BCS Berkshire Branch newsletter – March 2013

Welcome

Wecome to the March newsletter! This month we have our usual jam-packed social night at the Copa bar, a short review of the women’s social networking event as well as events regarding introducing Computer Science in a Primary School environment.

For more, check out the BCS Berkshire Branch website

News

Women’s Networking Event

Although the turnout was not the highest, a great time was had by everyone who attended the women’s speed networking event in the Copa Bar – as you can tell by some of our smiling faces! Cards were swapped, contact details exchanged and a small buffet was provided by the bar itself. Hopefully, next time more people will have a chance to attend.

Forthcoming events

First off, we have a trio of events on 11th of December!

Computer Science Taster Day – 12th March

Held at Park House School in Newbury, this taster day will demonstrate how to introduce computer science to even the youngest students.

Social night at Copa bar – 12th March

Starting at 18:30, and located downstairs at the fabulous Copa Bar is yet another Social night. Come along to meet the Young Professionals Group as well as Social Tech. Don’t wander off, because afterwards we have…

Reading Geek Night – 12th March

Continuing after the Social Night, you have a great opportunity to relax and have a natter with the people you’ve met – or brought with you! Don’t forget to check out the programme for the night.

Great Debate: “Homes of the Future”; A challenge and opportunity – 26th March

Held at Reading University’s Palmer Building we have four 12 minute presentations on how houses and related services may change over the next 30 years. Pressure to be more ecological is giving driving force to new technology and new improvments. Visit the programme page for more information.

Primary ICT Conference: Next Generation Learning – 26th March

Aimed at Primary ICT Subject Leaders, classroom teachers, Primary ICT technicians and teaching assistants, this conference covers how to use iPads in classrooms as well as how to introduce Algorithms in a fun way. Hosted in the School Common Room in SSE, Reading University. Check out the programme for more information – and don’t forget to book!

More…

See all this month’s events

See all forthcoming events

That’s all, folks!

www.berkshire.bcs.org.uk

BCS Berkshire Branch newsletter – February 2013

Welcome to the February Newsletter!

There’s a vibrant mix of activities on this month – including Tax Credits for Research & Grants as well as a Women’s Speed Networking evening – very appropriate to the month of Valentines!

For more, check out the BCS Berkshire Branch website

News

School Collaboration

Following up on last month’s start to bringing volunteers to Local Schools, we have two events aimed at helping Primary School Teachers. These events can help aid either established teachers or trainee teachers to introduce students to computational thinking as well as providing workshops on tools
available to you as a teacher. Read more below…

Forthcoming events

BCS ELITE – UK Tax Credits for Research & Grants for Knowledge Transfer, Reading Town Hall, 26th February

Held in the Waterhouse chamber of Reading Town Hall is a collaboration between BCS Berkshire and BCS Elite; two talks are being given, which are open to anyone who is interest in tax credits for research or grants, as well as an interest in Knowledge Transfer. The talks will be held between 7:30pm and 9pm and are free, but booking is required.

Talk 1: Research & Development Tax Credit System (RDTCS)

Interested in learning more about Research & Development (R&D) Tax Credit System? Companies that are able to demonstrate that they are actively pursuing innovation may be able to have their corporate taxation lightened. This talk will both outline what R&D is, along with other innovation ideas (including creative use of IT) as well as the rules of the system.

The talk will be given by David Butler; now the Chief Executive of Butler Basford & Lord Ltd, was formerly the co-founder of Butler Cox Foundation; The most successful IT research programme ever launched in Europe.

Talk 2: Knowledge Transfer Partnership with UoR

The Knowledge Transfer Partnership at the University of Reading has long been supporting companies and academic teams in securing funding with the government scheme KTP. Interested companies would have access to UoR resources and Facilities as well as fresh blood, or recently qualified graduates who can work full time to support the project & manage delivery.

