Sunday, March 30, 2008

Message To The Graduating Class of 2008





31 March 2008, Monday.
2:55 a.m.
Loyola Heights, Quezon City, Philippines.

Today I will go to Bacolod City (Negros Occidental, Philippines). I am scheduled to be a graduation speaker to a group of students who are graduating from an information technology course at 2 p.m. My flight is around 8:00 a.m. and I have to be in the airport by 7:00 a.m.

This is the 3rd time that I will be a guest speaker to a graduating class. The first time was in 2003 when I was still director (principal) of the Philippine Science High School (Main Campus) in Quezon City. The second time was in 2004 – in a private school in Laguna. This time, I will be speaking to a group of students in a private school in Bacolod City whose specialization is in information technology.

As a graduation speaker, what is my message to this graduating class of 2008?

Here is the outline of my speech:

1. Customary greeting (Government officials, owners and administrators of the school, faculty and staff, parents, and graduating class).

2. Brief introduction. My experience related to information technology.

3. The important role of information technology in today’s society, particularly in the development of the country.

4. Their role (the graduating class): to their family, to the country, to the world, and to God.

5. Concluding remarks (some inspirational points)

a. Reach for your dreams (define what they want in life, what they want to achieve, what their personal mission statement is).

b. Strive for your goals (emphasize the value of hard work and discipline).

c. Search for the untarnished truth (emphasize the value of honesty and integrity).

d. Never give up. Learn from mistakes. Be an inspiration to other people. Be a person for others (value of sharing).

e. Final congratulation message.

Raffy Saldaña
3/31/08

Sunday Gospel Reflection (3/30/08)



(Source: http://www.beliefnet.com/)

In God, There Is No Darkness

(1 John 1:1-7)

The Word of Life

We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us—we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

God Is Light

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Song For Mary: Ateneo Graduation 2008

Figure Caption: "The Coronation of Mary" by Velasquez (c. 1599 - 1660)

Below is a link to a video clip of the Ateneo community singing the University Hymn, "Song for Mary." I took the video clip while attending the Graduation Ceremony on March 29, 2008.

http://booleanlogic.multiply.com/video/item/20/Song_For_Mary_Ateneo_Graduation_Day_29_March_2008
Below are the lyrics of the song.

SONG FOR MARY

Music by Capt. Jose Campana
Lyrics by Rev. James B. Reuter, SJ

We stand on a hill
Between the earth and sky;
Now all is still
Where the Loyola's colors fly;
Our course is run
And the setting sun,
Ends Ateneo's day.
Eyes are dry at the last goodbye
This is the Ateneo way.

Refrain:

Mary for you,
For your white and blue,
We pray you'll keep us, Mary,
Constantly true.
We pray you'll keep us, Mary,
Faithful to you.

Down from the hill,
Down to the world go I,
Rememb'ring still
How the bright blue eagles fly.
Through joys and tears,
Through the laughing years,
We sing our battle song.
Win or lose, it's the school we choose,
This is the place where we belong.
(Repeat Refrain)



Raffy
3/3/0/08

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Clarification On the Issue "The Value Of A Pisay Diploma"

Yesterday morning (3/29/08 at 6:00 a.m.) I read the blog entry of Ms. Ma. Cristina “Tina” Bargo, a faculty member of the Mathematics Department of the University of the Philippines-Diliman and an alumna of the Philippine Science High School Main Campus (in Diliman, Quezon City). Tina belongs to the PSHS Class of 1999. She finished her B.S. Mathematics (summa cum laude) from U.P. Diliman in 2003 and taught mathematics in PSHS Diliman (or Pisay) after she graduated from college. I was still the campus director of PSHS Diliman during the time that Tina first taught in Pisay. (Note: I am also a PSHS alumnus, from the PSHS Class of 1977).

The title of Tina’s blog entry is “The Value of a Pisay Diploma.” I am reproducing Tina’s article in this blog (

http://kikyouoneesama.multiply.com/journal/item/317/The_Value_of_a_Pisay_Diploma )

[startofquote]

"
I am speaking as a Pisay alumna, as a former Pisay faculty member and as a UP instructor.

Getting in Pisay is a privilege. You are not paying for your education, in fact you are getting paid to study. As a student, I've worked hard to earn that Pisay diploma. Graduating from Pisay means that you have passed the standards set by the school.

I find it unacceptable that someone could earn that diploma even if he got a grade of 5.0.

