DepartmentofComputerScience 34th AnnualColloquiumcsmora/project/Gregynog_2016.pdf · 2016-11-18 · SwanseaUniversity DepartmentofComputerScience 4 GuestSpeakers 4.1 ConnorLynch–BT

Department of Computer Science34th Annual Colloquium

Gregynog Hall, PowysNovember 28–30, 2016

Swansea University Department of Computer Science

1 Introduction

1.1 What is the Gregynog Colloquium?Since 1985, the Department of Computer Science has held an undergraduate colloquiumat the University of Wales Conference Centre at Gregynog in Powys. All students takingthe Project module, the majority of teaching staff, and a selection of postgraduatestudents, spend three days giving and attending talks on the past, present and futureof Computer Science.

1.2 Where is it?Gregynog Hall is a large stately home just outside Newtown in mid-Wales – around95 miles from Swansea. It was bequeathed to the University of Wales in the 1960s, andis now used as a conference centre. During term time the hall is available to Welshuniversities for colloquiums like our own.

1.3 Why do I need to go?You will be expected to give a twelve minute presentation on your final year projectto an audience consisting of around 15–16 students and two or more lecturers. Thispresentation is an assessed part of your final year project (25%). In addition to this, theprogramme involves several talks from industry and academia, covering a range of topicsfrom employability to departmental research to post-graduate opportunities. Social andrecreational activities including a team-based programming/making competition, pubquiz and outdoor sports are also included in the events.

34th Annual Colloquium – 3 – 28th–30th November 2016


1.4 How do we get there?Coach transport will be provided for all attendees. Meet outside Fulton House at 7.30amon Monday, November 28th. There will be a head count – don’t make us late! The buswill leave promptly at 8.00am.

Emergency on Monday? Can’t make it in time? Call 01792 295393 between 8:15amand 8.45am to let us know, and we’ll advise you about what to do.

1.5 Highgate BarnsDue to unusually high student numbers, this year’s Gregynog colloquium has too manyattendees to accommodate on-site. Therefore, we have booked additional accommoda-tion for some staff and students inHighgate Barns (www.highgate-accommodation.co.uk)— a luxury 20-bed cottage around 3 miles from Gregynog Hall. Those students stayingin Highgate will enjoy the same Gregynog experience as those staying in the main site,including main meals, talks and social events, and will be transported via taxi to andfrom Highgate each morning and evening. Breakfast for those staying in the barns willbe cooked on-site by the barn supervisors, Sean Walton and Stephen Lindsay.

1.6 Questions or Concerns?The colloquium is intended to be an informative, educational and fun event. We hopeyou benefit from the talks that are given, the activities we provide and the atmosphereof the location. Previous students have found it to be one of the highlights of theiruniversity careers, and we do everything we can to make it an enjoyable and memorableevent for all involved.

If you have any questions or concerns about the colloquium, please contact the eventorganisers Jen or Simon in the FIT Lab, room 503 on the 5th Floor of the Faraday Tower,or via email: [email protected] / [email protected].


mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


2 ProgrammeMonday 28th November08:00 Depart from Fulton House, Swansea University11:30 (approx.) Arrive at Gregynog11:45 Welcome: Arnold Beckmann (Music Room)11:50 Introduction: Jen Pearson & Simon Robinson (Music Room)12:00 Lunch (Dining Room)13:00 Employability talk: Tom Owen – How to get a job (Music Room)13:40 Swansea graduate talk: Fredrik Nordvall Forsberg (University of Strathclyde) –

Life in academia (Music Room)14:00 University Challenge - Computing Then and Now: John Tucker (Music Room)15:30 Break (Blayney Room)15.45 Invited industry talk 1: Chris Parsons (IBM Systems) – TBC (Music Room)16:30 Programming competition: Tim Neate & Cameron Steer (Music Room)19:00 Dinner (Dining Room)20:00 Programming competition time (Music Room)21:00 Programming competition showcase and results (Music Room)23:00 Taxi from Gregynog to Highgate Barns

