the Academic Success Programme. Registration is now open for workshops in Semester 2. The Academic Success Programme is available to registered international students at the University and helps to support academic studies by providing face-to-face and online workshops that focus on key areas of academic English and skills, including:
Find out more information and register. For any questions on the Academic Success Programme, please contact academicsuccess@manchester.ac.uk.
*SUPPORT SERVICE SPOTLIGHT: My Learning Essentials. My Learning Essentials is the Library’s award winning programme of skills support, including both online resources and face-to-face workshops which will aid you in your personal and professional development. There are a range of workshops available covering everything from managing your time to managing procrastination. The online resources help you develop skills and interests which are relevant to you, at times and using the methods that suit you best. My Learning Essentials is a great way to get the most out of your time at Manchester; helping you to make the best use of all of the specialist resources and support the University has to offer. A link to My Learning Essentials can be found on your on your Blackboard landing page.
Visit the International Society website to find out more and to book your place.
To prepare for the Forum, you could think about examples of how you engage in giving us feedback including feedback on your course with unit surveys. To secure your place, sign up to take part by Tuesday, 7 March. If you wish to sign up after this point, please email studentreps@manchester.ac.uk for the joining information. We look forward to seeing you there! Free pizza will be provided!
You can find out more information about why staff are striking on the UCU website.
You can find out more information here.
Welcome 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 - Rotary Switches by Flora
Normal sudoku rules apply. Cells with gray rectangles contain digits equivalent to the number of either the row, column, or box of their position in the grid, counted from the top left corner. For each cell marked with a green circle, the following is true: Either its two horizontally adjacent cells are both even and its two vertically adjacent cells both odd; or its two horizontally adjacent cells are both odd and its two vertically adjacent cells are both even. Cells in a cage do not repeat and sum to the number given.
Bonus Puzzle - Kakurasu by Otto Janko
Colour the grey cells of the grid black or white. The numbers on the upper and left edge of the grid denote the sum of the values of the black cells in the respective row or column. The numbers on the right edge of the grid denote the values of the cells in the corresponding row for the column sums; the numbers on the lower edge of the grid denote the values of the cells in the respective column in the row sums.
Chess Puzzle - Kasparov Vs. Smirin, 1988
Drag and drop the White pieces to win the match.
Answers to the Previous Week
Good morning! It’s Monday 13th February 2023 and it’s week 3. I hope you are settling into the new semester and everything is going well. Industrial action by members of UCU continues this week, with three days of strike action planned on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, which may impact some teaching activities. You can find more information on why staff have taken the difficult decision to take industrial action on the Students' Union website.
Have a happy Valentine’s Day on Tuesday! 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 Hub | Wellbeing Team | Wellbeing Support | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | CS Support Desk | IT Support
If you are unsure which email to use then use soe.hub@manchester.ac.uk for general queries.
Monitoring of attendance will continue via the attendance monitoring system as it forms part of a wider process in monitoring student engagement, including Blackboard, registration, assessments and academic advisor contact. Please note that you can only self-check into a timetabled session 10 minutes before the scheduled start of the activity until the scheduled end of the activity. All students are requested to attend all teaching components as part of their studies: See Regulation XX: Monitoring Attendance and Wellbeing of Students. Attendance monitoring has already helped the School of Engineering identify students requiring additional support, but to do this successfully we need students to engage with the attendance system. For information about the system My Attendance | Welcome to Manchester | The University of Manchester. From this page you can access 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.
Please note: students who already have exam support in place do not need to take action. However, if you feel you need changes to your exam support, then the deadline above does apply to you. Please reach out to DASS directly if you wish to review your DASS plan. Appointments with Disability Advisers in the week leading up to the deadline become booked up very quickly, so please ensure that you contact them as early as possible.If you think you may be eligible for DASS support and would like to discuss your situation with a member of the wellbeing team first, please email soe.wellbeing@manchester.ac.uk or drop into the Student Support Hub (1st Floor, Engineering Building A).
Confidentiality: TRC is an external service and independent of the University of Manchester. Their drop-in service is a confidential service and you do not need to disclose your personal details to them. If you do share personal details at the drop-in they will usually only share information with the University or other external third parties with your consent. If TRC do not have your consent they will not release information about you to third parties unless they have significant concerns about your wellbeing and/or safety, or the wellbeing and/or safety of other members of the University community.
The NSS is the only national survey of its kind and asks your views on a range of topics that have shaped your time at University – from teaching, feedback and support to resources and how you’ve been listened to. You can find further information here.
For attending you will receive a £10 voucher. If you are interested, then you can register by contacting Frances Hooley.
The University will remain open during the periods of the strike action, however, some teaching activities, such as lectures, may be affected. You can find out more information about why staff are making the difficult decision to take industrial action on the Students' Union website.
Welcome 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 - Claudia Cum Cereo Circulat by Olima
Normal sudoku rules apply. Placing correct digits in the grid will clear the fog. Adjacent digits along a line must differ by at least 5. Cells separated by an X must contain digits summing to 10. Cells separated by a V must contain digits summing to 5. All X/V clues are given, but may be hidden in the fog.
