compsoc-freshers March 2025

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CompSoc Newsletter Week 8!
by Declan Osborne 09 Mar '25

09 Mar '25

[Oxford CompSoc banner graphic] [6th Week] Hilary Term Week 8 Newsletter Competitive Programming and Presburger Arithmetic Talk! Good Evening, CompSoc-ers, Here we are at last, at Week 8! As a new committee arrives and the term winds to a close, our schedule begins to settle with two final events. On Monday, we're back for one last Competitive Programming stint! Join us tomorrow at 7:30pm to face off against your friends and foes one last time before the term wraps up. On Thursday at 5pm, we'll be joined by SWAG Officer-elect Hera Brown for an insightful talk on decidable extensions to Presburger arithmetic! Make sure to come along for our final talk of the term. If you missed our Annual General Meeting, you can also find our new committee below. On that note, until next term... toodle-pip! — Declan, CompSoc Secretary Fun Computing Fact: I expect we're all familiar with the video game DOOM and all its incarnations on different platforms (including TypeScript's type system<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mCsluv5FXA>), but you're probably less familiar with the techniques its original 1993 release used to run at a playable speed. Coming at a time before the advent of the 3D graphics accelerator units which would become modern-day GPUs, DOOM had to be rendered in software on the CPUs of the time – slow Intel 386 or 486 processors which predate the Pentium. One of the hardest tasks was making sure walls that shouldn't be seen weren't visible to the player. id Software's developers used a technique new to video games – binary space partitioning, familiar to those who've taken Computer Graphics. DOOM's levels contained binary trees where leaves were convex subsectors, formed by subdividing the map by wall planes. Nodes represent level planes, with two children describing what's in front or behind that plane. These BSP trees could be precomputed, allowing the game to quickly determine rendering order at any point in the level by traversing the tree in reverse. New CompSoc Committee At last night's Annual General Meeting, members elected the new committee to lead CompSoc through 2025/26. Please welcome the following individuals! * President – Raphael Darley (Balliol, he/him) * Vice-President – Bohdan Boholiubskyi (Christ Church, he/him) * Secretary – Declan Osborne (Christ Church, he/him) * Treasurer – Arnav Sharma (New, he/him) * Social Secretaries * Emma Czanner (Hertford) * Pramiti Sriram (Hertford) * Talks Officer – Asfur Malik (Jesus, they/them) * Learn to Code Officer – Zachary Tsang (St Hugh's, he/him) * Competitive Programming Officers * Daohong Liu (Corpus Christi, he/him) * Adhish Kancharla (Magdalen) * CTF Officers * Shane Ong (St Catherine's, he/him) * Louis-Emile Ploix (St Catherine's, he/him) * IT Officer – Barnaby Sharp Foyster (Pembroke, he/him) * SWAG Officers * Hera Brown (St Catherine's, they/them) * Tadayoshi Kamegai (Merton, he/him) * Hackathon Officer – Arjun Khandelwal (Christ Church, he/him) * Legal Counsel – Parul Sinha (Brasenose) Still not a member? How?! Membership only costs £1 for LIFE, with tons of benefits - discounts on merch and tickets, free food at all socials, our exclusive Discord server and more - so it's definitely worth signing up! [Be a member]<https://ox.compsoc.net/product/lifetime-membership/> or, go to https://ox.compsoc.net/product/lifetime-membership/<https://ox.compsoc.net/product/lifetime-membership/?fbclid=IwAR1Oe_vwCudNvU…> [Events] Competitive Programming – Eighth Week Contest [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/zvj/eb2/l0e/PNG%20Competit…] As Week 8 rolls around, it's time to close out our Competitive Programming sessions for the term! Come along this Monday at 7:30pm as we prepare to face off against friends and battle one last time before the term closes out. Feel free to join us regardless of your skill level – we're open to beginners and experts alike! When: 7:30-9:30pm, Monday 10th March Where: Undergraduate Social Area, Department of Computer Science 7 Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3QG Click 'Going' here: https://fb.me/e/2Qx6f1B75 Decidable Extensions of Presburger Arithmetic [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/31o/kzx/5mt/PNG%20Hera%20B…] We may be days away from the end of term and the bliss of vacation, but it's never too late for a good talk! This Thursday, we'll be joined at 5pm by former President and SWAG Officer-elect Hera Brown for a talk on the topic of decidable extensions to Presburger arithmetic, the first-order logic theory of the natural numbers with addition. Make sure to join us for our last talk of the term! When: 5-6pm, Thursday 13th March Where: Lecture Theatre A, Department of Computer Science 7 Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3QG Click 'Going' here: https://fb.me/e/6mtiwgQYM [And More...] Hilary Term 2025 Termcard [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/am3/vub/5k8/HT25%20Termcar…] Check Out OxWoCS! Make sure to join OxWoCS (Oxford Women in CS), a society we're working closely with, if you identify as a woman or woman-adjacent person in CS! They have a host of wonderful events on, including talks, panels and socials. Computer Science is unfortunately a subject with one of the biggest gender gaps in Oxford and worldwide, and addressing this is at the core of OxWoCS. [Follow Us] [Web Site]<https://ox.compsoc.net/> [Facebook] <https://www.facebook.com/oxcompsoc/> [Instagram] <https://www.instagram.com/ox.compsoc/> [Discord] <https://discord.com/invite/cUZFPG5WZ6> [YouTube] <https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwdzpxzUZ2i84x5WyVR36Cg> [TikTok] <https://www.tiktok.com/@ox.compsoc.net> or, contact us at committee(a)ox.compsoc.net [Our Sponsors] [Jane Street] [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/kh5/aqi/rap/g330.png] [Citadel] [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/11s/ilc/mex/Quantco_1.png] [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/2x2/kvw/7vb/qrt%20white%20…] [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/b5r/5u0/t1h/Untitled%2029.…] [TPP] Manage your email preferences or unsubscribe here<https://lists.ox.compsoc.net/mailman/listinfo>. 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CompSoc Newsletter Week 7!
by Declan Osborne 04 Mar '25

