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SoC Infocomm Fest:
Fostering Interest in Infocomm
Knowledge and Computational Thinking among Youths |
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ome 600 youths from Singapore and the region have participated
in the inaugural SoC Infocomm Fest. Held over a week from 13 to
19 December 2007, the event aimed to broaden the technological
perspective of youths as the society progresses into an
increasingly sophisticated digital age. |
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Click
here for more photos |
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Speaking at the official launch and prize-giving ceremony of SoC
Infocomm Fest on 14 December 2007, Minister of State for
Education Rear Admiral (NS) Lui Tuck Yew said: “Developing
infocomms skills in our young people is critical. In an age of
accelerating change spurred by technological advancement,
infocomm technology already has and will continue to
significantly impact the everyday lives of people.” |
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“It is important for new entrants to our workforce to acquire
infocomm knowledge and embrace computational thinking in problem
solving from a young age."
- RAdm (NS) Lui Tuck Yew
Click
here for full speech |
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Highlighting the importance of infocomm
technologies to the economy, RAdm Lui added: “In the workforce,
it is becoming increasingly important not simply to have
computing expertise, but more importantly, to be able to apply
computational thinking. Computational thinking is using
analytical reasoning to discover a solution; and to plan, learn
and organise in the presence of uncertainty. These essential
skills will help workers to solve real-life problems.”
RAdm Lui was addressing an audience of some 700 competition
participants, invited guests and industry representatives at the
University Cultural Centre. In his speech, he stressed: “Moving
forward, it is important for new entrants to our workforce to
acquire infocomm knowledge and embrace computational thinking in
problem solving from a young age. These skills will help them
become the vanguard that will propel new technological
innovations, and help Singapore compete with global leaders in
this field.”
NUS Vice President of University and Global Relations Prof Lily
Kong delivered the opening remarks earlier at the ceremony. In
her speech, she noted: “Within the NUS community, we are excited
by the difference that infocomm technologies can make in diverse
fields, and the pioneering research contributions that our
colleagues in the School of Computing are making.” |
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“We are excited by the difference that infocomm technologies can
make in diverse fields, and the pioneering research contributions
that our colleagues in the School of Computing are making."
- Prof Lily Kong
Click
here for full speech |
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“For instance, in the field of biotechnology, our
infocomm expertise has helped to unlock the intricacies of the
human genome. In space exploration, NUS expertise in complex
scheduling has played a significant role in ensuring the optimal
scheduling and deployment of NASA scientists and engineers in
the Mars Rover Landing project. In Singapore, NUS expertise in
complex scheduling has also served to ensure that berths at our
busy port are allocated efficiently to ships,” Prof Kong said.
The inaugural SoC Infocomm Fest comprised three competitions and
two one-day camps. It kicked off with the ACM International
Collegiate Programming Contest (ACM
ICPC) on 13 and 14 December 2007, a prestigious competition
that drew participation from scores of students from various
universities in the region.
SoC Vice Dean of Academic Affairs and Graduate Studies Prof
Mohan Kankanhalli officiated at the opening of the ACM ICPC
component of SoC Infocomm Fest. In his address to over 200
contestants and coaches on 13 December 2007, he said: “Among the
uninitiated, infocomm might be in danger of appearing mundane
simply because it is everywhere. It is in correcting such
misconceptions among the wider community, and in generating
greater awareness of infocomm as a worthy field of higher
studies and intellectual pursuit, that programming competitions
such as ACM ICPC serve an invaluable purpose.” |
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“It is in generating greater awareness of infocomm as a worthy field
of higher studies and intellectual pursuit, that programming
competitions such as ACM ICPC serve an invaluable purpose."
- Prof Mohan Kankanhalli
Click
here for full speech |
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ACM ICPC was complemented by
Algo*Mania, a programming contest held on 14 December and
targeted at secondary school, junior college, polytechnic and
ITE students. Algo*Mania followed the rules and procedures of
the ACM ICPC, but was to be completed in a shorter duration and
with tasks pegged to the difficulty level of those in the
established National Olympiad in Informatics (NOI).
Also held on 14 December was FIRST LEGO League (FLL)
Singapore 2007. Open to young people between the age of 10 and
16, and using the LEGO Mindstorms set as tool, the aim of the
competition was to expose young people to the basic concepts in
search and knowledge representation as well as to a number of
sub-areas of artificial intelligence in a visual and
experiential way.
To reinforce the infocomm message through a fun, exploratory and
hands-on manner, SoC Infocomm Fest rounded off with two one-day
camps on 18 and 19 December. Targeted at Junior Collge/High
School students, the
SoC Infocomm Camps aimed to encourage students to explore
and experience using infocomm technologies. The two camps
attracted an average of 45 participants each, with some from
across the Causeway.
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Page Maintained by: SoC
CorpComm
Last Modified on: 28 December 2007 |
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