compsoc-freshers April 2025

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CompSoc Newsletter Week 1!
by Declan Osborne 28 Apr '25

28 Apr '25

[Oxford CompSoc banner graphic] [6th Week] Trinity Term Week 1 Newsletter Termcard, Competitive Programming, Socials, Talks and More! Welcome Back, Underlings, Welcome back! We're back in Week 1 with a swathe of new events, ranging from our usual Competitive Programming contests and Saturday Socials to brand new events for the calendar. To see the events we have planned for this term, check out our Trinity Term 2025 termcard below. To kick this week off, we'll be in the Undergraduate Social Area on Monday for a spot of Competitive Programming! Come along at 7:30pm for our first contest of the term. On Thursday, we'll be delving into the world of machine learning at 5pm for a talk from our former Competitive Programming Officer, Leo Lee! We'll also be enjoying some lunch beforehand – details are below. Before we head into the weekend, we'll be joined by the Physics Society and the Invariants on Friday for our STEM social! Come along at 8pmat Oxo Bar, where we'll be enjoying free drinks and lively conversation. To close off the week, we'll head back to the Undergraduate Social Area on Saturday at 7pm for our new Presentation Night – we'll be giving you a chance to speak about your interests, and hear other CompSoc members speak! If you'd like to give a presentation, you can sign up here<https://forms.gle/2etPiJTstkGxsVwd8>. Further details are below. — Declan, CompSoc Secretary Fun Computing Fact: Since the advent of Windows Subsystem for Linux, developers confined to Windows have had the luxury of being able to use Linux utilities in a Windows environment. This, however, wasn't Microsoft's first foray into implementing a POSIX-compliant environment on Windows – that honour instead goes to the POSIX subsystem in early versions of Windows NT, a feature implemented by Microsoft to bid for US federal government contracts with Windows. Alongside the flagship Win32 subsystem, Windows NT 3.1 through Windows 7 contain a conformant implementation of POSIX.1, which largely covers the standardised C programming interfaces, allowing applications written for the POSIX standard to be built and run as Windows executables. Windows Services for UNIX later included Interix, a package containing common Unix userland utilities for Windows. Support, however, was dropped in Windows 8.1. 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] Trinity Term 2025 Termcard Say hello to our termcard for Trinity! We have a plethora of events new and old, with talks from experts and CompSoc members, a range of socials and the return of Competitive Programming. Most of our socials wrap up after Week 4, leaving you with some much needed time to revise! Stay tuned for the latest details on scheduled events. [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/1cm/zf4/r9p/TT25%20Termcar…] Competitive Programming: First Week Contest [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/7jh/608/5w7/PNG%20Competit…] This Monday, we're kicking off the new term in true CompSoc style with a brand new Competitive Programming contest! Come along at 7:30pm in the Undergraduate Social Area for a classic face-off against fellow members as we battle through tricky problems. When: 7:30-9:30pm, Monday 28th April Where: Undergraduate Social Area, Department of Computer Science 7 Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3QG Click 'Going' here: https://fb.me/e/cu1kmYE2U Equality Saturation in a Real-World Machine Learning Compiler: A Talk from Leo Lee [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/oka/fo8/3fi/PNG%20Leo%20Le…] We kick off our term of talks this week with the Leo Lee Lecture! Join us this Thursday at 5pm in the Department of Computer Science for a talk from esteemed former Competitive Programming Officer Leo Lee, who'll be delving into the topic of machine learning. The talk will be beginner-friendly, so come along if you're interested! We'll also be holding a Leo Lee Lunch in the afternoon before the talk – if you're interested in coming along, reach out to our Talks Officer, Asfur Malik! Abstract: Machine learning (ML) compilers rely on graph-level transformations to enhance the runtime performance of ML models. However, many program transformations are often driven by manually-tuned compiler heuristics, which are quickly rendered obsolete by new hardware and model architectures. Instead of hand-written local heuristics, we propose the use of equality saturation. We replace such heuristics with a more robust global performance model, which accounts for downstream transformations. This paper addresses challenges in applying equality saturation on real-world ML compute graphs and state-of-the-art hardware. By doing so, we present an improved method for discovering effective compositions of graph optimisations. We design an equality saturation pass for the XLA compiler and demonstrate a speedup across CPU and GPU. Beginner friendly - I won't assume any prerequisite knowledge! When: 5-6pm, Thursday 1st May Where: Lecture Theatre A, Department of Computer Science 7 Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3QG Click 'Going' here: https://fb.me/e/8g6fIO8tW STEM Social with PhysSoc and the Invariants [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/c1z/1xh/l1q/PNG%20STEM%20S…] On Friday, we'll be touching grass for the first event outside of the Department this term! This week, we'll be joined by the Physics Society and the Invariants for a night of intrigue. If free drinks and chatter are your thing, join us between 8-11pm for our STEM social at Oxo Bar! When: 8-11pm, Friday 2nd May Where: Oxo Bar 48 George St, Oxford OX1 2AQ Click 'Going' here: https://fb.me/e/5hw4LHI29 Saturday Social: Members' Presentation Night [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/843/41i/r9s/PNG%20Presenta…] This term, we're doing something new – we're letting you talk about your interests! This Saturday, we'll be holding a presentation night for our weekly Saturday Social! Join us between 7-9pm to listen to members' presentations and maybe even give a presentation of your own! If you're interested in giving a presentation, make sure to fill out the short form below. When: 7-9pm, Saturday 3rd May Where: Undergraduate Social Area, Department of Computer Science 7 Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3QG Click 'Going' here: https://fb.me/e/4U5zyqJjH Sign up to present here: https://forms.gle/2etPiJTstkGxsVwd8 [And More...] 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/b5r/5u0/t1h/Untitled%2029.…] [TPP] Manage your email preferences or unsubscribe here<https://lists.ox.compsoc.net/mailman/listinfo>. [Designed with BEE]<https://www.designedwithbee.com/?utm_source=editor&utm_medium=bee_pro&utm_c…> Designed with BEE<https://www.designedwithbee.com/?utm_source=editor&utm_medium=bee_pro&utm_c…>