Tuesday 29th November07:30 Breakfast (Dining Room / Highgate Barns)08.30 Taxi from Highgate Barns to Gregynog09:00 Undergraduate talks: Streams 1–8 (see next page)10:45 Break: Streams 1–4 (Blayney Room) 15 mins11.00 Break: Streams 5–8 (Blayney Room) 15 mins12:45 Gregynog student photograph: Jen Pearson (Lawn)13:00 Lunch (Dining Room) / Marking moderation meeting (staff only)14:00 Recreation time, including: Football: Richard Roberts (Lawn) and Gregynog Scav-

enger Hunt: Cameron Steer & Tim Neate (Music Room).15:30 Invited industry talk 2: Connor Lynch (BT) – TBC (Music Room)16:15 Break (Blayney Room)16:30 Academic talk: Tim Neate – Post-graduate study in Swansea (Music Room)16:50 Best Talk Award: Jen Pearson & Simon Robinson (Music Room)17:00 Staff-student meeting: Arnold Beckmann & Monika Seisenberger (Music Room)19:00 Dinner (Dining Room)20:00 Pub quiz: Jen Pearson (Music Room)23:00 Taxi from Gregynog to Highgate Barns

Wednesday 30th November08:30 Breakfast (Dining Room / Highgate Barns)09:30 Taxi from Highgate Barns to Gregynog09:30 Check out and drop off room keys (Reception)10:00 Depart from Gregynog



3 Undergraduate PresentationsEach slot is 14 minutes long. We expect your talk to last about 12 minutes. Each talk willbe followed by a fewminutes for questions from the audience (both staff and students). Iftalks go fast, members of an individual stream may agree to move the schedule forward(i.e., move the talks from session 2 to session 1 and finish earlier). This will only happenon the agreement of all affected parties.

While every effort has been made to ensure you are paired with your supervisor,this is not always possible due to scheduling difficulties or staff absence. In this case,we have paired you with your second marker instead. In the rare case where it is notpossible to pair you with either your first or second marker, we have made every effortto ensure you are in a group with a member of staff who has a speciality in an areasimilar to your project.



3.1 Staff Key

DWA: Dr. Dan Archambault

AB: Prof. Arnold Beckmann

UB: Prof. Ulrich Berger

JEB: Dr. Jens Blanck

AD: Ms. Alena Denisova

PE: Dr. Parisa Eslambolchilar

PJ: Dr. Phillip James

MWJ: Prof. Mark Jones

MJ: Prof. Matt Jones

OK: Dr. Oliver Kullman

RSL: Dr. Robert Laramme

SCL: Dr. Stephen Lindsay

TN: Mr. Tim Neate

AP: Dr. Adeline Paiement

JP: Dr. Jen Pearson

SR: Dr. Simon Robinson

DS: Dr. Deepack Sahoo

MS: Dr. Monika Seisenberger

AGS: Dr. Anton Setzer

KLT Dr. Gary Tam

JVT: Prof. John Tucker

SW Dr. Sean Walton

CJW: Mr. Chris Whyley



3.2 Streams 1–4

Stream 1: Stream 2: Stream 3: Stream 4:Music Room Joicey Room Library Weaver Room

SCL, SR, AP MWJ, UB MS, PE, TN DWA, JVT, PJAljaser, Yousef Davies, Keren Conyers, Campbell Highton, AdamDavies, Ethan Dawson, Tomas Xu, Zongbo Jenkins, IsabelParry-Turner,James

Gaya, Randell Rousiamanis,Achilleas

Lovering,Christopher

Haddow, Jonathan Harris, Benjamin Green, Jack Michael, JamesHarrison, Jacob Jones, Matthew Harper, Edward Okomilo, AyekheleHughes, William Joseph, Joji Scanlon, Ieuan Sami , DavidMcnabb, Connor Keable-Steer,

SamuelKhalique,Mohammed

Manners,Christopher

10.45 – 11.00: Break (Blayney Room)

Shrestha, Wilson Knight, Benjamin Charvis, Victoria Abbas, MohammedPaige, Matthew Oldroyd, Matthew Jeffrey, Michael Sun, HaomingRees , Joseph Taylor, Adam Mcclune, Calum Traill, BruceScott, Darren Tsintilas, Omiros Piper , Chris Chivasa, RangariraiSuudy, Abubakar Steyn, Dougal Reynolds, Phil Eromosele, GideonTamplin, Philip Beynon, Nathan Rahman, Atikur Khan , ZiaurFriend, Ryan Fisher, Thomas Buzzard, Jake Milne, Scott



3.3 Streams 5–8

Stream 5: Stream 6: Stream 7: Stream 8:Seminar Room 1 Seminar Room 2 Writing Room Senior Common Room

KLT, JEB, OK CJW, RSL, AD AB, JP, MJ AGS, SW, DSChew, Justin Cook , Toby Hall, Sarah Bukar, FatimaGulsen, Riza Thuo , Eddie Fear, Daniel Cullinan, KieranHarrison,Michael