The talk will be given by Susan Matos, giving both an overview of the scheme as well as an outline of relevant projects. Susan Matos leads the KTP team at UoR, providing expertise in the scheme as well as other government funding. Susan has worked both in industry and academia, and is therefore capable of putting her experience to good use here.

Computing-At-School; a Free workshop on 28th February at UoR

Not one, but two free workshops are being held at UoR, allowing you to find out what Computing-At-School can do for you as either a Primary school teacher or a trainee teacher. Remember to book so you’re not disappointed! The workshops will run between 5pm and 9pm.

CAS Network of Excellence 6th March, at Park House School, Newbury

This workshop, CAS Network of Excellence CPD: Planning for Progression , is targeted towards IT Teachers who are interested in introducing Computer Science at KS3. Software that introduces the ideas behind computational thinking, which is applicable towards 11-13 year olds.

Booking is essential, and the event will cost £40 to the organiser  The event itself starts at 4:30pm, and lasts until 7:30.

Women’s Speed Networking Evening – 6th March at Copa Bar

BCS Women and BCS Berkshire are partnering up in order to host a  speed-networking event , bringing the dynamic and interesting women of the Computing world together at the  Copa Bar.

The session itself, starting at 7:30pm, will last 60 minutes, providing two minutes of talk time to each pair of women. After this bustle, snacks will be provided, allowing you to take the opportunity to talk further with whoever took your fancy!

Don’t miss the chance – head down to this public event to quickly increase your network and have some fun!

More…

See all this month’s events

See all forthcoming events

That’s all, folks!

Hoping you had a good Feast of Valentine’s Day or Single’s Awareness Day,

Berkshire Branch Committee

www.berkshire.bcs.org.uk

BCS Berkshire Branch newsletter – January 2013

Welcome

Wecome to the January newsletter! We’ve got  a career development workshop and advance news of our first BCS ELITE event which will be on tax credits for research and grants for knowledge transfer. We also have advance notice of an event to promote the teaching of Computer Science to teachers in primary schools.

For more, check out the BCS Berkshire Branch website

News

Our Branch Chair is now an ELITE Regional Chair!

Dr James Anderson, our Branch Chair, is now a Regional Chair for BCS ELITE which is the UK’s leading forum for IT Directors and Senior Managers to exchange experiences, views and expectations on how information systems should be managed to achieve business objectives. James will remain as our Chair until the AGM in September.

Forthcoming events

Career Sustainability Workshop – Reading Town Hall, Tuesday 22nd January

The
career sustainability workshop
is organised in collaboration with
BCSWomen and is open to everyone who wants to take control of their own personal development with a view to advancing their careers. The workshop is followed by a networking event.The speaker, Christine Alexander-Smith, runs the
Diversity Coaching Initiative. As usual for our main events,
booking is essential.

Talks on Tax Credits and Grants for Knowedge Transfer – Reading Town Hall, Tuesday 26th February

The talks are open to everyone who is interested in obtaining tax credits for research or grants for transferring knowledge between Universities and companies. The talks will be particularly useful to SMEs.
Booking is essential.

Computing-at-School Workshop for Primary Teachers – Reading Univeristy, Thursday 28th February

Come to Reading University and find out what
Computing-At-School (CAS)
can do for you as a primary school teacher or trainee teacher. If you are a secondary school teacher you might like to come along to see how computing is being taught in primary schools. There will be two free workshops on the day. Booking is essential.

More…

See all this month’s events

See all forthcoming events

That’s all, folks!

Come to an event, learn some useful stuff, meet some nice people and have fun!

www.berkshire.bcs.org.uk

BCS Berkshire Branch newsletter – December 2011

Welcome

Wecome to the December newsletter! We’ve got some treats instore for you – social nights, christmas events, and breaking news about the car industry. In fact, we’re so booked you might be forced to make a choice between conflicting events!

For more, check out the BCS Berkshire Branch website

News

Coming soon, a diversity event near you!

We’re presently organising a diveristy event to be held in January, keep your eyes on our events page, and your ears out for the announcement of our January Newsletter!