04 Mar '25

[Oxford CompSoc banner graphic] [6th Week] Hilary Term Week 7 Newsletter End of Term Social, AGM and Coq! Salut, Kindly Friend, Whew, almost at the end of term already! As we step into Week 7, we take a breather with a marginally quieter week than its forebears. On Friday, we'll be holding our End of Term Social! At 8pm, we'll be headed down to Oxo Bar to see out the term in style with free drinks and lively conversation. Please note that there'll be no entry after 9pm – event details are below. We begin Saturday evening at 5:30pm, when we'll be in the Department of Computer Science's Seminar Room 051 to hear all about the theorem proving software Coq. Make sure to come along if you're interested in finding formal proofs with code! Afterwards, at 7pm, we'll retire to the Undergraduate Social Area for a special yearly occurrence – the Annual General Meeting! We'll elect a brand new committee and then vote on your motions, before kicking back and enjoying some pizza. — Declan, your earnest CompSoc envoy Fun Computing Fact: We've mentioned Usenet in passing for some fun facts before, but did you know that Oxford once had its own news server (a server holding Usenet posts, referred to as news) and university newsgroups? By connecting to the University's news server, one could post to a range of newsgroups, which hosted discussion through to the 2010s. CompSoc even had its own newsgroup, ox.clubs.microsoc, which received postings detailing upcoming events through to 2005. The University's news server remains online to this day! Upcoming CompSoc Elections On Saturday 8th March, we'll be holding CompSoc's Annual General Meeting to elect a new committee! We're seeking candidates to fill the eleven roles up for grabs in the brand new incarnation of the committee. Those positions are: * President * Vice-President * Secretary * Treasurer * Social Secretary * Talks Officer * Learn to Code Officer * Competitive Programming Officer * Cybersecurity (CTF) Officer * IT Officer * Legal Counsel If you'd like to learn more, including what each position entails, check out the guide written by our President and our former Vice-President here<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wksW5XMIUBRdrHe_U1iuhPBjKAdhnhKv/view?usp=…>. If you're interested in standing for election, please fill out this form<https://forms.gle/3ufBPA8MvUdd2wcD6>. Still not a member? How?! Membership only costs £1 for LIFE, with tons of benefits - discounts on merch and tickets, free food at all socials, our exclusive Discord server and more - so it's definitely worth signing up! [Be a member]<https://ox.compsoc.net/product/lifetime-membership/> or, go to https://ox.compsoc.net/product/lifetime-membership/<https://ox.compsoc.net/product/lifetime-membership/?fbclid=IwAR1Oe_vwCudNvU…> [Events] End of Term Social [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/t0j/a4i/0ql/PNG%20End%20of…] As the end of the term approaches and the call of vacation beckons, it's time to celebrate! Join us as we see out Hilary Term in style on Friday at 8pm, when we'll be down at Oxo Bar to loosen up with thrilling conversation and free drinks. If you're tired out from the tedium of the term, make sure to come along! Please note that there will be no entry after 9pm. When: 8pm, Friday 7th March Where: Oxo Bar 48 George St, Oxford OX1 2AQ Click 'Going' here: https://fb.me/e/5ekFX2mXk Learn to Code – Theorising with Coq [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/dad/9hz/8mj/PNG%20Learn%20…] For our