By Eric Li (21S06E), Chairperson and Tay Kar Ray (21S06E), Vice-Chairperson
Cover image by Neo Xin Yuan (21A01D)
“The ultimate promise of technology is to make us master of a world that we command by the push of a button.”
Volker Grassmuck
Here at the Computer Science Society (CSS), we believe in the power of technology and computing in transforming our way of life for the better. Imagine if you had the power to automate everything you do, or to design an awesome personal website. In many ways, technology has revolutionised our lives, providing us with both convenience and entertainment, and the power to control our lives. In order to harness the power of technology, the Computer Science Society has many interesting and engaging courses lined up for 2020 and 2021, which will be elaborated later in this article.
Lessons start from the very basics, and no prior programming experience is required. As long as you are willing to learn, you will acquire knowledge by leaps and bounds. Our lessons are currently conducted by our very own EXCO, although from 2021 onwards, professional instructors from TinkerTanker may be conducting the training. At the end of some lessons, there will also be Kahoot quizzes to reinforce one’s understanding of concepts, as well as optional homework questions.
Some planned courses include Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Web Development, C++ and Python. In the Web Development course, students will create a personal, working website after learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. In the C++ and Python courses, students will learn syntax, data structures, algorithms that can be used for spreadsheet processing (useful for PW!), and general purpose programs.
Joining CSS also offers one the opportunity to participate in many exciting and enriching competitions such as the National Olympiad of Informatics (NOI) and the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI). Each year, many CSS members do RI and Singapore proud at these national and international programming competitions. These competitions also test one’s ability to think outside of the box and apply programming skills in creative scenarios, and allow one to gain deeper insights into many algorithmic and technical aspects of programming.
There are also hackathons, where participants build a prototype of an app or idea in 24 hours as a team. An example is the Whitehacks or Cyber Defenders Discovery Camp (CDDC) organised by the Defence Science Technology Agency (DSTA). In the recently concluded Business Analytics Case Competition (BACC) jointly organised by the National University of Singapore’s Industrial and Systems Engineering (NUS ISE) and Micron, one of our teams won 2nd Runners-Up.
Our CCA sessions are conducted every Wednesday from 3.30pm to 5:30pm, and we welcome students of all skills levels, from complete beginners to coding experts. If you are interested in creating websites, developing intelligent programs, or just programming useful applications or games, we warmly welcome you to join us at CSS!