The grades are based on several components: homeworksand seatworks, quizzes, long exams, classparticipation and periodic exams. This measures boththe intellectual capacity and the diligence of the student. Even if you get low scores in the exams, you get a chance to redeem yourself in homeworks and class participation.

Getting a grade of 4.0 or 5.0 means that your performance is bad in all of these components. If you obtained a grade of 4.0, you get one last chance to redeem yourself through the removal exam. This will determine whether you learned enough concepts to pass the subject or not. If you pass, then you get a grade of 3.0. Otherwise, you get a grade of 5.0.

Allowing a child to graduate even if he got a grade of 5.0 implies that the child did not deserve to flunk.You've got to be kidding. There are four different levels of failing marks: 2.75, 3.0, 4.0 and 5.0. If a student got a failing mark on a particular subject, hei s required to take remedial classes throughout the entire year to help them improve their grades. Getting a grade of 4.0 or 5.0 in spite of this means thateither you really did not learn anything from the subject, or you did not exert any effort at all.

Allowing a child to get a Pisay diploma even if he got a grade of 5.0 is being unfair to the other Pisay graduates. They did their part to get the Pisay diploma, and yet another person could get it even i fhe did not meet the standards. Why bother with the standards in the first place? This makes the Pisay diploma practically worthless, because anyone couldget it. Not to mention that this will also be unfairto the former Pisay students who did not get a Pisay diploma because of a grade of 5.0.When you get out of Pisay, other people will not carewhether you passed or failed in your subjects duringhigh school. Your Pisay diploma says it all, and otherpeople will naturally expect something from a Pisay graduate.

At present, my colleagues would often complain that a lot of Pisay graduates are not performing well in their math courses. In fact, I've flunked a few Pisay graduates myself. Is this the image that we want to project? If you could still get that Pisay diploma even if you get a grade of 5.0, what then is the value of a Pisay diploma?
"
[endofquote]

After reading Tina’s article, I wrote a comment in her blog asking for more information about the issue.

As expected Tina’s blog entry received a lot of comments and reactions from fellow PSHS alumni.

As a concerned PSHS alumnus and an officer of the PSHS National Alumni Association and the PSHS Alumni Association I sought to get as much information as I could before making a stand on this issue. I sent an e-mail yesterday to Dr. Cielito “Ciel” Habito who is the Chairman of the PSHS NAA. Ciel represents the PSHS alumni in the PSHS Board of Trustees (BOT). I also sent an e-mail (via our batch e-group) to Dr. Jessamyn “Jess” Yazon, Officer-in-Charge of the PSHS Main Campus. (Note: Jess is my batchmate in Pisay).

Jess replied to my e-mail yesterday. I have not yet received a reply from Ciel but yesterday I saw Mr. Jun Sabug (we met at the graduation ceremony in Ateneo), vice-president of the PSHS NAA. Jun ( a member of PSHS Class of 1969) told me that he was the one who sat in the PSHS BOT meeting last March 28 on behalf of Ciel. I told him that there is a brewing issue on the BOT’s decision regarding the case of three fourth year students who failed their Math subjects but are being given a chance to get a PSHS diploma.

To prevent misunderstanding, some clarifications are in order:

The three students who got a grade of 5.0 in Math (Calculus) will not be allowed to march during the Graduation Ceremony of PSHS Class of 2008. Also, they will NOT AUTOMATICALLY be given a PSHS diploma. The students will undergo a summer remedial program and will have to take an exam. IF THEY PASS the exam, then they will be given a PSHS diploma.

Here is an excerpt from Jessamyn’s e-mail to me:

[startofquote]
"
As decided by the PSHS Board of Trustees last March 28:

Three students with grade of 5.0 in Math will not march in the 2008 graduation, and the students will be allowed to take a summer remedial program and exam, which IF THEY PASS will allow them to get a PSHS diploma -- what the summer program looks like is still for discussion at the level of the campus directors in the next Execom meeting -- FOR Sure we will solicit initial inputs/ feedback from teachers, alumni, other educators, before the PSHS System will propose what this change in policy looks like... etc...

Dati daw sa DOST-SEI scholarship, when you get a 5.0 you are out --> but now, you can retake the course, and once you improve on the grade, your DOST scholarship privileges are reinstated.

When the DOST scholar is in the 4th year, and is recommended to be disqualified because of failing grades, DOST looks for another sponsoring institution to support the last year of the student's scholarship. I guess we are going through a similar review for a change in policy because the BOT feels that the 4-year "investment" in the student will be wasted without some program in place.


