NTU 2014/2015 Semester 1 Exam Results

Well done, Lim Min!

CS3233 Module (IOI 2015 Workshop) trainees

The CS3233 selection has concluded on 22 Dec 2014. The following students (year of study indicated is in 2015) are selected to join NUS CS3233 students on every Wednesday night 6-9.15pm @ COM1-Basement-PL2 (Programming Lab 2) to learn the next level of competitive programming.

NUS High
Howe Choong Yin, Year 6
Jacob Teo, Year 3
Clarence Chew, Year 4
Nicholas Toh, Year 5
Daniel Low, Year 5
Feng Xinyuan, Year 4
Sean Pek, Year 6
Lim Li, Year 4

Raffles Institution
Pang Wen Yuen, Year 4
Zhang Guangxuan, Year 4
Wu Guanqun, Year 6
Mohideen Imran Khan, Year 6
Bradley Teo, Year 4
Desmond Cheong, Year 6
Justin Hou, Year 6

Hwa Chong Institution
Ho Jie Feng, Year 6
Damian Ho, Year 3
Zeng Fan Pu, Year 6
Wang Zhi Jian, Year 6

Raffles Girls' School
Lee Estelle, Year 3

Jobs for Mathematics Graduates

Source: Mathematics Department, University of California, Davis

Why Choose a Mathematics-Related Profession ?

Mathematics teaches patience, discipline, and step-by-step problem-solving skills. For those with a substantial background in mathematics, an unlimited number of career opportunuities are available. According to Jobs Rated Almanac , a 1990 publication of World Almanac Books of New York, NY, careers that require a very strong background in mathematics were listed as the five "best" jobs. They were :

• software engineer
• actuary
• computer systems analyst
• computer programmer
• mathematician

Almost all of the top fifty jobs in this "best" jobs list involved mathematical reasoning and knowledge. This list was the result of the comparison of two hundred fifty jobs classified according to :

• income
• future outlook
• physical demands
• job security
• stress
• work environment

A List of Professions

The following list briefly describes work associated with some mathematics-related professions :

• actuary-- assemble and analyze statistics to calculate probabilities of death, sickness, injury, disability, unemployment, retirement, and property loss; design insurance and pension plans and ensure that they are maintained on a sound financial basis
• mathematics teacher-- introduce students to the power and beauty of mathematics in elementary, junior high, or high school mathematics courses
• operations research analyst-- assist organizations (manufacturers, airlines, military) in developing the most efficient, cost-effective solutions to organizational operations and problems; this includes strategy, forecasting, resource allocation, facilities layout, inventory control, personnel schedules, and distribution systems
• statistician-- collect, analyze, and present numerical data resulting from surveys and experiments
• physician-- diagnose patient illnesses, prescribe medication, teach classes, mentor interns, and do clinical research; students with a good mathematics background will find themselves being admitted to the best medical schools and discover that mathematics has prepared them well for the discipline, analysis, and problem- solving required in the field of medicine
• research scientist-- model atmospheric conditions to gain insight into the effect of changing emissions from cars, trucks, power plants, and factories; apply these models in the development of alternative fuels
• computer scientist-- interface the technology of computers with the underlying mathematical principles of such diverse applications as medical diagnoses, graphics animation, interior design, cryptogrraphy, and parallel computers
• inventory strategist-- analyze historical sales data, model forecast uncertainty to design contingency plans, and analyze catalog displays to make them more successful; analyze consumer responses
• staff systems air traffic control analyst-- apply probability, statistics, and logistsics to air traffic control operations; use simulated aircraft flight to monitor air traffic control computer systems
• cryptologist-- design and analyze schemes used to transmit secret information
• attorney-- research, comprehend, and apply local, state, and federal laws; a good background in mathematics will help a student get admitted to law school and assist in the understanding of complicated theoretical legal concepts
• economist-- interpret and analyze the interrelationships among factors which drive the economics of a particular organization, industry, or country
• mathematics professor-- teach mathematics classes, do theoretical research, and advise undergraduate and graduate students at colleges and universities
• environmental mathematician-- work as member of interdisciplinary team of scientists and professionals studying problems at specific Superfund sites; communicate effectively across many academic discilplines and be able to summarize work in writing
• robotics engineer-- combine mathematics, engineering, and computer science in the study and design of robots
• geophysical mathematician -- develop the mathematical basis for seismic imaging tools used in the exploration and production of oil and gas reservoirs
• design -- use computer graphics and mathematical modeling in the design and construction of physical prototypes; integrate geometric design with cost-effective manufacturing of resulting products
• ecologist -- study the interrelationships of organisms and their environments and the underlying mathematical dynamics
• geodesist -- study applied science involving the precise measurement of the size and shape of the earth and its gravity field (courtesy of Bruce Hedquist)
• photogrammetrist -- study the applied science of multi-spectral image acquisition from terrestrial, aerial and satellite camera platforms, followed up by the image processing, analysis, storage, display, and distribution in various hard-copy and digital format (courtesy of Bruce Hedquist)
• civil engineer -- plan, design, and manage the construction of land vehicle, aircraft, water, and energy transport systems; analyze and control systems for land vehicular traffic; analyze and control environmental systems for sewage and water treatment; develop sites for industrial, commercial and residential home use; analyze and control systems for storm water drainage and storage; manage construction of foundations, structures and buildings; analyze construction materials ; and surface soils and subterranean material analysis (courtesy of Bruce Hedquist)