Wang, Xiao Holroyd, Toby Jones, David

Kumar, Anshul Poon Ka, Lun Macaskill, Connor Maclennan, DylanMountain, Jacob Ardeleanu, Adina Williams, Richard Obi, IfeanyiThapa, Rabindra Davies, Lloyd Beden, Sadeer Shehu, IbrahimReynolds, Daniel Lawson, Benjamin Reeves, Jake Al-Mutawa, FawazPride, Sean Maina, Davis Richards, Michael Hedditch, Kieran

11.00 – 11.15: Break (Blayney Room)

Tozer, Sam Oladitan, Olaoluwa Aspinall, Kristian Leek, SimonPlumb, David Kaczmarczyk,

MarekShi, Zeren Townsend, Joshua

Pover, Andrew Sarli, Carlo Westcott, Ceri Chan, Wai LokAhmed,Noordin

Shackleton,Thomas

O’Keefe, Tristan Betts, Matthew

Damov Martin Stoyanova, Tereza Sion, Ifan Gordon, TylerZirak, Behrooz Luk, Tsz Chun Startin, Hal Phipps, Jack



3.4 Best TalkThis year there will be prize for the best student talk at Gregynog. Votes will be gatheredby both staff and students and will be counted and announced on Tuesday evening. Thebest talk prizewas generously donated by Technocamps –we thank them for the support.

Everyone gets one vote. Please do not vote for yourself. To make a vote, please fillout the form below and deposit it in the box in the Music Room. The winner of besttalk will be announced on Tuesday afternoon.



4 Guest Speakers

4.1 Connor Lynch – BT4.1.1 Abstract

4.2 Chris Parsons – IBM SystemsChris is currently a Developer with IBM Systems in the UK. He has contributed toNode-RED and the Watson APIs integration available through the Bluemix platform(available on GitHub) and is currently building systems using node.js, He also hasfull stack development experience including building cross platform applications andservices deployed to both iOS and Android app stores. Chris has worked in DevOpsmanaging the deployment of large scale hybrid cloud environments internationally andhas experience on a variety of hardware platforms including POWER and System Z.

4.2.1 Abstract

What do you mean cognitive? With all the major players betting big on cognitive, thissession will explain how it works, how you can start building cognitive apps today andmy experiences building open source software on an IBM scale. I’ll discuss how myexperiences at Swansea helped me get involved in the work I’m doing today, and thekind of things you can be doing right now to make sure you get your dream job.

4.3 Fredrik Nordvall Forsberg – University of StrathclydeFred completed his PhD in Computer Science at Swansea University under the supervi-sion of Anton Setzer in 2013. Since then he has worked as a post-doctoral researcher inthe Theory Group at the University of Birmingham, and is now a Research Fellow inthe Mathematically Structured Programming Group at the University of Strathclyde.

4.3.1 Abstract

This talk will give a personal account of what it is like to be a young researcher inacademia, including its advantages and disadvantages. It will describe Fred’s experi-ences so far, what it is early career researchers actually do, and what he feels wouldhave been beneficial to have known when he started on his PhD.



5 Important Information

5.1 Phone NumbersGregynog Hall: 01686 650224Computer Science Department: 01792 295393

5.2 In Case of EmergencyIf you discover a fire, sound the alarm at the nearest break-glass point. If the alarmsounds, leave by the nearest safe fire exit and go to the front of the building, by the bridge.

In the case of a medical emergency, contact a Computer Science staff member orGregynog staff via the internal phones at reception, in the front hall, or on the secondfloor landing (call 233 or refer to the sign nearby).

The best way to reach a member of staff for non-emergencies is to press 0 on aninternal phone, which is answered by reception during the day and by the DutyManagerat night. If you need a member of staff overnight, they are generally staying in roomsG1, G2 and G3 of the ground floor, or in the rooms in the Courtyard.

5.3 General InformationGuests are requested to maintain quiet after midnight. More generally, please behavelike responsible adults, and don’t embarrass us or yourselves. The main house doorsare locked at midnight. If you are likely to be out later than this, please inform the nightduty staff. Room keys will be charged at £15 per key, if mislaid.

5.4 FAQs5.4.1 Programme Questions

Can we use laptops and projectors for our presentations? Yes, projectors will be pro-vided for every group. We will also provide laptops with PowerPoint, though youmay use your own laptop if you prefer. Due to incompatibilities between varioussoftware versions and potential problems with untested laptops using projectors,simply bringing a PDF of your talk is often the best option. If you do bring yourown laptop, make sure you have a VGA adapter (e.g., not HDMI or DisplayPort).