"
[endofquote]


So it has been clarified that:

1. The three students who got a grade of 5.0 in Math will not be allowed to march in the Commencement Exercises (Graduation Ceremony).

2. The students who got a grade of 5.0 are now being given another chance to get a PSHS diploma (instead of a DepED diploma which has been the case in the past).

HERE ARE MY COMMENTS:

1. The BOT Resolution takes time to be disseminated to the larger PSHS community. Between the BOT meeting and the relaying of the BOT decisions to the larger PSHS community, sometimes confusion arises (the situation is aggravated by spread of wrong information and rumors).

2. This issue falls within the case of policy change. The PSHS BOT has made a decision to modify an existing policy: i.e., FAILURE (getting a grade of 5.0 in any subject) MEANS NO GRADUATION AND NO PSHS DIPLOMA.

Now the new proposed (?) policy is: FAILURE (getting a grade of 5.0 in any subject) MEANS NO GRADUATION BUT concerned students will undergo a summer remedial program and will take an exam, and IF THEY PASS THE EXAM then they will be given a PSHS diploma but IF NOT then they are just eligible to apply for a DepED diploma.

3. I think with the decision of introducing a summer remedial program and a retake exam, the PSHS BOT should now address two questions:

a. TIMING – when shall the summer remedial program and retake exam be implemented? Do they have to be implemented right away, i.e., this summer? Or can it be implemented next schoolyear after undergoing consultations with the larger PSHS community?

b. FAIRNESS – many reactions from PSHS alumni are concerning the issue of FAIRNESS. They are asking if this new decision of the PSHS BOT is FAIR to PSHS scholars in the past who got a failing grade (a grade of 5.0) in their fourth year subject/s and were not given a PSHS diploma.

I hope that this article contributes positively to the issue raised by my colleague Tina (Ms. Ma. Cristina Bargo).

Raffy (http://raffysaldana.blogspot.com/)
3/30/08, 2:45 p.m.


*******************************************************
Dr. Rafael Saldaña
Member, PSHS Class of 1977
Board Secretary, PSHS National Alumni Association
Board Asst. Secretary, PSHS Alumni Association
Former Director, PSHS Main Campus
Associate Professor, Mathematics Department
School of Science and Engineering
Ateneo de Manila University
*******************************************************

Send your comments to: raffysaldana@gmail.com

Ateneo Graduation Photos: Math Department




































Ateneo Graduation Photos: Clark Jefferson Cue (Class Valedictorian)






Ateneo Graduation Photos: Master of Applied Math (Finance) Graduates





















Ateneo Graduation Photos: Enrico Paolo Bugarin






Ateneo Graduation Photos: Cherylle Anne Limos






Ateneo Graduation Photos: Alfonso Luis Maputol






Ateneo Graduation Photos: Timothy James Yusun










Photos: Ateneo Graduation Day (29 March 2008)











.
Click on the following link to view more photos taken during the Ateneo Graduation Day, 29 March 2008:

Ateneo Graduation Day, 29 March 2008

Photo Caption: Some Members of the Ateneo de Manila University Class of 2008 are shown marching towards the Commencement venue during Graduation Day, 29 March 2008. Shown in center is Timothy James Yusun (wearing eyeglasses) -- the 2008 Mathematics Department Program Awardee.

Today (29 March 2008) I attended the Graduation Day (or Commencement Exercises) of the Ateneo de Manila University School of Science and Engineering and School of Management. (Note: the Graduation Day of the School of Humanities and School of Social Sciences was held yesterday, 28 March 2008).

It was a very hot and humid day, and a lot of people were affected by the heat. The graduation was held in the high school auditorium -- a venue that is not air-conditioned. So we (faculty, students, and administrators) wearing academic gowns designed for colder countries were on the verge of dehydration [I am exaggerating here :) ] while waiting for the commencement exercises to end.

Graduation day is always a happy occassion especially for parents of graduates and the graduating students. It marks a turning point in the life of a student who hurdeld four (or five years) of university life.

It is also a happy occassion for teachers and mentors like me to see that their students have finished the requirements for attaining their respective degrees and are now ready to venture into the "real" world.

This year's Graduation Speaker for the School of Science and Engineering and the School of Management is Dr. Rolando B. Hortaleza, a medial doctor who became an enterpreneour. Dr. Hortaleza is the president of Splash corporation -- a Filipino corporation owned by his family and is very successful in the personal care industry.

