February 2010 - csc-general

CSC Talk "QIP=PSPACE"
by Computer Science Club 26 Feb '10

26 Feb '10

Hello, the CSC is hosting a talk entitled "QIP=PSPACE" on 2010-03-02 at 4:30 PM in DC1304. It will be presented by Dr. John Watrous. His description follows below: The interactive proof system model of computation is a cornerstone of complexity theory, and its quantum computational variant has been studied in quantum complexity theory for the past decade. In this talk I will discuss an exact characterization of the power of quantum interactive proof systems that I recently proved in collaboration with Rahul Jain, Zhengfeng Ji, and Sarvagya Upadhyay. The characterization states that the collection of computational problems having quantum interactive proof systems consists precisely of those problems solvable with an ordinary classical computer using a polynomial amount of memory (or QIP = PSPACE in complexity-theoretic terminology). This characterization implies the striking fact that quantum computing does not provide any increase in computational power over classical computing in the context of interactive proof systems. I will not assume that the audience for this talk has any familiarity with either quantum computing or complexity theory; and to be true to the spirit of the interactive proof system model, I hope to make this talk as interactive as possible -- I will be happy to explain anything related to the talk that I can that people are interested in learning about. Light refreshments will be provided and I hope to see you there. If you have any questions about the event e-mail the executive or check http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca.

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Contest Closing Ice Cream Party
by Computer Science Club 25 Feb '10

25 Feb '10

Hi everyone, As you might recall the Google AI Challenge (that we have organized) started February 1st. Well, it is now almost over, and to help you finalize your submissions we're having an ice cream party starting at 7:00pm on Feb 26 (Tomorrow!), and going until a little after the close of submissions (11:59pm) when we will announce winners and hand out prizes. If you haven't started a submission (or forgot) more information about the contest can be found on the website: contest.csclub.ca So come on out, have some icecream, and hack hack hack. -- Edgar Bering, Vice President ebering at uwaterloo dot ca Computer Science Club http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca/~ebering Mathematics Society MC 3036, (519)888-4567,x33870 University of Waterloo Waterloo, Ontario CANADA N2L 3G1

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CSCF Town Hall Discussion
by Computer Science Club 22 Feb '10

22 Feb '10

Hello, the CSC is co-hosting a CSCF Town Hall meeting on 2010-02-25 at 4:30 PM in DC1302. It will be presented by the CSCF Management. Come to a town hall style meeting with the managers of CSCF to discuss how to improve the undergraduate (student.cs) computing environment. Have gripes? Suggestions? Requests? Now is the time to voice them. CSCF management (Bill Ince, Associate Director; Dave Gawley, Infrastructure Support; Dawn Keenan, User Support; Lawrence Folland, Research Support) will be at the meeting to listen to student concerns and suggestions. Information gathered from the meeting will be summarized and taken to the CSCF advisory committee for discussion and planning. Cookies will be served and I hope to see you there. If you have any questions about the event e-mail the executive or check http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca.

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Talk: "The Best Algorithms are Randomized Algorithms"
by Computer Science Club 21 Feb '10

21 Feb '10

Hello, the CSC is hosting a talk entitled "The Best Algorithms are Randomized Algorithms" on 2010-02-23 at 04:30 PM in MC5136B. It will be presented by Dr. Nicholas Harvey. Talk Abstract: For many problems, randomized algorithms are either the fastest algorithm or the simplest algorithm; sometimes they even provide the only known algorithm. Randomized algorithms have become so prevalent that deterministic algorithms could be viewed as a curious special case. In this talk I will describe some startling examples of randomized algorithms for solving some optimization problems on graphs. Light refreshments will be provided and I hope to see you there. If you have any questions about the event e-mail the executive or check http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca.

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Member Talk: An Introduction to Vector Graphics Libraries with Cairo
by Computer Science Club 08 Feb '10

08 Feb '10

Hello, the CSC is hosting a talk entitled "An Introduction to Vector Graphics Libraries with Cairo" on 2010-02-09 at 4:30 PM in DC1304. It will be presented by club member Nathaniel Sherry. Cairo is an open source, cross platform, vector graphics library with the ability to output to many kinds of surfaces, including PDF, SVG and PNG surfaces, as well as X-Window, Win32 and Quartz 2D backends. Unlike the raster graphics used with programmes and libraries such as The Gimp and ImageMagick, vector graphics are not defined by grids of pixels, but rather by a collection of drawing operations. These operations detail how to draw lines, fill shapes, and even set text to create the desired image. This has the advantages of being infinitely scalable, smaller in file size, and simpler to express within a computer programme. This talk will be an introduction to the concepts and metaphors used by vector graphics libraries in general and Cairo in particular. Hope to see you there. If you have any questions about the event e-mail the executive or check http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca.