Bonus Puzzle - Serpent by Otto Janko
Colour the grey cells of the grid 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 grid indicates how many cells must be blackened in the corresponding row or column.
Chess Puzzle - Praggnanandhaa Vs. Maghsoodloo, 2023
Drag and drop the Black pieces to win the match.
Answers to the Previous Week
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 6th February 2023 and it’s week 2. I hope you are starting to settle down into a new routine and now know your new timetable (although be warned that this may change during the next week or so). Don’t forget that the deadline for selecting any optional course units is this Friday. There will be continued strike action from members of UCU on Thursday and Friday of this week, so some teaching activities will be affected.
Have a good week, plenty of news today …
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | Deadlines Chart | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | SSLC | Student Support Hub | Wellbeing Team | Wellbeing Support | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | CS Support Desk | IT Support
If you are unsure which email to use then use soe.hub@manchester.ac.uk for general queries.
Advice is always free, impartial and confidential. You can find more information, including opening hours and contact details, on the University of Manchester Students' Union Advice website. Remember you can always contact the Department Wellbeing Team for advice or help at any time.
Students wishing to attend the open meeting will need to register via this Form by 12pm on Friday 10th February 2023. After this date, attendees will receive further instructions including the room/Zoom details, so it is essential to register online by this date if you wish to join. Pre-submitted questions are welcome. If you wish to submit a question in advance, please send these to hosea.eng@manchester.ac.uk or use the registration form by 12pm on Friday 10th February 2023. We do hope you will be able to join the meeting.
Additionally, for each response submitted the University will also make a £2 charitable donation, split equally between the following good causes:
The NSS is the only national survey of its kind and asks your views on a range of topics that have shaped your time at University – from teaching, feedback and support to resources and how you’ve been listened to. You can find further information here.
A grand prize will be awarded to the winner, plus a personalised mentorship and tech bundle worth £800!! Simply follow this link and enter the competition!!
The University will remain open during the periods of the strike action, however, some face-to-face teaching activities, such as lectures, examples classes, labs etc, may be affected. You can find out more information about why staff are striking on the UCU website.
Welcome 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 - Mean Samurai by JayForty
Each of the coloured areas and the centre 4x4 is a 4x4 sudoku grid using four of the digits 1-9. Different areas may use different digits. Adjacent digits along a green line must differ by at least 5. A pink line contains a set of consecutive numbers, in any order. (In green, there are two separate lines that cross). Digits along an arrow sum to the digit in that arrow's circle. Cells separated by a black dot contain digits in a 1:2 ratio (ie one digit will be double the other). Cells separated by an X contain digits that sum to 10.
Bonus Puzzle - Dotchi Loop by Otto Janko
Draw a singe closed loop in the grid which passes through a cell at most once, but does not necessarily pass through all cells. The sections of the loop run horizontally and vertically between the centers of orthogonally adjacent cells. The Loop must pass through all white circles and must not pass through any black circle. Within each region , the loop must either turn in all white circles or go straight through all white circles.
Chess Puzzle - Caberoglu Vs. Milanovic, 2018
Drag and drop the White pieces to win the match.
Answers to the Previous Week
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 30th January 2023, and the start of semester 2. Hopefully, you got through your exams okay and now ready to get started all over again! As this is a new semester, then you have a new teaching timetable to follow. Please keep an eye on your timetable as changes may be made over the next couple of weeks as course unit enrolment settles down, and we assign students to practical sessions to ensure there are no clashes. Don’t forget that the deadline to select course units is Friday 10th February 2023 (see below). Please note that the emails used to contact student support in the Department have changed (see below).
On Tuesday two alumni of the Department, Peter Sutton and Lloyd Henning, will present their award winning show “Robot Chef”, an interactive experience combining tech, music, and comedy. If you are free then I highly recommend attending, everyone is welcome (see below).
Have a good week, on with today’s news … where we welcome back Gareth’s Puzzle Corner after its Christmas break.
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | Deadlines Chart | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | SSLC | Student Support Hub | Wellbeing Team | Wellbeing Support | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | CS Support Desk | IT Support
Additionally, for each response submitted the University will also make a £2 charitable donation, split equally between the following good causes:
The NSS is the only national survey of its kind and asks your views on a range of topics that have shaped your time at University – from teaching, feedback and support to resources and how you’ve been listened to. You can find further information here.
So, the first day of action will take place on Wednesday this week. The University will remain open during the periods of the strike action, however, some teaching activities, such as lectures, may be affected. You can find out more information about why staff are striking on the UCU website.
Welcome 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 - Foggy Minefield by Albin Bernhardsson
Normal sudoku rules apply. The grid is covered mostly in darkness. Placing correct digits in cells will illuminate more of the grid. Digits must not repeat within a cage, and must sum to the given total. The given total is always in the uppermost, leftmost cell in the cage. All cells which correctly show the number of adjacent nines (including diagonally) are marked with circles. Bonus Hint: Remember all of the rules, I got stuck for a while because I forgot to use all of the rules.
