Hello all,

Learn to Code is back! This term, in conjunction with our regular talks and geek nights, we are going to be running an introductory Python programming course. If you've never programmed before then this is going to be a fantastic opportunity to get started, and if you have then please do share it with your friends. The course starts on Thursday and will continue until seventh week, by which point we'll have introduced core programming concepts.

As this mailing list goes out to CompSoc members, I'm sure that many of you have experience programming in Python. If you would like to share some of your time and enthusiasm please get in contact with me, as we'd love to see as many volunteers as possible.

On Wednesday this week we'll also be running another session playing CoreWars, a competitive assembly game, and on Saturday we will host our usual geek night.

Have a great week :)

Thomas and the rest of the committee

Learn to Code https://www.facebook.com/events/1924850771083014/

*Lecture Theatre A+B, Department of Computer Science - 7pm Thursday (1st week)*

Learn to Code is back! If you've ever wanted to learn the basics of programming, refresh your Python knowledge, or get an idea of what computer scientists actually do all day then this is going to be a great course for you :).

We aren't going to assume any prior programming experience, although to get the best out of the sessions we highly recommend that you bring a laptop so that you can follow along with some of the examples. It doesn't matter whether you use Windows, Mac, or Linux, and in the first session we'll explain how to get started on any of these platforms.

In this course we are going to be using the programming language Python, which is one of the easiest languages to pick up if you've never programmed before and it is widely used in the technology industry - YouTube, NASA, and Wikipedia are just three examples. If you need to learn R at some point during your degree you may find that an introduction to Python will help you pick up basic computational thinking ideas faster.

We do expect demand to be very high for this course, so please try to arrive before the advertised start time as we need to register everyone (for fire regulations). You'll need to enter via the back door on Parks Road; there are CompSoc signs up at the department.

Events

Core War https://www.facebook.com/events/357839857936747/

*Undergraduate Social Area, Department of Computer Science - 7pm Wednesday (2nd week)*

CompSoc will be learning and playing Core War, a classic programming game where players build competing programs to battle over control of a virtual computer.

No experience needed, so join us as we battle for the core.

Bring your own laptop and consider familiarising yourself with the basics beforehand.

Pizza, snacks, and drinks provided.

You may want to follow the guide here http://vyznev.net/corewar/guide.html.

Geek Night 2 https://www.facebook.com/events/207800419691585/

*Undergraduate Social Area, Department of Computer Science - 7pm Saturday (2nd week)*

Join us for an evening of relaxing, chatting, games, coding, and the usual selection of food and drinks.

We will also have an Adafruit IoT starterkit and a BBC micro:bit if you are interested in learning some embedded programming.

Sponsor notices

Microsoft Imagine Cup

One of the biggest student competitions is back and you can be part of it. Microsoft is hosting their annual Imagine Cup https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/uk_faculty_connection/2016/11/30/microsoft-imagine-cup-2017-starter-pack-get-your-teams-ready/ competition, looking for the 'next big thing.' Previous entries have included everything from innovative games https://www.imaginecup.com/en-us/team/99043, to life changing apps, with many teams going on to form their own business http://www.nacue.com/from-soundsynk-to-gloop-how-winning-microsoft-imagine-cup-helped-kickstart-a-new-company/. This year we are partnering with our start-up team, to provide you with the skills you need to take your idea to the next level.

Whether you are in your 1st year of University, or finishing up a PhD, you are eligible to enter. There are no categories for this year's competition, so you are free to be as creative as you like. The secret to success is blending the skills of technical and entrepreneurial students, to develop something that is not only amazing, but also has real world business value. There can be a maximum of 3 people to represent each team at the finals, but supporting members or mentors are encouraged to develop the idea.

The winners will receive some incredible prizes, with the worldwide winners taking home $100,000 in prize money, $120,000 worth of Azure and a once in a lifetime experience they won't forget. That's everything you need to take your idea to the next level.

Dates to remember:

* Create your team and register https://compete.imagine.microsoft.com/en-us/imaginecup?wt.mc_id=DX_874656 - Open now * Registration and submissions close - March 24th, 2017 * National finalists announced - 6pm April 3rd, 2017 * UK National finals - April 14th, 2017 * Worldwide finals - July 2017

Your submission doesn't need to be 100% polished and perfected for UK finals. We will be looking for a strong concept at the shortlisting stage, then if you are successful at the UK finals we will work with you to refine your idea and coach you, ready for the worldwide finals in July. You will be judged on the use of technology, the concept, innovation and feasibility of your idea. Utilising Microsoft Azure will be a key focal point for this year's competition and to support you we have a range of online resources https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/uk_faculty_connection/tag/github/.

So, what are you waiting for? Get inspired by last year's UK finalists https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/uk_faculty_connection/2016/06/09/interview-with-uk-imagine-cup-world-games-finalist-team-sapient-from-university-of-south-wales/, create your team and register https://compete.imagine.microsoft.com/en-us/ for the Imagine Cup today!

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The Oxford University Computer Society (CompSoc) aims to organise meetings and events for our members to use and further their computing interests. See all of our upcoming events on our Facebook Page https://facebook.com/oxcompsoc, Twitter https://twitter.com/oxcompsoc, or visit our website https://ox.compsoc.net for more information about the society.