IOI Workshop 2014/2015

Lim Li is currently attending the December '2014 IOI (International Olympiad in Informatics) Workshop held at Icube Building, School of Computing, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 10 am to 5 pm. The programme for the IOI workshop is found here.

In the past, the IOI workshops (also known as the NUS CS3233 Competitive Programming elective module) started in January. This December workshop which is conducted by ex-IOI participants, commenced about a year or two ago, to provide more training for IOI potentials and to select high school candidates for the CS3233 module, which is typically held from January to April. Both Lim Min and Lim Jeck had attended this workshop conducted by Dr Steven Halim before (refer to here and here). Participants who obtain Silver and above medal in the National Olympiad in Informatics (NOI) (refer NOI 2014 website) and who are Singapore Citizens or Permanent Residents will be invited to join the IOI workshop after the NOI prize presentation in March.

The workshop is structured and well organized. The lesson notes are available and an analysis of the workshop's training contests is done. For example, you can see the analysis of Day 1 contest here. Lim Li did a commendable job :)

Lim Li is also currently providing Math Olympiad training to a Primary 5 boy, every Sunday from 10 am to 12 noon (only for the November/December holidays). She is teaching him SMO Junior topics (Sec 1 and 2 Math Olympiad stuff), and also guiding him to tackle the more challenging SMOPS questions. More recently, she is giving Math tuition to a Sec 2 girl from an IP school.

SG Cares - Volunteering Opportunities in Singapore

For those who are keen to do volunteer work in Singapore, but who are concerned about time commitment once you have signed up for volunteerism with an organisation/group/individuals, look no further than SG Cares, which has ample flexible volunteering opportunities. You can choose to volunteer with the elderly, disabled, environment and the arts, among many other different causes in the community. There’ll be an activity to interest every volunteer.

You can check out the monthly calendar for any activity that you are interested in. For example, SG Cares' December 2014 activity calendar is as follows. Read the FAQ for more details.

Start volunteering today!

Clean & Green Singapore Jigsaw Puzzle Challenge

Our team A (comprising Lim Jeck, Lim Min and myself) was the only team among 15 competing teams which completed the puzzle, and emerged the champion to win $210 NTUC Fairprice vouchers. Our team B came in 3rd, and won $120 NTUC Fairprice vouchers. Clarence Chew & family team won a consolation prize with $60 NTUC Fairprice vouchers.

Year 3 Semester 2 Progress Report

Lim Li's Year 3 Semester 2 results are as follows:

BL3106 Basic Animal Physiology II B
CL3102 Chinese 3B B+
CM3108 Advanced Chemistry II B+
CM3306 CheMagic Pass
CS3204 Object Oriented Programming I A-
DV3101 Research Methodology Merit
DV4201 Independent Research Project Merit
EC3102 Foundation Microeconomics I B+
EL3103 Introduction to Expositions B
MA3115 Advanced Mathematics II A+
PC3110 Mechanics A+
PC3201 Physics Olympiad Training I A-

Semestral Grade Point Average (GPA): 4.3
Cumulative Average Point (CAP): 4.5

Mentor's Remarks

Conduct: Very Good
Lim Li is a motivated student with an enquiring mind.  She is bright, conscientious and hardworking. Lim Li has the determination to do well in her studies and successfully handles multiple demands from teachers and peers. This semester, she had represented the school in the China Girls Mathematical Olympiad (CGMO 2014) and won the silver medal. Well done, Lim Li!

AIO 2014 Results

Some 275 students from Australia, Singapore and New Zealand attempted the Intermediate and Senior divisions of the Australian Informatics Olympiad (AIO) 2014. There were 23 Gold, 45 Silver and 75 Bronze Awards.