The Class Valedictorian is Clark Jefferson Cue who finished Bachelor of Science in Management Engineering & Bachelor of Arts, Major in Economics (Honors Program), Magna Cum Laude.

I am happy to note that our department -- the Mathematics Department of Ateneo de Manila University produced four Magna Cum Laude graduates, two Cum Laude graduates, and four Honorable Mention graduates.

One of the Magna Cum Laude graduates is my student and thesis advisee -- Timothy James "TJ" Yusun, B.S. Mathematics. TJ barely missed being a Summa Cum Laude. He is a very talented student as evidenced by the many awards he received which includes the following: BPI-DOST Science Award, Special Citation for Loyola Schools Leadership and Service, Leader of the Best Student Organization (Alay ni Ignacio or ANI). TJ is also the Mathematics Department Program Awardee.

Another Magna Cum Laude graduate is Jade Rachele Garcia, B.S. Applied Mathematics Major in Computational Science. Jade is my former student in an applied mathematics seminar class (Modeling and Simulation). She is a recipient of an Erasmundus scholarship for a Master's degree in applied mathematics in Europe (they are only two from the Philippines to be given such a prestigious scholarship).

Also a Magna Cum Laude graduate is Alfonso Luis "Cholo" Maputol, B.S. Applied Mathematics Major in Mathematicsal Finance. Cholo was an honor student (no. 3 in the graduating class) when he graduated in Philippine Science High School (or Pisay) -- Main Campus (in Quezon City) during the year when I was still the Campus Director (or principal) of Pisay in Diliman.

Aside from Jade Garcia, other BS Applied Mathematics Major in Computational Science graduates, namely: Rosary Anne David, Regina Marie Frez, Patricia Ann Lorenzo, Rhena Lelleen Plagata, Paolo Niccilo Santos, Ma. Daphen Reina Toledo, and Jonalyn Valencia are all my students in applied mathematics subjects.

Like Cholo Maputol, Paolo Niccolo Santos is a member of PSHS Class of 2004.
One of our junior faculty members in the Mathematics Deparment -- Enrico Paolo Bugarin -- also graduated with a Master of Science in Mathematics degree.
We also have ten graduates belonging to the Master of Applied Mathematics Major in Mathematical Finance program. The group includes the following: Mari Toni Bautista, Christian Robert Canlas, Heindrick Franell Cu, Malerie Dy, Cheryll Anne Limos, Kathleen Bernadette Mateo, Jelline Sanchez, Rachelle Eileen See, Andrea Antonia Silva, and Roy Joseph Velasco. Cheryll Anne belongs to the PSHS Class of 2003 -- the year when I was still Campus Director of PSHS in Quezon City.
Other graduates of our mathematics graduate program include the following:
Eric Francis Arcilla, Mary Hane Castilla, Charen Cusi, Maribel Perz, and Restituto Rodelas -- graduates of Master of Science in Mathematics Education program.
Benjamin Adrandea, Jr. and Juvenel Mark Rosario -- graduates of the Master of Science in Teaching Mathematics program.
Mario Genova, Danny Huelva, and Romel Marquez -- graduates of the Master of Mathematics program.
Ma. Carlota Decena -- graduate of the Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics program.

To all members of the Graduating Class of 2008 -- CONGRATULATIONS AND GOD BLESS!

Cheers,

Raffy Saldaña
The Pisay and Atenean Blogger

Friday, March 21, 2008

Happy Easter !

Photo Caption: An image of Jesus Christ together with His apostles during the Last Supper. Photo taken by Raffy Saldaña (http://raffysaldana.blogspot.com) on March 19, 2008 in Angono, Rizal, Philippines.


"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16)


Happy Easter!



Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Wanted: Biology Teacher For Pisay


For inquiries about other openings, you may call the Human Resources Department (+63 2 929 22 71) or the Curriculum and Instruction Services Division (+63 2 924 0661).

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Michael Samson's Commentary On Problems Given During The Philippine National Olympiad In Informatics (PNOI 2008)

Notes:

Last Saturday, 15 March 2008, I was the contest director of the 1st Philippine National Olympiad in Informatics (PNOI 2008) held in Ateneo de Manila University.