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2010 Intelligent Systems Challenge: Call for Participation
by Computer Science Club 04 Feb '10

04 Feb '10

The Canadian Artificial Intelligence Association (CAIAC) and Precarn Inc are inviting students at all levels (high school, college and university) to participate in the 2010 Intelligent Systems Challenge. Computer professionals in industry and academia are also invited to pass this message to interested students and to consider advising a student team. The challenge is a programming contest where students are asked to write a program that is able to automatically characterize events reported in news media, particularly when there are multiple data sources providing context for the information. This year's challenge was proposed by CAE. CAE is a world leader in providing modelling and simulation technologies and integrated training solutions for the civil aviation industry, defence forces, public security agencies, and healthcare organizations around the globe. To participate, please visit the challenge website: http://www.intelligent-systems-challenge.ca. Download the full problem description and start programming today! Registration is currently open (until Feb 28). Cash prizes will be awarded to the best solutions in each student category (high school/college, undergraduate and graduate levels). Winners will be announced at the 2010 Intelligent Systems Collaborative Conference in Ottawa, Ontario which runs from May 31-June 2. The challenge is a joint initiative of the Canadian Artificial Intelligence Association (CAIAC) and Precarn Inc. The goal of this annual competition is to promote innovation in Canada; establish and strengthen contacts between academia and industry in Canada; increase the awareness of and interest in technologies and methods from the areas of artificial intelligence and intelligent systems for addressing the challenges faced by Canadian industry, organizations and society as a whole; contribute to the development of students’ aptitude and ability through solving challenging real world problems. -- Kate Larson, University of Waterloo Froduald Kabanza, Universite de Sherbrooke Michael Horsch, University of Saskatchewan (The 2010 IS Challenge Organizing Committee) and Holger H. Hoos, University of British Columbia (on behalf of the IS Challenge Steering Committee)

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UNIX 101, Two Sessions
by Computer Science Club 04 Feb '10

04 Feb '10

Hello, the CSC is hosting UNIX 101 on 2010-02-10 at 4:30 PM in MC3003, with an encore presentation on 2010-02-11 at 4:30 PM in MC3005. New to Unix? No problem, we'll teach you to power use circles around your friends! We will run two sessions of the popular tutorial, in case you can't make one. This first tutorial is an introduction to the Unix shell environment, both on the student servers and on other Unix environments. Topics covered include: using the shell, both basic interaction and advanced topics like scripting and job control, the filesystem and manipulating it, and ssh. If you feel you're already familiar with these topics don't hesitate to come to Unix 102 to learn about documents, editing, and other related tasks, or watch out for Unix 103 and 104 that get much more in depth into power programming tools on Unix. Hope to see you there. If you can't make either tutorial, or want to read ahead, check out: http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca/unix/ If you have any questions about the event e-mail the executive or check http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca.

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Movie Night: Tron and Hackers. 7pm Thursday in the Comfy Lounge
by Computer Science Club 02 Feb '10

02 Feb '10

Hi everyone, This week we're helping MathSoc run their movie night, and as such we get to pick the movies. So, if you want to watch some classic films about computer culture and enjoy free popcorn come to the Comfy Lounge this Thursday at 7pm for Tron and 8:45pm for Hackers. Bring your friends! -- Edgar Bering, Vice President ebering at uwaterloo dot ca Computer Science Club http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca/~ebering Mathematics Society MC 3036, (519)888-4567,x33870 University of Waterloo Waterloo, Ontario CANADA N2L 3G1

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Programming contest starts today in MC3003
by Computer Science Club 01 Feb '10

01 Feb '10

Hi everyone, come out today to the contest kickoff event in MC3003 at 4:30PM. The contest this year is being run in conjunction with Google, who will be promoting it worldwide, but its being run by us, and it would certainly be a shame if we lost. Can't make the kickoff? Just check out the website and get started! Learn how to create an intelligent game-playing program. No past experience necessary. Submit your code online to watch it compete with programs written by other students from around the world. Follow your ranking on the Global Leaderboard. Beginners and experts welcome! Cash prizes will be awarded to the top entries. There is a special prize for the top entry by a first-year student. Check out the website for everything that you need to get started today! contest.csclub.uwaterloo.ca Google AI Challenge Organized by the University of Waterloo Computer Science Club Feb 1 to February 27 contest.csclub.uwaterloo.ca -- Edgar Bering, Vice President ebering at uwaterloo dot ca Computer Science Club http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca/~ebering Mathematics Society MC 3036, (519)888-4567,x33870 University of Waterloo Waterloo, Ontario CANADA N2L 3G1

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