What are you looking for in the presentation? You will be marked on the quality ofyour slides, so use a good font, and don’t clutter them too much. Using presenta-tion software (e.g., PowerPoint/Keynote etc.) to make the slides will usually givegood results. However, if you plan to use a computer provided by us we recom-mend you convert your slides to PDF format to avoid any versioning problems.You will be marked on communication skills, so look at your audience, speakclearly, and don’t stand in front of (or spend all your time looking at) your slides!You will also be marked on the technical content of your talk, and the amountof work you present. You should discuss this part with your supervisor, as it isproject-dependent. You should also look at the marking sheet – see the last pagein this programme, or the back of the project handbook.



Can I do a live demo in my presentation? If you have one that works – yes! Demosare a great way to show the work you’ve done so far. Be careful, though – atemperamental demo can throw you off your stride when giving a presentation.

Do I also sit and watch other people’s presentations? Yes – you are the audience foryour fellow group members’ presentations. You should listen carefully and leaveany comments or questions until they have finished (unless otherwise requested).But remember, don’t be too harsh with your questions – they will also be watchingyour talk!

When will I find out how my presentation went? You will be given general and indi-vidual feedback on the day about how the talks went. In most cases, after yoursupervisor and additional markers have come to an agreement on a grade, andthe staff moderation meeting has taken place, you will be informed of your markon the same day.

Do I have to go to the scheduled events in the programme? You are expected to at-tend the invited talks we have arranged during the event – these talks, yourpresentation, and the programming competition are compulsory.However, if socialising is not your thing, you may be excused from the morerecreational events such as sports and the pub quiz. If this is the case, we suggestyou do take the opportunity to explore the extensive grounds around the house –there are many interesting places and unusual sights!

5.4.2 Accommodation Questions

Are specific dietary requirements catered for? If you are a vegetarian or have any otherspecific dietary requirements, we can cater for you, but you must let us know inadvance so we can inform the chef at the venue.

Do I need to bring my own food? Three meals are provided each day at Gregynog,including cakes at tea-time, but if you eat a lot you may want to bring some snacksfor the coach or to munch on in your room.

Do we need sleeping bags or towels? No, Gregynog is a hotel – bed linen and towelsare provided.

Do I have to share a room? In short, yes you probably will. There are only a smallnumber of single rooms available. You are able to select who you share with,however – a spreadsheet will be circulated beforehand to organise this.If there is a reason for you not being able to share a room, please contact us inadvance and we will do our best to accommodate you.

Are the rooms en-suite? There are a few en-suite rooms, but for the most part, no –bathrooms will be shared. There are plenty around, though, so it shouldn’t be anissue to grab a quick shower or a relaxing bath when you need to.

Is there mobile phone reception? In our experience, mobile phones generally do notwork well in the main Hall building. Some networks and phones can receivea signal in the grounds and in some areas of the house. There are also publictelephones in the main building.



Is there WiFi? Yes – this isn’t themiddle ages! There are are also email/internet facilitiesavailable on public network computers located in several rooms throughout theHall.

Is there a cashpoint? No. The nearest ATM is six miles away, in Newtown. There is ashop in reception, however, which can usually provide cashback on purchases.

Can I smoke? No – Gregynog operates a no smoking policy throughout the Hall. Smok-ing is only permitted outside in designated areas.

There’s a bar though, right? Yes! The underground bar opens at 9pm each night. TheDavies room is also open for pre-dinner drinks around 6.30.

Do we need waterproof clothes? The weather in Wales in November is usually coldand often wet, or even snowy. If you fancy a walk around the grounds thenwaterproof attire and possibly even walking boots or wellingtons would be useful.

Can we drive our own car? Yes – if you really don’t want to use the bus transportprovided, you can drive to Gregynog yourself. You must let us know in advance ifthis is the case, and we’d encourage you to car-share where possible.Beware – if you use a Sat-Nav then it might try to take you through an entrance thatis unsuitable for most vehicles, and often locked. You should put “The GallopingDrive, Newtown” as your destination, and then follow the signs.

Is there anything to do at Gregynog? There are several free periods in the programme,during which you can walk around the extensive grounds, play board games,football or croquet (all provided), go to the library, play the piano; and, of course,you can go to the bar in the evening. Scheduled social and recreational events suchas a programming competition and pub quiz are also included in the programme.