specialised Learn to Code session this week, it's time to get logical! Join us on Saturday at 5:30pm, when we'll be in the Department to learn all about Coq, a formal proof management system which can be used to define and derive proofs. If you're interested in exploring proofs with code, come along and prove your mettle! When: 5:30-6:30pm, Saturday 8th March Where: Seminar Room 051, Department of Computer Science 7 Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3QG Click 'Going' here: https://fb.me/e/8yDXinDC6 CompSoc Annual General Meeting [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/u3l/2yp/6ic/PNG%20HT25%20A…] This Saturday, we're back for a rare yearly occurrence – CompSoc's Annual General Meeting! Join us at 7pm as we convene to discuss your suggestions and vote on your motions to improve the society. Most importantly, we'll also be electing a brand new committee! Afterwards, we'll see out the term with a classic Saturday Social. If you're a member interested in running for our committee, see this guide<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wksW5XMIUBRdrHe_U1iuhPBjKAdhnhKv/view>! Once you've had a read, you can apply to run here<https://forms.gle/3ufBPA8MvUdd2wcD6>. We have plenty of positions up for grabs, and some committee experience is a great way to pad out your CV while showing your interest and dedication to the world of computing. We'll hear speeches from everyone who's running before we hold blind votes for each position. Voting for committee and motions is restricted to members only. If you're not a member yet, hop on over to our website<https://ox.compsoc.net/> and get signed up! Lifetime membership only costs £1. Members can propose motions in the #motions channel of our Discord server<https://discord.com/invite/cUZFPG5WZ6> (please note that you must be present at the AGM to propose the motion). When: 7pm, Saturday 8th March Where: Undergraduate Social Area, Department of Computer Science 7 Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3QG Click 'Going' here: https://fb.me/e/4xpjC3UCE [And More...] Hilary Term 2025 Termcard [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/am3/vub/5k8/HT25%20Termcar…] Check Out OxWoCS! Make sure to join OxWoCS (Oxford Women in CS), a society we're working closely with, if you identify as a woman or woman-adjacent person in CS! They have a host of wonderful events on, including talks, panels and socials. Computer Science is unfortunately a subject with one of the biggest gender gaps in Oxford and worldwide, and addressing this is at the core of OxWoCS. [Follow Us] [Web Site]<https://ox.compsoc.net/> [Facebook] <https://www.facebook.com/oxcompsoc/> [Instagram] <https://www.instagram.com/ox.compsoc/> [Discord] <https://discord.com/invite/cUZFPG5WZ6> [YouTube] <https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwdzpxzUZ2i84x5WyVR36Cg> [TikTok] <https://www.tiktok.com/@ox.compsoc.net> or, contact us at committee(a)ox.compsoc.net [Our Sponsors] [Jane Street] [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/kh5/aqi/rap/g330.png] [Citadel] [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/11s/ilc/mex/Quantco_1.png] [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/2x2/kvw/7vb/qrt%20white%20…] [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/b5r/5u0/t1h/Untitled%2029.…] [TPP] Manage your email preferences or unsubscribe here<https://lists.ox.compsoc.net/mailman/listinfo>. 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compsoc-freshers March 2025