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Mid-Vac Sponsor Opportunities and More
by Declan Osborne 02 Apr '25

02 Apr '25

[Oxford CompSoc banner graphic] Mid-Vacation Sponsor Opportunities and More Europe Terminal, Women's Europe Datathon, Jobs and Conferences! Good Morrow, Weary Revellers, I intrude on your well-earned rest briefly to bring you some mid-vac opportunities, delivered to you by our sponsors! Citadel is hosting two competitions which may pique your interest – Europe Terminal and Women's Europe Datathon, with applications closing on 10th April and 5th May respectively. If you're interested, check out the details and sign up below! In addition, we also bring a job opportunity from TPP, who are looking for a Graduate Software Developer! Details are, as always, below. — Declan, CompSoc Secretary Fun Computing Fact: The ever-present x86 architecture officially went 64-bit in 1999, with AMD's extensions to the instruction set adding the ability to switch into 64-bit long mode. These extensions, which became known as AMD64, were later adopted by Intel in their Xeon and Pentium 4 processors. This, however, wasn't Intel's first go at making a 64-bit successor to x86 – that honour is reserved for the Itanium architecture. Itanium introduced an entirely new 64-bit instruction set architecture and included no hardware support for x86 binaries, forcing them to run in emulation. Needless to say, Intel's approach was not a success – slow hardware combined with poor software support and confusing branding to kill Itanium in its youth. At one point, Microsoft shipped three different but similarly named 64-bit releases of Windows XP – one simple port to Itanium, one based on Windows Server 2003 which supported Itanium 2, and, finally, one for AMD64. Surprisingly, however, likely owing to use in industry, Itanium processors weren't fully discontinued until 2021! 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…> Europe Terminal Correlation One, in partnership with Citadel and Citadel Securities, are inviting students across Europe to compete in this Spring season’s Europe Terminal<https://www.citadel.com/careers/students/terminal/?utm_source=correlationon…>, where participants will virtually compete for $15,000USD in our competition! Terminal is an online game where software engineers, computer scientists and coding enthusiasts build an algorithm to play a tower defense game in a team-based setting. Watch this video<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4IvvWmrPX8&t=3s> to see Terminal in action! When: 17th-24th April Where: Virtual Who: Undergraduate students Prizes: $15,000 USD + exclusive recruiting opportunities with Citadel and Citadel Securities Apply here by 10th April: https://www.citadel.com/careers/students/terminal/?utm_source=correlationon… Women's Europe Datathon Hosted by Citadel and Citadel Securities in partnership with Correlation One, this event is open to top students across Europe who identify as women. Our Datathons challenge students from the world's best universities to tackle real-world social challenges in topics such as urban traffic, renewable energy, and education while working through large and complex datasets. Women’s Datathon is a national data science competition, bigger and more exciting than our regional events! Check out this video<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO8T_CDXPxQ> from our first-ever North America Women’s Datathon event in Miami. When: 12th-19th May Where: Virtual Who: Undergraduate and graduate students who identify as women Prizes: $15,000 USD + exclusive recruiting opportunities with Citadel and Citadel Securities Apply here by 5th May: https://www.citadel.com/careers/students/datathons/?utm_source=correlationo… Graduate Software Developer at TPP We’re looking for bright and geeky graduates to join our Software Developer team. No experience is required, and many of our successful applicants have never programmed before. If you think logically and enjoy problem solving, then you have the potential to become a great developer. A career at TPP will challenge you every day. In your first few weeks you will be solving real-world problems as you help to develop software used by healthcare professionals and patients across the world. You’ll be part of an agile development team, working on one of the largest real-time databases in the world. You’ll work on a wide variety of projects, ranging from AI assisting clinicians with early diagnosis of cancer to an iOS app helping patients manage their diabetes. Developers at TPP are involved in the full software cycle, and work closely with all teams across the company to scope out new projects and design, develop and deploy our products. To read what it’s like to work at TPP and to see our full list of benefits, visit www.tpp-careers.com<http://www.tpp-careers.com/> University of Warwick Cybersoc Conference misc0nfig: Warwick Cyber Security Society Conference Run by students, for students featuring talks and workshops from industry leaders. The schedule will be announced closer to the time, but the conference will be ran on several tracks, meaning there may be several talks / workshops going on at once - so make sure you pick wisely! There are no plans to repeat talks, however, recordings may be available. Tickets can now be booked via the Warwick SU website: https://www.warwicksu.com/venues-events/events/61481/26830/ - this does not require you to be a Warwick student! We'd love to have some of you guys there, and we're advertising to other Cybersocs at other universities so grab a ticket soon if you want one! Who: So many people! We will announce names and companies of speakers as they are confirmed - but we do have some big names on the way! When: 10am-5pm, 10th May Where: WMG, University of Warwick 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.…] [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/bry/nst/o71/Bending%20Spoo…] [TPP] Manage your email preferences or unsubscribe here<https://lists.ox.compsoc.net/mailman/listinfo>. 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compsoc-freshers April 2025