Forthcoming events

First off, we have a trio of events on 11th of December!

What’s Happening to the car Industry? Driving Jaguar Land Rover Growth with CAE and HPC – BCS London Office, 11th December

Providing an overview of the development and deployment of state-of-the art Computer Aided Engineering and High Performance Computing, and how this results in reduced development time, costs and environmental impact. Hosted at our very own BCS London Branch. You can read more on the event’s very own page.

Speaking will be Andy Searle, a strategic technical leader with 25 years of experience in both CAE and HPC!.

Members and non-members are welcome, but don’t forget to book through our website.

And remember – a buffet and festive drinks will provide a fab networking opportunity afterwards!

Social night at Copa bar – Tuesday 11th December

As usual, this event will be hosted downstairs in the Copa bar – it’s your opportunity to get lo-down on local news, events and opportunities. Bring your bestie, and spend some time with the Young Professionals Group(YPG) and Social Tech, before staying on for Reading Geek Night, speaking of which…

Reading Geek Night – Tuesday 11th December

You don’t need to go any furthur than Copa bar after the social night, we’re here to provide you with Reading Geek Night! Check out the Programme for the night and don’t be shy.

IET Berkshire External Event: Christmas lecture 2012 – Tuesday 13th December

“To Space, Infinity and Beyond”! is the title of this exciting chrtismas lecture hosted by the IET. Primarily looking at the two huge successes of 2012: The saga of the Curiosity Rover, and the sucessful resupply mission to the International Space Station by the SpaceX Falcon9/Dragon.

Looking at how we have arrived at this point of development, what the present developements are, and the future of space exploration, this lecture promises to be out of this world! Don’t forget to register, and if you want to read more about it, check our our events page and the IET’s website.

More…

See all this month’s events on our home page

See all forthcoming events on our events page

That’s all, folks!

We hope we’ll see you at one of our events – don’t forget to fit it in around the Christmas shopping!

Wishing you a very merry Christmas, Berkshire Branch Committee

www.berkshire.bcs.org.uk

BCS Berkshire Branch newsletter – November 2011

Welcome

This month, we have a brand-spanking new newsletter-writer, a fancy new Social Media Secritary, a review of the Girl Geeks night in October, and some events – what more could you want? STOP PRESS – How about a CV clinic on Tuesday 27th November. And, sorry, everything is all a bit late this month – on account of the Chair being sick.

For more, check out the BCS Berkshire Branch website

News

New members

This month we welcome three new female members to the BCS Berkshire Branch – Parista Rai, who will be in charge of Social Media, Villanelle Dalgarno, who will be reporting on the newsletter, and Jo Alexander-Jones who is going to mentor us girls and do great things.

Good luck, Jo!

Review of Reading Girl Geeks Dinner

This event, hosted by the generous Symantec at their offices in Green Park, allowed the networking of a number of young students, professionals and even the famous. The night reflected the rise of women in the field of Computer Science – and showed an interesting change in backgrounds over the years.

The night started off with a range of talks; Kate Russell talked about her foray into technology, gaming and the internet, Maggie Philbin and her work on TeenTech, Sian John on Symantic and security, and last but not least, Carolyn Herzog, and her work with SWAN and life as a senior female Symantic leader.

The talks were followed by a couple of successful hours of networking amoungst the attendees, as well as a buffet.

Forthcoming events

Creative ways to introduce computational thinking; merging computing and art! 9th November

Our first event this month tackles the trending issue of how to introduce Computer Science to the teachers of primary and secondary schools, through the medium of art. The event is free, but booking is essential – don’t forget or you’ll miss out on free refreshments!

It turned out well with 90 attendees. Yota, who organised the gig, did a great live interview on the radio. Many people said good things about the event which was sponsored by the ESRC, CAS and your very own BCS Berkshire Branch.