Bonus Puzzle - Starbattle by Nyancharov
In each row, column, and area of the diagram, fill in as many stars as indicated for each puzzle. Cells with stars cannot touch each other orthogonally or diagonally .
Chess Puzzle - Pert Vs. McClement, 2022
Drag and drop the White pieces to win the match.
Answers to the Previous Week
You can view the answers to the quiz questions from week 12 of semester 1 here.
Good morning. It’s Monday 23rd January 2023, and it’s the 2nd week of the semester 1 exams. I hope your exams are going well! Teaching resumes next week with the start of semester 2 teaching period, so your personal timetable should now show activities for your semester 2 course units. If you have yet to finalise your course units, then it’s important you do so by the deadline (see below) as changes cannot be made after this date.
Don’t forget that Monday Mail is here to celebrate your successes and achievements. If you have any news you’d like to let CS UG students know about (such as your success at a Hackathon) then please let me know.
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 Team | Wellbeing Support | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | CS Support Desk | IT Support
You can refer yourself to the counselling service by booking an appointment online. Remember you can always contact the Department welfare team, who are are always available to offer any help or advice at any time.
Better yet, the 23/24 Officers will be paid over £22k for the year and get 30 days holiday + closure days! An Exec Officer role is full-time, salaried position – just like any job – and you can apply at whatever stage you’re at in your studies. Check out the roles and more information here.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 16th January 2023. Welcome back, and Happy New Year! I hope you managed to take some time to relax and take a break over the Christmas vacation.
The Semester 1 examinations start this week and run over the next two weeks, finishing on Friday 27th January. Almost all exams will be held on-campus, so please make sure that you are familiar with your exam timetable and the location of your scheduled exams. If you have any issues on the day of an exam then please contact the student hub immediately. I wish you the very best of luck in your exams!
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 Team | Wellbeing Support | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | CS Support Desk | IT Support
Please make sure you are prepared to leave the building at least 15 minutes before it closes to give you time to pack away your belongings and make your way to the nearest exit. Please note, non-FSE students will not have swipe card access after 6pm Monday to Friday, or over weekends. The opening hours of the Kilburn Building will remain the same.
Exam Preparation Tips:
What to expect on the day:
Follow us on Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | Discord to get updated. Visit our website and follow us for the latest events.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 12th December 2022, Week 12, and it’s the last week of teaching in semester 1. I hope the semester has gone well for you. It’s certainly gone very quickly!
The course unit surveys open this week, so please provide us with feedback on how things have gone this semester and what we do to improve our teaching (see below). The exam timetable has now been released (see below), so please check when your exams are taking place and put them in your diary! If you are a second year student, then you have until 5pm today to submit your application for the Kneebone Acorn bursary (see below).
This will be the last Monday Mail until the first week of the exam period (w/c 16th January 2023). 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 in 2023!
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 Team | Wellbeing Support | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | CS Support Desk | IT Support
* EXAMS WELFARE SUPPORT. This from the Welfare Team: As you are aware, the exams are approaching in January. This can be a challenging time for some of you, so please make use of the Welfare Team. Just contact us by email if you need any help and support. The Counselling and Mental Health Service run regular workshops all year round to help you get ready for exams, manage your current coursework or tasks and they also provide general wellbeing tips. You can find information on workshops you can attend, as well as 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.
If you do not register with a GP and you need to apply for Mitigating Circumstances, then you will not have evidence or a record of your illness. Failure to provide evidence with an application will likely result in a rejected application by the Mitigating Circumstances panel. As always, if you have been unwell recently or you are struggling and would like to organise a confidential conversation about your situation, then please contact the welfare team.
Over the Christmas break you can contact your year tutor by email. However, please be aware that staff will be taking time off, so may not respond immediately.
* LIBRARY OPENING TIMES. This from Gemma Smith: There will be reduced hours for the Main Library from Saturday, 17th to Thursday, 22nd December 2022:
The Main Library will be closed from Friday, 23rd December 2022 until Monday, 2nd January 2023. All other Library sites will be closed from Friday 23rd December 2022 until Monday 2nd January 2023. For full information, read this news article from the Library.
However, the AGLC will be closed on Christmas Day (Sunday 25th December 2022) and Boxing Day (Monday 26th December 2022). For full information, read this news article from the Library.
Welcome 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 Secret by Marty Sears
Normal sudoku rules apply. The digits in each grey region sum to 45. Using different colours, colour 5 separate paths of orthogonally connected cells, each starting and ending at a different grey circle. No cell sits on more than one path (paths must not overlap each other or the grey regions). The digits along each coloured path must also sum to 45. Cells connected by a white dot contain consecutive digits. Not all white dots are necessarily given.
Bonus Puzzle - Mathgrid by puzzlemadness.co.uk
The aim of MathGrid is to move all the clues under the grid in to the grid so that all of the calculations are correct.
Chess Puzzle - L'Ami Vs. Spoelman, 2008
Drag and drop the Black pieces to win the match.
Answers to the Previous Week
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 5th December 2022 and it’s Week 11, the penultimate week of teaching this semester! Good luck to all first years who are giving their project presentations this week. The 1st year project presentations take place on Friday in Manchester Engineering Building A (more below). Everyone is invited to take a look at the projects proposed by the 1st year tutorial groups, so please attend the poster session if you are free.
