ACM ICPC Philippines Southern Luzon Invitational Programming Contest 2018

For the sixth time in a row, I was a problem setter and judge for an ACM ICPC programming contest held in Ateneo de Naga University.  Last October 7, 2018, twelve teams participated and their performances are shown below.  I guess the low number of participants is due to the two-year absence of new undergraduate students (from 2016 to 2017) due to the addition of two years of senior high school in the Philippine educational system.

I contributed two problems:  Problem C: “Symbolic System” (based on the symbolic system described on page 102 of Wolfram’s “A New Kind of Science”) and Problem E: “Fibonacci Ones digit” (based on Rossi D’Souza’s “Where did/do mathematical concepts come from?” in For the Learning of Mathematics, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 25-27).  Only two teams attempted problem C; only one team attempted problem E; all three failed to solve the problems.

2017 ACM-ICPC Philippines Southern Luzon

I was a problem setter and judge for the 2017 ACM-ICPC Philippines Southern Luzon Invitational Programming Contest held last October 1, 2017 at the Ateneo de Naga University. Seven teams from five schools joined, which is much less than the numbers in the previous years (15 teams from 9 schools in 2016, 13 from 6 in 2015, 31 from 13 in 2014, 32 from 15 in 2013). The contest problems and solutions are here. I provided two contest problems: “C” (Sharkovski Successor) and “D” (String Substitution). I was also a problem setter and judge in 2016, 2015, 2014, and 2013.

A Guide to Journal Publication

Last November 24, 2017, I gave a talk organized by the Ateneo de Naga University Research Council in collaboration with the Naga College Foundation. It was an edited compilation of some of my earlier talks (1, 2, 3). A copy of the slides I used is here.

20th PMO: Area Stage Qualifiers (Region 5)

There were 210 participants who took the 20th Philippine Mathematical Olympiad Qualifying Stage for Region 5. Of these, eight made it to the Area Stage:

• Gabrielle Jackie C. Candano (University of Santo Tomas Legazpi)
• Dale Angelo A. Cortez (Ateneo de Naga University Senior High School)
• Jericho M. Fraginal (Ateneo de Naga University Senior High School)
• Jose C. Ibarrientos (University of Saint Anthony)
• John Angelo O. Oringo (Philippine Science High School Bicol Region Campus)
• Jude Ericsson B. Regorgo (University of Santo Tomas Legazpi)
• Errol John E. Suarez (University of Santo Tomas Legazpi)
• Hans Mackenzie D. Uy (Saint Joseph School)

The list of 50 area stage qualifiers for Luzon (excluding those from the National Capital Region) is here. There were 51 area stage qualifiers from NCR, 55 from Visayas, and 52 from Mindanao.

The Area Stage for Region 5 will be held on November 25, 2017 at room AL411A of the
newly-built Fr. Godofredo Alingal, S.J. Hall in the Bagumbayan campus of Ateneo de Naga University. Registration starts at 12:30 pm (in the same room). Reproduced below is an announcement from the PMO staff:

Reminders for the Coaches and Students (Re: 20th PMO Area Stage)

1. The PMO Area Stage is on November 25, 2017.
2. Confirm the testing venue with the PMO coordinator in your region before the exam date. You may find his/her name, address and contact number at the PMO website (http://pmo.ph). S/he is the same coordinator during the qualifying stage.
3. On November 25, 2017, arrive at the testing center early. Registration will begin at 12:30 pm and the exam will begin promptly at 2:00 pm and end at 5:00 pm. Late examinees will not be given additional time.
4. The student must bring his/her school ID for identification.
5. Each student must bring his/her own blue or black pen for the exam. (All final answers and solutions to the examination must be in blue or black ink.)
6. Students will be allowed to use rulers, protractors and compasses.
7. Calculators will NOT be allowed.
8. The examination will consist of two parts. The first part has 20 questions that require the final answers only and the second part has 3 open-ended questions that require complete solutions.
9. The names of the students who will qualify for the national stage will be released on or before December 20, 2017.
10. The top 3 scorers in each area will be given medals and subsidized fare to attend the National Finals and Awarding Program.

20th PMO: Instructions for Qualifying Stage (Region 5)

The 20th Philippine Mathematical Olympiad Qualifying Stage will be held on the afternoon of Saturday, October 28, 2017.  It is a written exam consisting of fifteen multiple-choice questions worth 2 points each, ten multiple-choice questions worth 3 points each, and five answers-only questions worth 6 points each.