Social night at Copa bar – Tuesday 13th November

This public event is being held downstairs in the Copa bar – it’s your opportunity to get the news on local events. Don’t be shy, bring a friend and spend some time with the Young Professionals Group(YPG) and Social Tech, before staying on for Reading Geek Night, which leads onto…

Reading Geek Night – Tuesday 13th November

This monthly outing is on again, meet us in Reading’s Copa bar for an eclectic evening of interesting talks and good conversation! Don’t forget to check out the Programme for the night, before heading downstairs.

OK, so you would need a time machine to get to those, but what is a girl to do … jump in a taxi and go to the CV clinic in the Copa bar on Tuesday 27th at 18.30. Don’t be late or you will miss all the fun … unless it’s going so well we all hang out for a bit.

More…

See all this month’s events on our Home page

See all forthcoming events on our Events page

That’s all, folks!

Please don’t forget to come along to one of our talks or events; you’ll be more than welcome!

Berkshire Branch Committee

www.berkshire.bcs.org.uk

BCS Berkshire Branch newsletter – October 2012

Welcome

This month we have a round up of the year’s events, as reported to the AGM. There is a great talk, with a speaker from the USA, on Friday 5th. And more events coming up, including free training courses.

For more, check out the BCS Berkshire Branch website

News

Chair’s Report Given to the AGM

It has been a busy year. We have put our own house in order. The Content Management System for the new web site is working well. Dividing responsibility between a web master and a content master has made each task much more efficient. The new electronic Newsletter also works well and tonight we have a Newsletter Editor standing for election. We have aligned our AGM, now held in October, with the national practice. In all respects we are now a well run Branch. I would like to thank all of my colleagues on the Branch committee for the tremendous work they have done over the last year.

In future, I would like to see more specialisation among committee members, with each member taking on responsibility for one aspect of the Branch’s life. This will spread the work more evenly and will allow more time to prepare each activity, which should improve quality.

As a shining example of this approach, Peter Marshman ran a Computing Olympiad in Newbury which attracted 700 participants. Pete received practical support from the Branch in terms of equipment and the services of a volunteer. I hope that the Branch can support Pete in expanding his fantastic initiative.

This year we have worked with Bracknell Forest Voluntary Action to introduce new social media to promote their voluntary work. We have helped develop a social media policy and have trained staff on policy and use. This has been a major, concerted effort by the Branch; my thanks go to all those involved.

We ran two events for Women in IT: one aimed at practitioners and one at school pupils and university students. Oracle played a part in both events and hosted the second one. In future the Branch will support Oracle in running their own Women in IT events. I regard this as a major success where we have collectively taken a voluntary event and have promoted it to the extent that it has become a mainstream activity in a very large computing organisation. We also support Microsoft at a grass roots level with equipment and advertising for some of their user group and outreach talks. The Branch is always ready to respond to local businesses and schools.

We supported the usual round of schools’ careers events, including the massively successful TeenTech. Though the difficult financial climate has made it hard for us to do as much as we would have liked. In these circumstances, it was a major success that our treasurer won additional funding to support TeenTech.

We have supported the national trend toward increasing the amount of Computer Science taught in schools. We ran Computer Science Continuing Professional Development Courses, for school teachers, with Reading University. This is now turning into a major initiative at the University, which was the first University in the Computing at Schools / BCS Network of Excellence to offer CPD courses trialling the prototype CAS syllabus. It is the second example of how our voluntary work is becoming a mainstream activity in a large organisation. These really are fantastic achievements by the Branch.

We have advertised free technical training to members and have publicised technology events in Berkshire and the surrounding counties. We work well with our neighbouring Branches.

I hope that next year, the Branch will go on to new heights. The more we all put into the Branch, the more we all get out of it.

If you would like to see the Branch move into new activities then join the committee and make it happen. Obey Dr Anderson’s rule of criticism – never criticise anything unless you are willing to do something about it: Don’t Bitch Unless You’ll Stitch!

Finally a word of thanks to all our members who have supported the Branch’s events throughout the year – thank you!