If you are a second year, then please don’t forget to consider applying for the Kate Kneebone Acorn Bursary, an annual award in memory of a former student of the Department, Kate Kneebone (details below). The deadline is next Monday, the 12th December.
Have a good week, on with today’s news ... (come on England!)
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | Deadlines Chart | Handbook | Courses | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | SSLC | Student Support Office | Wellbeing Team | Wellbeing Support | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | CS Support Desk | IT Support
We understand that the cost of living crisis is ongoing, and we’ll be continuing to develop our support offer through the year. You can find full details about all the support on offer, including the Students’ Union offer, on our Cost of Living webpages.
The workshops are available for both non-native English speakers and native speakers, as writing academic English can be challenging for all. UCAE provide a team of experienced tutors who can support you, and boost your confidence to work independently in English. If you would like to attend a workshop, then you will need to register via the UCAE webpage. You can find more information on the range of UCAE workshops to help with your studies on the UCAE website.
Find out more on Student News website.
The Main Library will be closed from Friday, 23rd December 2022 until Monday, 2nd January 2023. All other Library sites will be closed from Friday 23rd December 2022 until Monday 2nd January 2023. For full information, read this news article from the Library.
However, the AGLC will be closed on Christmas Day (Sunday 25th December 2022) and Boxing Day (Monday 26th December 2022). For full information, read this news article from the Library.
Welcome 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 - BYO Renbanmometers by Memeristor
Normal sudoku rules apply. Along “renbanmometers”, digits must increase from the bulb end and form a non-repeating consecutive sequence. The renbanmometers in this puzzle are all hidden, only their bulbs and tips are given. Bulbs are larger circles while tips are smaller circles. Corresponding tips and bulbs share the same colour (and letter). Renbanmometers can move diagonally or orthogonally, but renbanmometers cannot ever cross and different renbanmometers cannot share a cell.
Bonus Puzzle - Futoshiki by puzzlemadness.co.uk
The aim of Futoshiki is to place the numbers 1 to 5 (or higher, if the puzzle is larger) into each row and column of the puzzle so that no number is repeated in a row or column and so that all of the inequality signs (< and >) are obeyed.
Chess Puzzle - Geet Vs. Schaardenburg, 1993
Drag and drop the White pieces to win the match.
Answers to the Previous Week
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 28th November 2022 and it’s Week 10. We are rapidly closing in on the end of the teaching period, with just a few more weeks to go until the Christmas break. Don’t forget that the semester one exams take place in January during the period from Monday 16th to Friday 27th January 2023, so now may be a good time to start thinking about your revision planning. The University usually releases the exam timetable around mid-December (more 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).
Don’t forget that strike action by members of UCU will take place again this week, meaning that activities on Wednesday 30th November may be impacted as a result.
Hope you are enjoying the World Cup! 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 Team | Wellbeing Support | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | CS Support Desk | IT Support
You can find out more through the FAQs.
This link provides further workshops you can attend as well as 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 with welfare or drop by the student support hub between Mon-Fri 9am-5pm if you wish to speak to someone confidentially about anything that might be affecting you and your studies. Also, remember to contact your Academic Adviser (personal tutor or project supervisor) if you are struggling and feel you need guidance academically.
Welcome 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 - Non-Venomous by Scruffamudda
Normal sudoku rules apply. Within the grid lies a single snake of orthogonally connected cells which does not touch itself (even diagonally). The first and last cell on the snake contain the digit 9. Digits placed on circles and squares show the number of snake cells in the surrounding (up to) 9 cells including the circle or square itself if it is on the snake. Circles contain odd digits; squares contain even digits.
Bonus Puzzle - Tents by puzzlemadness.co.uk
Your task is to insert tents in the grid so that, each tree is paired with a tent - the tent must be next to the tree horizontally or vertically. Tents are never placed next to each other, including diagonally. The horizontal and vertical clues tell you how many tents are in that row or column.
Chess Puzzle - Kairbekova Vs. Florito, 2021
Drag and drop the White pieces to win the match.
Answers to the Previous Week
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning! It’s Monday 21st November 2022, and it’s Week 9. 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). We often get asked questions that can be easily answered by looking in the handbook, so please make use of it as a resource.
It’s good to see the University support our students by offering cost of living support. There’s some news below I’m sure you will want to read!
Glad to hear that GreatUniHack went well over the weekend of the 12th/13th November; the winning teams are listed below. Well done to the UniCS team for organising such a great, and well attended, event, and congratulations to all those who took part. It’s great to see our students getting involved in activities such as GreatUniHack.
Just a reminder that UCU strike action is taking place this week on Thursday and Friday, which may impact some teaching activities.
Have a great 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 Team | Wellbeing Support | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | CS Support Desk | IT Support
The following teams were the winners of GreatUniHack 2022:
Thank you to all the participants, sponsors and volunteers, who made that event happen! We hope to see you at StudentHack, which is going to take place around March or April.