Please refer to the following blogsposts for details:

http://raffysaldana.blogspot.com/2008/03/conratulations-john-anglo-and-enzo.html

http://raffysaldana.blogspot.com/2008/03/more-photos-philippine-national.html

http://raffysaldana.blogspot.com/2008/03/photos-opening-session-philippine.html

http://raffysaldana.blogspot.com/2008/03/program-of-activities-philippine.html

http://raffysaldana.blogspot.com/2008/03/philippine-national-olympiad-in.html

http://raffysaldana.blogspot.com/2008/03/computing-society-of-philippines-csp.html


Six problems were given during the contest. The PNOI 2008 problems are available for viewing in the following link:

http://raffysaldana.blogspot.com/2008/03/problem-set-1st-philippine-national.html

Mr. Michael Daniel "Mike" Samson, an alumnus and former teacher of the Philippine Science High School (PSHS or Pisay) Main Campus and currently a mathematics graduate student of Ateneo de Manila University (Mike was my former student in computational methods or Numberical Analysis), is a member of the PNOI 2008 Board of Judges.

Like me, Mike also maintains a blog. In his blog, Mike made a commentary on the problems given during PNOI 2008.

Below are the links to Mike's commentary:

Problem A A Simple Task
Problem B Rina's Triangles
Problem C Checking Collinearity
Problem D How Many Groups?
Problem E Text Messages
Problem F Shooping Spree

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Problem Set: 1st Philippine National Olympiad in Informatics (PNOI 2008)

1st Philippine National Olympiad in Informatics (PNOI)
15 March 2008, Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines

Organized by

Grid and High Performance Computing Group,
School of Science and Engineering,
Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU)

in cooperation with the
Computing Society of the Philippines (CSP)

Hosted by

Department of Information Systems and Computer Science (DISCS)
Ateneo de Manila University



PROBLEM SET



Directions: (TO THE CONTESTANTS)

Do not open this problem set UNLESS you are given the signal by the Contest Director to do so.

NOTES are not allowed during the contest.

This is a three-hour programming contest and there are SIX problems to be solved. Budget your time so that you will be able to solve as many problems as you can.



(Sgd.) Rafael P. Saldaña, Ph.D.
Contest Director
PNOI 2008

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Problem A: A Simple Task
Problem B: Rina's Triangles
Problem C: Checking Collinearity
Problem D: How Many Groups?
Problem E: Text Messages
Problem F: Shopping Spree




----------------------------------------------------
Problem A: A Simple Task
Input: C stdin, or Java System.in
Output: C stdout, or Java System.out
Execution Time Limit: 1 second
----------------------------------------------------

Given a positive integer n, find the odd integer o and the non-negative integer p such that n = o2p.

Example:

For n = 24, o = 3 and p = 3.

Task: Write a program which for each data set:

* reads a positive integer n,
* computes the odd integer o and the non-negative integer p such that n=o*2^p,
* writes the result.

Input

The first line of the input contains exactly one positive integer d equal to the number of data sets, where 1 ≤ d ≤ 20. The data sets follow. Each data set consists of exactly one line containing exactly one integer n, where 1 ≤ n ≤ 2147483647.

Output

The output should consists of exactly d lines, one line for each data set. Line i, 1 ≤ i ≤ d, corresponds to the i-th input and should contain the remark “Set i:” and the two integers o and p separated by a single space such that n = o*2^p.

Sample Input

2
24
36

Output for Sample Input

Set 1: 3 3
Set 2: 9 2










---------------------------------------------------
Problem B: Rina's Triangles
Input: C stdin, or Java System.in
Output: C stdout, or Java System.out
Execution Time Limit: 1 second
---------------------------------------------------

Given four integers, all positive or zero, Rina's Triangle is formed by using these four integers as the base of the triangle, and computing each remaining value in the triangle as the absolute difference of the two values immediately below it. For example, given 89, 78, 12, 13 we can construct Rina's Triangle as follows:

10
55 65
11 66 1
89 78 12 13

We say that a sequence of four positive integers is acceptable if no integer appears more than once in the Rina's Triangle it generates. So the sequence of four integers given above is acceptable.

Create a program that determines whether a sequence of four integers (all positive or zero) is acceptable or not.

Input. The first line of input will contain the number N of data sets (N will not exceed 20). This is followed by N lines, representing the N data sets. Each line contains four integers, all between zero and 65000 inclusive, belonging to the data set.

Output. For each data set, print “Set K:”, where K is the data set number, starting from 1. Then print “acceptable” or “not acceptable”, depending on the data set.