Dr James Anderson, FBCS, CITP, CSci

Chair, BCS Berkshire

Forthcoming events

Launch of Visual Studio 2012

Join us at the Microsoft’s headquarters in Reading where we’ll be celebrating the launch of Visual Studio 2012. During the evening, you’ll learn what Visual Studio 2012 has to offer, and also find out what’s new. The guest speaker will be Shanku Niyogi from Microsoft. Shanku is actively involved in the development of Visual Studio. Pizza and refreshments will be provided free of charge during the evening. If you work with Microsoft .NET and Visual Studio, you won’t want to miss this event! Places are limited so booking is essential.

Free Training Course

How to communicate your organisation’s ‘real’ requirements, and your customer’s most critical improvement requirements, in an unambiguous, clear, measurable, and testable way. This free, two-day course is primarily intended for unemployed people and underemployed contractors, however, a few places are available for those in full employment who can demonstrate a particular interest in the topic. See the this mont’s events for further details of this training course and see forthcoming events for details of future free courses.

Browse the Branch website or use the links below.

More…

See all this month’s events on our Home page

See all forthcoming events on our Events page

That’s all, folks!

Go on, volunteer! The more you put in, the more you get out – as the programmer said to the FIFO!

Berkshire Branch Committee

www.berkshire.bcs.org.uk

BCS Berkshire Branch newsletter – July 2012

Welcome

This month we have run a CPD event for Primary School teachers to promote the teaching of computer science in schools. Two of our members have been commended for voluntary work. And we look forward to a major event for Women in IT in September, after the quiet summer months of July and August.

News

Commendation for Volunteers
Tony Levene, our volunteering organiser, and Robert Pehrson, have received a commendation for their work in developing a web site for a local charity. The Branch is always keen to support members in their voluntary work. We are also happy to hear from voluntary organisations or individuals who need help with computing and IT systems.

Computer Science CPD for Primary Schools
The Berkshire Branch got together with Reading University and Pete Marshman, Head of Computing at Parkhouse School, to offer a whole day of CPD in Computer Science for Primary School teachers. In fact, the 28 attendees were a mix of primary and secondary school teachers, local education authority staff, teacher trainees, IT support staff, and a couple of members of the general public who are thinking of becoming primary school teachers. Dr Yota Dimitriadi, from the University’s Institute of Education, provided robots for a mixed physical and abstract programming exercise in which the robots step through a flow chart, emulating its von Neumann execution. Dr James Anderson, from the University’s School of Systems Engineering, gave talks on computability and HCI, as well as extending the flow-chart exercise to demonstrate faster dataflow execution. Pete Marshman gave physical illustrations of sorting algorithms and time order using everything from pieces of paper with animal names printed on them to boxes of coins to be sorted on a pan balance. If you haven’t seen Quicksort done with a pan balance, you haven’t lived! Pete and James then lead a programming exercise in Scratch where attendees implemented the flow chart and then went on to do their own thing. A music teacher, who had not programmed before, implemented a multithreaded program in Scratch in which a "conductor" orchestrated two musical sections, and a cat, who gave a rendition of music composed during the exercise. The cat is a Scratch joke. Yes, you had to be there to appreciate that one!

Look out for future CPD days. Yota has won a grant to run another CPD day. Good for her and good for us! We get by, but if you are rich and generous we would like you to know that we could put a whole heap of money to very good use on promoting the teaching of computer science in schools.

Help! We need somebody. Help!
So, talking of volunteers, we could really use some journalistic help with the Newsletter …

Forthcoming events

Women in IT – Tuesday 26 September
Gill Palmer and Gaye Hudson, both Vice Presidents of Oracle, will talk about careers for women in IT. The meeting is aimed at Secondary School pupils in the 6th form. See the Branch website for more details or book here.

More…

Check out the imminent events on our Home page

That’s all, folks!

Do come along to an event – make new friends and have an interesting time.

Berkshire Branch Committee