Find out more information here, and do let me know (daniel.dresner@manchester.ac.uk) if you're entering.
and more about the potential of ANN in more complex scenarios. Beginners are more welcome, and the content is explained in detail.
More details of this workshop are below:
Make sure to get your tickets to the event before the spaces become full! Get yours for FREE using this link.
For more info or to book visit the International Society’s website.
Places are limited, so reserve a ticket as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
Welcome 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 - X + Y = 15 by Spelldaddy
Normal sudoku rules apply. Cages show their sums. Digits may not repeat within a cage. Two digits separated by an X sum to 10, and two digits separated by a V sum to 5. Not all Xs or Vs are necessarily given.
Bonus Puzzle - Fillomino by puzzlemadness.co.uk
Divide the grid along the dotted lines into regions called polyominoes so that no two polyominoes with the same area share an edge. Inside some cells are numbers; each number must represent the area of the polyomino it belongs to. A polyomino may contain zero, one, or more of the given numbers.
Chess Puzzle - Helm Vs. Sattler, 2011
Drag and drop the Black pieces to win the match.
Answers to the Previous Week
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning! It’s Monday 14th November 2022, and it’s Week 8. I hope everything is going well and you are managing to keep up with 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 our welfare team (see below). This is particularly important as we enter the latter part of the semester where you may find that you have more coursework to complete, and you may start to feel overwhelmed. If any issues have prevented you from submitting by a deadline (illness etc) then you should complete the work, submit late and then submit a late flag removal request (see below) - although it is important to note that for some course units work cannot be submitted late.
Finally, well done to all the students who took part in the UK and Ireland Programming Competition, and I hope those who attended Great Uni Hack over the weekend had a great time!
Have a great 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 Team | Wellbeing Support | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | CS Support Desk | IT Support
If you do not register with a GP and you need to apply for Mitigating Circumstances, then you will not have evidence or a record of your illness. Failure to provide evidence with an application will likely result in a rejected application by the Mitigating Circumstances panel. As always, if you have been unwell recently or you are struggling and would like to organise a confidential conversation about your situation, then please contact the welfare team and a member of the team will organise an appointment with you.
You can find out more about the campaign here.
The guest speakers are:
The panel will introduce themselves, their current role within their company, as well as their hobbies and interests. They will talk about their career paths- academic background and how they achieved their current role. Topics will include experience as a woman in STEM, any challenges faced and overcome, future career goals. There will be opportunities for students to ask lots of questions and gain invaluable advice on how to succeed in their career. There will be a chance to network and connect with the speakers and other students.
Trips:
For more info or to book click here.
Events:
For more info or to book click here.
Come along to our Open Day on Wednesday, 16th November and find out how postgraduate research (PGR) at Manchester could change your tomorrow, or visit our dedicated Postgraduate Research pages for more information.
Welcome 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 - Go The Right Way by Panthera
Normal sudoku rules apply. Some Japanese sums rules apply: There is a 6x6 grid in boxes 5/6/8/9. Blue cells in boxes 2/3/4/7 act as Japanese sum clues for this 6x6 grid, giving the sum of contiguous runs of blue-shaded cells within the grid. Two-digit clues are read top-to-bottom or left-to-right. There must be an unshaded cell between runs of the same color. A black dot separates digits with a 1 to 2 ratio. A white dot separates digits with a difference of 1 (or the given number when given). Not all dots are given. Fog rules apply. The fog will clear as you place digits correctly. See this video for an explanation of the rules.
Bonus Puzzle - LITS Up by puzzlemadness.co.uk
The grid is split up in to regions with at least 4 cells each, your aim is to insert a Tetromino in each region such that, Two Tetrominoes of the same type can't touch horizontally or vertically. Additionally, this applies to rotations and reflections as well. The Tetrominoes should form one continuous area. 2×2 filled cells are not allowed. Tetrominoes are the possible shapes made of 4 connecting cells. There are 5 Tetromino shapes in total: L, I, T, S, and O, but rule 3 means we can't use the 'O' Tetromino. This is where the name of the puzzle comes from.
Chess Puzzle - Georgiev Vs. Mahajan, 2022
Drag and drop the White pieces to win the match.
Answers to the Previous Week
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning! It’s Monday 7th November 2022, it’s Week 7, and we are into November already! I hope you managed to take some time off during reading week to recharge your batteries, remember that normal teaching activities resume this week, so check out your timetable. As we progress through the remainder of the semester you may find that deadlines start to accumulate. It's important that you plan your time and do not leave coursework to the last minute, so make use of the deadlines chart (see below) to see when deadlines fall.
Have a great 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 Team | Wellbeing Support | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | CS Support Desk | IT Support
These can all be found under the ‘Mandatory training’ tab on the CS UG Community Page on Blackboard. If you haven’t already done so, then please complete these. Failure to complete the training will result in restrictions being put in place, for example, you will not be able to view your exam results.
More details of this workshop are below:
Trips:
For more info or to book click here.
Events:
For more info or to book click here.
This will be carried out on Microsoft Teams. To register, please email emily.robertson@manchester.ac.uk.