Singapore's award winners are as follows:

Intermediate Division

Gold
Jacob Teo, NUS High
Lim Li, NUS High
Lee Zen Been, NUS High
Nicholas Teo, NUS High
Wayne Tee, NUS High
Clarence Chew, NUS High

Silver
Qiu Siqi, NUS High
Feng Xinyuan, NUS High
Tan Wei Liang, NUS High
Jedidiah Koh, NUS High
Daniel Low, NUS High
Daniel Sim, NUS High
Pranav Dahiya, National JC
Ian Yong, NUS High
Le Tran Kien, National JC
Choo Yi Kai, NUS High
Leong Yu Siang, NUS High
Koh Jin Ming, NUS High

Bronze
Quek Sze Leong, NUS High
Jerome Leow, Dunman High
Chua Hou, NUS High
Ong Chung Yean, NUS High
Shashvat Shukia, NUS High
Marion Pang, NUS High
Khai Yew Jen, National JC
Wayne Lim, NUS High
Sonia Arumuganainar, NUS High
Tan Jun Hong, NUS High
Bryan Lim, Anderson JC
Tan Qi En, NUS High
Isaac Ong, Dunman High
Sahad Zahir, NUS High
John Zhou, NUS High
Rayhan Rahadian, NUS High
Zachary Teo, Anderson JC

Senior Division

Gold
Howe Choong Yin, NUS High
Pan Song, Dunman High
Chong Shao Wei, NUS High
Ryan Chew, NUS High

Silver
Muhd Irham Rasyidi, NUS High
Jerrold Tan, NUS High
Uriel Tan, NUS High
Lee Yi Min, NUS High
Yu Shiyang, NUS High
Wang Zexin, Dunman High
Eliot Lim, NUS High

Bronze
Sui Dongchen, Dunman High
Sean Pek, NUS High
Lee Changyoon, NUS High
Liu Chengpei, National JC
Dee Pei Fang, NUS High
Leow Wen Bin, NUS High
Lim Yu Chen, NUS High
Michelle Angelica Anthony, NUS High
Wu Chenmu, Dunman High
He Miao, National JC
Leong Xuhua, Dunman High
Bryan Ong, Dunman High

Full list of winners and their scores

SIMO Senior Team 2014/2015

SIMO Senior Team 2014/2015 (33)

NUS High (13)
Matthew Chia, Y1
Daniel Leong, Y1
Zhang Xiaorui, Y1
Elizabeth Chow, Y1
Ho Pin Hui, Y2
Jacob Teo, Y2
Gabriel Goh, Y2
Joshua Teo, Y2
Ker Chin Tian, Y2
Jedidiah Koh, Y3
Lim Li, Y3
Lee Zheng Han, Y3
Daniel Low, Y4

RI (15)
Khor Jun Wei, Y1
Li Chenxu, Y1
Liu Siyong, Y1
Ang Ben Xuan, Y2
Caleb Leow Yong Quan, Y2
Chen Luting, Y2
Lee Ker Yang, Y2
Isaac Lee Yong Le, Y2
Rohith Srinivas, Y2
Seah Fengyu, Y2
Wang Jianzhi, Y2
Zhang Guang Xuan, Y3
Lee Yu Tse, Y4
Lee Yuan, Y4
Shi Jing Lin, Y4

HCI (2)
Ng Yu Peng, Y1
Goh Hong Pei, Y3

Primary Schools (3)
Lucas Boo Tse Yang, Nanyang Primary, P5
Timothy Ho Li Xiong, ACS(I) Primary, P6
Tan Wee Kean, Catholic Primary, P6

Good Books and Resources for Mathematical Olympiad

Some people asked me to recommend good books/resources to prepare for Mathematical Olympiad (MO), such as the Singapore Mathematical Olympiad and the International Mathematical Olympiad.  As my kids don't read many books (not even Math books), I can't really recommend any good books.

IfeTahu (click it to refer to his post at Art of Problem Solving), a IMO 2014 participant from US team, has recommended the following MO books:

"101 Problems in Algebra", "102 Combinatorial Problems", "104 Number Theory Problems" by Titu Andreescu and Zuming Feng
"Number Theory - Structures, Examples and Problems" by Andreescu and Dorin Andrica
"Geometry Revisited" by H.S.M. Coxeter and S.L. Greitzer
"Plane Euclidean Geometry - Theory and Problems" by Christopher Bradley
"A Course in Combinatorics" by Wilson and Van Lint
"Enumerative Combinatorics" by Stanley
"Graph Theory" by Diestel covers difficult combinatorics for IMO level
"The Probabilistic Method" by Alon and Spencer "MOP 2006 Homework Problems" - This handout was used to train the US IMO 2006 Team, and it contains a lot of extremely difficult problems in algebra, number theory, geometry and combinatorics.