5.5 Floor Plan

Allanfa D

ân/Fire Exit

Toiled/Toilet

Ystafell Fw

yta

The Dining R

oom

Yr Y

stafell Gerddoriaeth

The Music R

oom

Swyddfa C

efnogi B

usnes

Business Support

Office

Y Llyfrgell

The Library

Parlwr M

awr

Senior Com

mon R

oom

Ystafell B

laenau

The Blayney R

oom

Ystafell Joicey

The Joicey R

oom

Ystafell D

avies The D

avies Room

Dynion

Gentlem

en M

erched Ladies

Rheolydd Tǔ

House M

anager

Cyfarw

yddwr

D

irector

G1

G2

Mynedfa Flaen

Front Entrance

Mynedfa Flaen

Front Entrance

Gregynog C

YN

LL

UN

O’R

LL

AWR

ISAF G

RO

UN

D FL

OO

R PL

AN

M

ynedfa Gefn

Rear E

ntrance

MA

N Y

MG

YN

NU

LL

TÂ

N

FIRE

ASSEM

BL

Y PO

INT

P P



5.6 Grounds Plan

GwenynfaB

ee Apiary

I Tregynon To Tregynon

Neuadd y

CwacwariaidQuacker’s

Hall

Sisters Painting

Shed

I Tregynon To Tregynon

I Drenewydd

To Newtown

Lawnt suddedig(dim

chwarae pell na phicnic)Sunken Lawn

(no ball games or picnics)

Maes Parcio/Car Park

ToiledauToilets

Man golygfa

Viewpoint

Caffi Courtyard Courtyard Cafe

GREGY

NOG

Bwlch-y-Ffridd

Y PantThe D

ell

Bwthyn M

ellorM

ellor’s Cottage

Pont SkewSkew B

ridge

Nant

FechanB

echanB

rook

Ty ^’r Warden

Warden’s H

ouse

Coed Bythynnod yr A

rddGardenhouse W

ood

Y Goedwig Fawr

Great W

ood

Gardd o fewn muriau

(yn aros i gael ei adnewyddu)W

alled Garden(awaiting restoration)

Bythynnod yr A

rddGarden Cottages

Llyn y D

yffrynValley Pond

Llyn LiliLily Lake

Porthdy CanolM

iddle Lodge

Allw

edd i’r llwybrau

Llwybr Llyn Lili

4.3 km, 1!

oriau Llw

ybr Coed T"’r Ardd

5.4 km, 1#

oriau Llw

ybr Y Goedw

ig Fawr,

2 km, 45 m

unud Llw

ybr y Wern

5.6 km, 1#

oriauN

id i raddfa

Key to walks

Lily Lake Walk

4.3 km, 1!

hours G

ardenhouse Wood W

alk 5.4 km

, 1# hours

Great W

ood Walk

2 km, 45 m

insW

ern Walk

5.6 km

, 1# hours

Not to scale

1.8 km

1.8 km

Lawnt Croce

CroquetLawn

Man golygfa/Viewpoint

Y GwningarThe W

arren

Cuddfan adarB

ird hidellethr serth: yn am

l yn fwdlyd Steep, often m

uddy, slope

Sied A

rlunio’r Chwiorydd

Godre’r Wern

Wern B

ottom

Coed y Ty ^ Du

Blackhouse W

ood


Swansea University Department of Computer ScienceD.2 Marking sheet – SE-Presentation at Gregynog

Feedback & Improvement Sheet – GregynogMarker: Student Name: Project Title:

Tick the prompts and use these in deciding a mark (a percentage range, eg, 61-64) for each category in the rightmost column.The percentage range should be as small as possible, and never more than 5%.The weighting of the different marking components is a recommendation only.

bad fai

l (<30

)

fail (

30-39

)

3rd(40

-49)

2ii(50

-59)

2i(60

-69)

1st (70

-85)

good

1st (>

85)

Limited contact with audience Excellent interaction with audience

Lack of enthusiasm for the own topic Enthusiastic presentation

Quality ofpresentation(⇠ 50%):

Poor organisation of the talk Excellent signposting of the talk’s organisation

Unreadable, dull slides Slides of outstanding quality

Talk significantly under/over time On spot timing

Limited motivation for the project Explanation of project context exceeds expectations

Poor project aims Crystal clear & evaluable project aims

Contentadequate forweek 8 of theproject (⇠ 50%):No discussion of used methods & tools Advanced analysis of used tools & methods

Limited discussion of (preliminary) results Discussion of results (preliminary) exceeds expectation

General comments: (eg, weak/strong points, justification of final mark in relation to above categories)

Overall mark: (should be a combination of marks above; explain your combination here)

%Signature and Date:

61



Notes



Notes


Documents

DepartmentofComputerScience 34th AnnualColloquiumcsmora/project/Gregynog_2016.pdf · 2016-11-18 · SwanseaUniversity DepartmentofComputerScience 4 GuestSpeakers 4.1 ConnorLynch–BT