Cost of Living Support and Assessment Feedback are topics for discussion at this term’s forum, which is open to all Faculty of Science and Engineering students. Come along and share your views - refreshments will be provided. To secure your place, sign up to take part by 4pm on Tuesday, 8 November. If you wish to sign up after this point, please email studentreps@manchester.ac.uk for the joining information. We look forwards to seeing you there!
Come along to our Open Day on Wednesday, 16 November and find out how postgraduate research (PGR) at Manchester could change your tomorrow, or visit our dedicated Postgraduate Research pages for more information.
Welcome back to Gareth’s Puzzle Corner, this is your weekly fix of brain teasers and logic puzzles. Today we have five puzzles to tackle: an easier Sudoku, a more challenging Sudoku, a different form of logic puzzle, a chess puzzle, and finally a puzzle from the Crackchester team for you to mull over! 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 - Pinwheel by Paradox
Normal sudoku rules apply. Digits cannot repeat along the indicated diagonal. Digits in a cage cannot repeat and (if given) must sum to the total in the top left corner. Digits on an arrow must sum to the number in the attached circle. A clue outside the grid either shows the total of a diagonal, if indicated, or otherwise the sum of the digits sandwiched between the 1 and 9 in the column or row. Not all sandwich clues are given, but none would be zero. The numbers on a line must be between the circled digits. Digits joined by a white dot must be consecutive, not all dots are given.
Bonus Puzzle - Masyu Up by puzzlemadness.co.uk
The aim is to draw a path round the grid so that it passes through every black and every white node. These are the rules. The path must turn on a black node. However, it must pass straight through the nodes before and after. The path must pass straight through a white node. However, it must turn on one (or both) of the nodes before and after.
Chess Puzzle - Deysi Vs. Paehtz, 2020
Drag and drop the Black pieces to win the match.
Crackchester Puzzle
Can you figure out what this message says?
PBATE NGHYN GVBAF ABJFR
AQNQZ GBNPB ZZVGG RRZRZ
OREBA QVFPB EQ
Join the discord if you're stuck, or think you've solved it!
Answers to the Previous Week
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 31st October 2022, and it’s Week 6. It’s Halloween today … I hope it’s not too spooky for you! This week is reading week, so there are no teaching activities scheduled for COMP course units this week. However, you may still have some coursework to complete, or activities may still be running for some non-COMP course units. Please check your personal timetable if you are not sure. University buildings, including the Kilburn building, will be open as normal this week.
On Saturday (5th November), we celebrate Bonfire Night (or Guy Fawkes night) in the UK. What’s it all about? 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.
Have a great 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 Team | Wellbeing Support | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | CS Support Desk | IT Support
You can find contact details on the SSLC Blackboard page.
This 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. You can find out more information about the system here.
So, what are you waiting for? Visit the link above to find out more about the competition and register now for a chance to win amazing prizes!
This will be a chance for you to discuss big topics with your peers and academics and influence strategic change across the Faculty. We’ll be talking about Cost of Living Support and its impact on your student experience, as well as Assessment Feedback. In order to prepare for the Forum, you could think about examples of good practice, including examples of different forms of assessment and what good and bad feedback means. Alongside this, you may want to consider how the rising Cost of Living is impacting you. This will help your participation in the session. Refreshments will be provided. To secure your place, sign up to take part by 4pm on Tuesday, 8 November. If you wish to sign up after this point, please email for the joining information. We look forward to seeing you there!
When you leave the building, you must move to the safe assembly point, which for the Kilburn Building is the open area outside of the chaplaincy (north side of Kilburn) and for the IT building is outside George Kenyon Hall.
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 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 - Distant Relatives by Agent
Divide the grid into regions and enter into each cell the size of its region (ie how many cells large it is). No two regions of the same size may share an edge. A number in a cell with an arrow indicates the distance to the nearest copy of that same number in every indicated direction. Not all arrows are necessarily given.
Bonus Puzzle - Number Maze Up by puzzlemadness.co.uk
We start at the number 1, and we must draw a single line through the numbers 2, 3, and 4 covering every cell in the grid that isn't marked as blank.
Chess Puzzle - Neiksans Vs. Tihonov, 2006
Drag and drop the Black pieces to win the match.
Answers to the Previous Week
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning UG! It’s Monday 24th October 2022, and it’s Week 5 of teaching - we are rapidly making our way through the semester! Our student representatives across all four years have now been elected (more below). Thanks to all the students who nominated themselves to be student reps, and congratulations to those who were successfully voted onto the Student-Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC). I’m looking forward to hearing what ideas you have for improving the student experience in the Department.
It’s reading week next week (w/c 31st October), which means there are no teaching activities scheduled for COMP course units. However, you may still have activities scheduled for any non-COMP course units you are taking, and may still have some coursework to complete. Reading week is a good time to catch up on your work (including the 3rd year project) and maybe to do some revision of the material that has been taught so far. However, it is important that you take a break if you can.
Finally, don’t forget that on Sunday (30th October) the clocks go back by one hour, so you get an extra hour in bed!