The Regional Testing Center for Region V is Ateneo de Naga University. The qualifying stage will be held at the first two floors of the Pedro Arrupe, S.J. Hall of the ADNU Bagumbayan Campus (Ateneo Avenue, Bagumbayan Sur, Naga City); registration will be done in the same building.  The participants must be in their assigned examination rooms by 1:00 pm.  The exam starts at 2:00 pm and ends at 5:00 pm (even for those who arrived late).

Participants must be at the venue before 12:00 nn to register.  The registration fee of PhP 150 per participant must be paid before the exam starts. An official receipt will be given for each school (and not for each participant).  Applicants who submitted their application forms through e-mail must submit the original application forms to the registration staff during registration. Participants and coaches must bring identification cards that have ID pictures, preferably those issued by their schools.

Scratch papers will be provided during the exam.  The only materials that the participants are allowed to have on their desks immediately before the examination are:  blue or black ballpoint pen, pencil (required), eraser, ruler, compass, and protractor.  All other items such as notes, books, cellular phones, etc. are not allowed on the participants’ desks, but these may be placed in a designated area in the room.  Calculators are not allowed.

Participants are not allowed to leave the examination room during the exam. (Participants who need to use the bathroom must do so before the exam starts.) Participants who leave the room before the exam has ended are considered to have finished the exam; they must submit their questionnaires and answer sheets to the proctor before they leave and they are not allowed to return to continue the exam.

Certificates of appreciation for each student and each coach and certificates of appearance (only for those who explicitly request it) will be distributed to the coaches or school representatives.

Selecting high impact journals

I recently gave a talk titled “Selecting high impact journals” as part of the research capability seminars and workshops organized by the University Research Council of Ateneo de Naga University. Here is a copy of the slides I used.

Types of academic publications

I recently gave a talk titled “Types of academic publications” as part of the research capability seminars and workshops organized by the University Research Council of Ateneo de Naga University. Here is a copy of the slides I used.

Conference and Enrichment Sessions on the New GEC

Last September 2-3, 2017, the Council of Deans and Department Chairpersons of Colleges of Arts and Sciences (CODDCCAS) Region V held a Conference and Enrichment Sessions on the New General Education Curriculum at the Ateneo de Naga University in Naga City. According to the Commission on Higher Education Regional Office V CHED Regional Memorandum number 82 series of 2017, the activity aims to “enrich approaches in teaching the new GE courses that the General Education teachers will be handling this SY 2018-2019.”

I and Marivic Fullante handled the sessions on “Mathematics in the Modern World.” (I lectured during the morning of September 3, 2017, and she lectured during the afternoon.) Here are the slides that I used: Introduction, Mathematics in Our World, Mathematical Language and Symbols, Problem Solving and Reasoning, and Geometric Designs.

I also talked about the teaching of mathematics using the Filipino language.

ADNU mathematics summer 2017 seminar-workshops

The Department of Mathematics of the Ateneo de Naga University (ADNU) is organizing a series of seminar-workshops to be held on June 1, 2, and 3, 2017 at the Instructional Media Center of the ADNU main campus (at Bagumbayan Sur, Naga City). The resource speaker for all three seminar-workshops is Dr. Ian June L. Garces of Ateneo de Manila University.

The Seminar-Workshop on Formative Assessment and the Teaching of Math on June 1, 2017 (Thursday) has private and public high school (and possibly elementary) math teachers as the target audience.

The Coaches’ Training in Math Competitions on June 2, 2017 (Friday) has private and public high school math coaches as the target audience.

The Seminar-Workshop on Problem Solving and Mathematical Investigation on June 3, 2017 (Saturday) has high school and college math teachers and graduate students in math as the target audience.

Additional information about the seminar-workshops can be found here.

Understanding Physiological Complexities using a Mathematical Microscope

When the Bicol Science, Technology & Engineering Conference 2017 was cancelled, one of the plenary speakers, Aurelio Asug De Los Reyes V, agreed to still give his talk but to a smaller audience: the faculty, staff, and students of Ateneo de Naga University. The talk on mathematical modeling of physiological processes is being organized by ADNU’s Department of Mathematics, Department of Natural Sciences, and Graduate School on January 25, 2017 from 2 pm to 4 pm at the CCMF Amphitheater. Admission is free.