Some of the above books may be available on the Internet. Go google them.

Another way to improve your MO skills is to regularly visit Art of Problem Solving (AoPS, Lim Jeck's favorite website. He is "oneplusone" at AoPS ) to solve and post MO problems.

NUS Computer Science Class of 1987 Gathering

Class of '87. Department of Information Systems and Computer Science, National University of Singapore.
Dinner at Paradise Inn @ 313 Somerset, 9 October 2014.
From left: Pue Sieng, Bee Sim, Nandini, me, Beng Cheng, Lee Kiow

SIMO National Team 2014/2015

SIMO National Team 2014/2015 (18)

RI
Cheng Puhua, Y1
Tan Likai, Y3
Ma Zhaoyu, Y3
Sheldon Tan, Y4
Liu Yijia, Y4
Liu Tianyi, Y4
Glen Lim, Y4
Yang Gan, Y4
David Lin, Y5
Eugene Lee, Y5
Tan Siah Yong, Y5

NUS High
Joel Tan, Y1
Dylan Toh, Y2
Clarence Chew, Y3
Matthew Fan, Y3
Howe Choong Yin, Y5

HCI
Bryan Wang, Y3

RGS
Li Anqi, Y2

Training for SIMO National Team and Senior Team will start on 18th October 2014 (Saturday).

IMSO 2014 Singapore Team

The International Mathematics and Science Olympiad (IMSO) is an annual competition in Math and Science for primary school students. Since 2011, NUS High School has been appointed by the Gifted Education Branch (GEB), MOE to be the Lead Agency for IMSO, to select and train the IMSO national team.

From my understanding, students in the IMSO national team are typically offered Confirmed Offers from NUS High School under the Direct School Admission (DSA) exercise; they may even be awarded the 6-year NUS High scholarship if they choose to enrol in NUS High School from Secondary 1.

The Singapore team for the 11th IMSO comprises the following Primary 5 students. They are selected from the top 20 NMOS and SPSO winners, have undergone further training by NUS High and have done well in the respective selection tests.

Mathematics:
Daniel Choo Zhenghao, ACS Primary
Mikail Firas Din s/o Abdul Jabar, ACS Primary
Boo Tse Yang Lucas, Nanyang Primary
Low Choo Ray, Nanyang Primary
Pan Yifan, Nanyang Primary
Wang Yunrui, Rosyth Primary

Science:
Kiew Xi Chi, Pei Tong Primary
Kua Le Yi, Catholic High
Li Yue Chen, Nan Hua Primary
Matthew Yar Kwok Jway, Tao Nan School
Russell Ng Jung Hng, Catholic High
Tang Guang Xiang, Canberra Primary

Congratulations!!

QS University World Rankings 2014/2015

NUS, NTU up 2 spots in world ranking

By Sandra Davie Senior Education Correspondent

BOTH the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have moved up two places in the annual World University Rankings released this morning.

NUS moved up to 22nd place, and remains the top Asian university, while NTU moved up from 41st to 39th place.

The ranking by London-based education consultancy Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), which is into its 10th year, is widely consulted, including by prospective students and university professionals.

Institutions are ranked based on academic and employer reputation, student-faculty ratio, citations in academic publications per faculty, international faculty and student mix.

Academics are asked to rate institutions in their fields of specialisation.

This year's rankings took into account the opinions of 63,676 academics and 28,759 employers.

Overall, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology maintained its top spot, followed by Britain's University of Cambridge.

Imperial College London - because of its higher citations per faculty - was the biggest climber in the top 10, leapfrogging Harvard in the United States, University College London and Oxford in Britain to rank joint-second with Cambridge.

QS head of research Ben Sowter said that NUS' rise "signals a resolute long-term strategy, sustainable financial planning, investment in world-class facilities and leveraging Singapore's increasing desirability as a place to be".

He added: "NUS has further enhanced its research profile, strengthened its faculty-student ratio and resonated more strongly with employers this year.

NUS was rated ninth in the world by academics and 10th globally by employers.

Mr Sowter also noted that NTU is one of the fastest-climbing institutions.

"Strong progress in the citations per faculty indicator has driven NTU into the top 40 for the first time - and its new medical school has only just got going," he said. "Watch this space."

Singapore Management University, which is not included in the overall ranking, was ranked in the top 100 in social sciences and management, coming in at 93.

NTU stood at the 33rd spot and NUS, ninth best in the world.

Both NUS and NTU were also ranked among the top 10 universities for engineering and technology.