Have a great 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 Team | Wellbeing Support | Report absence | Mitigating Circumstances | Counselling | MM Archive | Facebook | @csmcr | CS Support Desk | IT Support
You can find more information on their website. Remember you can also contact the Department welfare team, Guy and Maria, for help and advice.
Find out about the wellbeing activities that are taking place across the University here.
Then join your PASS session! Your session may not take place in the room that shows on your timetable. Your PASS leader should have made contact with you already to tell you the room you should be in. If you can't remember your PASS group or room, you can find a list here.
Find out more information about all the Society’s up and coming events.
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 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 - Renban-Anti-Kropki by Klaus
Normal sudoku rules apply. Digits along a line must be a set of consecutive digits in any order. No domino in the grid can consist of consecutive digits or digits with a ratio of 1:2 (In other words: normal Kropki rules apply, all dots are given).
Bonus Puzzle - Towers Up by puzzlemadness.co.uk
Each puzzle consists of an NxN grid with some clues along its sides. The object is to place a skyscraper in each square, with a height between 1 and N, so that no two skyscrapers in a row or column have the same number of floors. In addition, the number of visible skyscrapers, as viewed from the direction of each clue, is equal to the value of the clue. Note that higher skyscrapers block the view of lower skyscrapers located behind them.
Chess Puzzle - Kabanova Vs. Gunnarsson, 2020
Drag and drop the Black pieces to win the match.
Answers to the Previous Week
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning UG. It’s Monday 17th October, 2022, and we are into Week 4 of teaching. I hope everything is going okay. It’s that time of year when coughs and colds (as well as COVID!) are prevalent among the student (and staff) population. If you have symptoms, then you should stay at home to minimise the spread of infection. If illness impacts your ability to complete work by a deadline then you should aim to complete your work and submit it late, you can then apply to have the resulting late flag removed (see below). If you're unfortunate enough to be ill for more than a week, then please do fill in a mitigating circumstances form and tell us about all the assessments that were affected while you were getting caught up. Remember that you can find useful links in the Essential Links banner below.
If you have anything you would like to share in Monday Mail, such as advertising an event, promoting your success in a hackathon etc, then just send me an email.
Have a great 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
Further information about Safezone and how to register can be found online here.
We hope to see you there!
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 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. We also have a challenge from Crackchester this week. 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 - Ludoku by questionable_compensation
Normal sudoku rules apply. On green lines, adjacent digits differ by at least 5. Digits on the blue line must lie between the digits placed on either end of the line. On the red line, each set of 3 adjacent digits contains 1 number from each of the sets: (1,4,7) (2,5,8) (3,6,9). On the yellow line, each set of 3 adjacent digits contains 1 number from each of the sets: (1,2,3) (4,5,6) (7,8,9). The digit in a white circle must be in one of the cells connected to that circle. The central 'minimum' digit is smaller than its 4 orthogonally adjacent digits.
Bonus Puzzle - Light Up by puzzlemadness.co.uk
Your aim is to place light bulbs in to the grid so that all white cells in the grid are lit. No light bulb is allowed to light another light bulb. Some of the black cells in the grid will have number clues. This clue tells you how many light bulbs are surrounding that cell. A light bulb will light all the cells horizontally and vertically away from it until it either hits the grid's edge, or reaches a black cell.
Chess Puzzle - Nilssen Vs. Stalmach, 2020
Drag and drop the Black pieces to win the match.
Crackchester Puzzle
Can you complete the command to scan for web servers on a local network, including ones ignoring pings? There are (small) prizes for anyone who joins our discord and tells us the answer!
Answers to the Previous Week
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning! It’s Monday 10th October 2022, and it’s Week 3 of teaching. Course unit selection has now closed and you should be enrolled on your course units for this semester, if not, then you should contact the student support office, or the relevant year tutor if you have any queries. You may find that your timetable gets more busy from this week as labs for course units will have started, so planning your time is important - as is making sure you take regular breaks from your work! If you are experiencing any issues that may be impacting your learning, then you should speak to the relevant Year Tutor or a member of the Department Welfare Team (see below).
Voting for student representatives is now open (see below), so please vote. Student reps are appointed by you to represent you, so it’s important you make your vote count!
Lot's of news today. Have a great week ...
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 onus is on you to ensure that you submit your work properly and by the deadline. We will not point out you haven't submitted your work.
Your requirements have been captured in our final report and will help us to choose a new DLE that works for all. You can learn more about the report in this presentation, which summarises the content. What are the next steps? The process of choosing a new product for our DLE (and putting it in place) will take a few years – and there’ll be plenty of ways for you to get involved throughout that time. We’re planning even more student engagement opportunities, to make sure the system we choose works for everyone – and we’ll be sure to share these opportunities with you. If you have any questions about the Digital Learning Environment Review at this stage, you can contact us at FlexibleLearning@manchester.ac.uk. A huge thank you once again for all contributions to the project so far.
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 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 - srelliK esreveR by Kuraban
Normal sudoku rules apply. A clue outside the grid shows the total of the X number of cells, starting on the OPPOSITE side of the grid, where X is the first cell next to the clue. Cages show their totals.
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 - Saito Vs. Alvares, 2020
Drag and drop the Black pieces to win the match.
Answers to the Previous Week
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
[End of The Monday Mail - Week 3 - Semester 1 AY22 - #22.04
Good morning! It’s Monday 3rd October 2022, and it’s Week 2 of teaching (October already!). I hope everything has settled down and you now know your timetable and where your teaching activities take place. If you are an overseas student and you are struggling with English then the University Centre for Academic English are offering a number of workshops (see below). Don't forget that the deadline for choosing any optional course units is 15:30 this Friday (7th October). If you are a 1st year student who has yet to complete the boot-up labs, then it's essential you do so, as you will need to set up Git which you will need for a number of course units (more below). Finally, a big welcome to our new Head of Department, Prof Andrew Stewart (more below).
Have a great 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 refer yourself to the counselling service by booking an appointment online. Remember you can always contact the Department welfare team are for any advice or help at any time.
This 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 the welfare team. 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. Students may occasionally not attend a scheduled activity for genuine reason, such as illness, or may forget to check in. We are not concerned with the odd missed activity, more any prolonged pattern of absence, which may cause us concern. If you miss the odd activity, or you forget to check-in, then please do not contact staff to ask for your attendance to be recorded, as amending a record is not possible after the event has finished. You will not get access to My Attendance until you have completed your registration. Once you have done, you may have to wait a while until you can use the system.
For more information and to book.
For any questions on the new home of Engineering and Materials please contact team@manchester.ac.uk.
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 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. We also have a 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 - Huey, Dewey, Louie by Crusader175
Normal sudoku rules apply. Digits along an arrow must sum to the digit in that arrow's circle. Divide the digits 1-9 into three different groups. Digits with the same letter must be in the same group. Two digits from the same group may not touch orthogonally.
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 - Lange Vs. Papadopoulos, 2020
Drag and drop the Black pieces to draw the match.
Crackchester Puzzle
Can you identify the issue with this short snippet of code? There are (small) prizes for anyone who joins our discord and tells us the answer!
Answers to the Previous Week
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning! It’s Monday 26th September 2022, and it’s the first week of teaching in semester 1. Please make sure you know your teaching timetable (see below) and, more importantly, where activities are scheduled, as these can take place at different locations across the campus. I hope you have settled into life in Manchester and have managed to get out and explore the campus and all the sights that Manchester has to offer. I’m sure it will soon feel like home.
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, your awards are very well deserved! Also, well done to Phoebe Pinney for her winning entry in the Kilburn window design competition, you can see her eye-catching design below. Phoebe’s artwork will be immortalised on the large window looking out onto Oxford Road (top right hand side of Kilburn looking from Oxford Road).
Have a great week, on with today’s news ...
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | 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
Huge congratulations to all, really well done and just rewards for all your efforts. Give yourself a big pat on the back!
You can also attend an online drop-in session or visit us on campus to learn about using the Library from our friendly team:
Find out more:
For further help see our Library Help pages or talk to us via LibraryChat.
Welcome 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 Quiet Box by Akash Doulani
Normal sudoku rules apply. Along green lines, neighbouring digits differ by at least 5. A purple line shows a sequence of consecutive digits, not necessarily in order.
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 - Maidla Vs. Smyslov, 1996
Drag and drop the White pieces to regain material.
Answers to the Previous Week
The answers to last week's puzzles can be found here.
Good morning! It’s Monday 19th September 2022, it’s Welcome Week and the start of a new academic year. Today is a bank holiday (a national holiday) due to the state funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, so there are no activities scheduled today and the University is closed. However, there are plenty of activities happening during the rest of the week (more details below). If you are a new student joining us, then welcome to the Department of Computer Science. My name is Paul Nutter and I’m the Undergraduate Programme Director, which basically means I’m responsible for the day-to-day running of the undergraduate degree programmes in the Department. This is our weekly undergraduate newsletter, which is sent to all undergraduate students every Monday morning (hence the name) during term-time.
If you are a returning student, then welcome back! I hope you had a good summer and, hopefully, found some time to relax and recharge your batteries.
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! Our students are involved in lots of activities and events, for example university societies, PASS and hackathons. We use Monday Mail to tell you all about what’s happened and what our students have achieved. If there’s anything you’d like to share via Monday Mail, then please send me an email.
A lot has happened over the summer in the Department and in the Kilburn building (see below). What we’ve missed over the past few years, mostly as a result of the COVID pandemic, is the community feel in the Department. I’d really like to see this sense of community return and, hopefully, for you to think of the Kilburn building as your home. We’ve even put a brand new sign up on the lower first floor to identify it as the home of Computer Science students!
Have a great week, I'll hopefully see you around ...
Paul
Undergraduate Programme Director
Essential links: My.Manchester | UG Webpages | SPOT | 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 team will always do their best to answer your query, but if they can’t, they will sign-post you to the right place. We also have private spaces for you to discuss confidential issues with our staff. So, if you have any questions or need support then just pop along to see us.
Contact details can be found below in the year tutor open hour section below.