NUS president Tan Chorh Chuan said the university's growing reputation reflects its focus on nurturing, recruiting and retaining talent, the unrelenting pursuit of excellence and commitment to creating an environment where its staff and students can do excellent work.

"We will continue to innovate in education and research, so that the university will continue to contribute strongly towards the advancement of Singapore and the wider community in the years to come," he said.

Noted NTU president Bertil Andersson: "Competition within the world's top 50 is very stiff, so we are very pleased that we have climbed another two spots.

"With two Singapore universities high up in the global stakes, I think we all have much to be proud of."

He also pointed out NTU's 12th ranking in engineering last month in the Shanghai Jiaotong Academic Ranking of World Universities.

"From both these indices, it is clear that NTU's engineering is way up there with the world's best," said Professor Andersson.

sandra@sph.com.sg

Visit to Times Bookstore @ JCube

We paid $0.90 cash for the above (and used $120 Times vouchers - from the $500 Times vouchers which Lim Jeck has received for the Lee Kuan Yew Award for Maths and Science). The most expensive item above is the Hunger Games series, which costs $55 per set of 3 books.

Trip to River Safari & Gathering

Kai Kai or Jia Jia?

Quite overpriced food .. the above costs a total of $69

Panda bao costs S$2.90, Panda Cappuccino costs $5.90

Gathering at MA's house in the evening. Choong Yin is explaining the rules of Zeus on the Loose card game.

Homemade Slurpee

Last week, Lim Li received $30 Capitavoucher for her SMO (Senior) prize. I used $20 Capitavoucher to buy the following slushy maker (it costs S$19.90) from Bugis BHG.

It is easy to make Ribena slurpee.
1. Place the slushy maker into the freezer until it is frozen (about 8 hrs, or overnight)
2. Pour in Ribena (or any chilled drink)
3. Put on the lid and squeeze, squeeze, squeeze! In less than a minute, you will have Ribena slurpee.

SMO 2014 Prize Presentation Ceremony

Thanks to Meng Ai for providing the photos.

Source: SMO 2014 Solution Book

Dean's List Academic Year 2013/2014 - Mathematical Sciences

2014 Special Awards Presentation Ceremony

Besides Joel Tan, Maurice Mok, Phyllis Poh, Surya, Stanley, Byorn and Lim Jeck from NUS High who won The Lee Kuan Yew Award for Math & Science, there is another Year 1 NUS High student, Harish Kumaar, who won The Prime Minister's Book Prize. Full lists of 2014 Special Awards winners are found here. Congratulations to all the prize recipients!

Stanley, Dr Hang, Lim Jeck, Byorn

Lim Jeck, Byorn, Ms Dass, Stanley

Benny, Wei Liang, Lim Jeck, John

Lim Jeck receiving his award from Ms Indranee Rajah

The prize. $500 and $400 Times bookstore voucher for the Pre-U section winners and the secondary section winners, respectively.

Confirmation Letter (Unconditional Offer from Cambridge)

CWMI 2014 Singapore Team Results

From left: Clarence, Bryan, Joel, Matthew, Zhaoyu, Eugene, Isaac, Glen 

Congratulations to the Singapore Team for winning 6 Gold 1 Silver 1 Bronze.

Gold - Glen Lim, RI
Gold - Eugene Lee, RI
Gold - Clarence Chew, NUSH
Gold - Ma Zhaoyu, RI
Gold - Matthew Fan, NUSH
Gold - Bryan Wang, HCI
Silver - Joel Tan, NUSH
Bronze - Isaac Lee, RI

CGMO 2014 Photos and Singapore Team Results

Updated on 14/8:
CGMO Singapore Team Results

wow ... notice Lim Li's medal glows :). from left: Ms Fan, Anqi, Lim Li, student helper, Surya, Cindy, Mr Wang

Silver (66) - Surya Mathialagan, NUS High
Silver (60) - Lim Li, NUS High
Silver (51) - Li Anqi, Raffles Girls' Sec
Bronze (27) - Cindy Wang Beini, Raffles Girls' Sec

Full Results

Congratulations!!

~~~~~~
Spotted Lim Li in all the photos below :)
Source: official CGMO 2014 website

健美操比赛和文艺晚会

中山游 — 参观孙中山故居 Excursion to Sun Yat Sen Residence

一试 Day 1 competition

拼图比赛 Jigsaw puzzle competition

纸藤花制作比赛 Paper flowers making competition

健美操练习. Aerobic exercise, a CGMO fixture

Singapore Team

150 participants, 38 teams including Singapore, Russia, Korea, Philippines, Hong Kong and Macau