Sample Input

2
89 78 12 13
13 1 28 85

Output for Sample Input

Set 1: acceptable
Set 2: not acceptable








------------------------------------------------------
Problem C: Checking Collinearity
Input: C stdin, or Java System.in
Output: C stdout, or Java System.out
Execution Time Limit: 1 second
-------------------------------------------------------
The problem consists of several data sets. Each data set contains three (3) or more points on the Cartesian Plane. Your job is to determine if the points are collinear – that is, if they fall on a straight line, and if so, to determine the equation of the line passing through those points.

Example 1. Given the four points (0, 1), (1, 3), (2, 5), and (3, 7), we see that the line with equation 2x-y+1=0 passes through all the four points.

Example 2. Given the three points (5, 0), (5, 2), and (5, 7), we see that the line with equation x-5=0 passes through all the three points.

Example 3. Given the three points (1, 3), (2, 5), and (4, 8), we see that the three points are not collinear.

Input. Input will consist of at most 20 data sets. Each data set will start with a line containing the value of N, the number of points (N ≤ 100). This is followed by N lines, with each line containing the x and y coordinates of one point. The x and y coordinates will be given as integers, and x will not exceed 256 in absolute value. All points will be distinct. The first data set is immediately followed by one line containing the value of N for the next data set, and this is followed by N lines of x and y coordinates for that data set. A value of N = 0 indicates the end of input data, and input processing must stop.

Ouput. For each data set, print “Set K: “, where K is the data set number, starting from 1. Then print one of the following answers:

Ax+By+C=0
Not collinear

depending on the solution to the data set. The coefficients A, B, and C must must have no common factors, and A ≥ 0. If A is 1, just print x. If A is -1, just print -x. Similarly for B and y. If A or B or C is zero, just omit the x-term or the y-term or the constant term. If either B or C is negative, say A=2, B=-3, C=-5, then do not print the + sign before the – sign; print the answer simply as 2x-3y-5=0; do not print as 2x+-3y+-5=0.

Sample Input

40 11 32 53 7
35 05 25 73
1 32 54 8
0

Output for Sample Input

Set 1: 2x-y+1=0
Set 2: x-5=0
Set 3: Not collinear


-------------------------------------------------------
Problem D: How Many Groups?
Input: C stdin, or Java System.in
Output: C stdout, or Java System.out
Execution Time Limit: 1 second
-------------------------------------------------------

We have a collection of M persons { 1, 2, 3, . . . , M }, and we want to divide these M persons into groups. A person will be placed in a group if he “knows” at least one person in that group. For example, if we have 10 persons { 1, 2, 3, . . . , 10 }, and if the following pairs know each other: 1 and 3, 3 and 4, 3 and 5, 5 and 6, 5 and 7, 2 and 8, 2 and 9, and 8 and 10, then we can put 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 in one group, and 2, 8, 9, 10 in another. Each person in the first group knows at least one person in that group. Each person in the second group knows at least one person in the second group. However, no one in the first group knows anyone in the second group, and vice-versa.

Your problem is to write a program that determines the number of groups into which you can divide M persons.

Input. Input will consist of at most 20 data sets. Each data set will consist of several lines. The first line will contain the values of M and P, where M is the number of persons, and P is the number of pairs that know each other. Here M will not exceed 200 people, and P will not exceed 100 pairs. This is followed by P lines, each line containing a pair of numbers x and y, separated by space, which means that x and y know each other. The values of x and y will be between 1 and M inclusive. The values of x and y will never be equal. Also, no pairs will be repeated. Data lines for the next data set will immediately follow the data lines for the previous data set. A data set with M = 0 and P = 0 will indicate the end of input, and input processing should stop.

Output. For each data set, print “Set K:”, where K is the data set number, starting from 1. Then print the number of groups into which the M persons can be divided.

Sample Input

10 8
1 3
3 4
3 5
5 6
5 7
2 8
2 9
8 10
10 2
1 2
2 3
10 0
10 4
1 2
1 3
1 4
1 5
0 0

Output for Sample Input

Set 1: 2
Set 2: 8
Set 3: 10
Set 4: 6






---------------------------------------------------
Problem E: Text Messages
Input: C stdin, or Java System.in
Output: C stdout, or Java System.out
Execution Time Limit: 1 second
---------------------------------------------------

On most mobile phones the numeric keys must be repeatedly pressed to produce letters for text messages. A common keypad layout looks like this:

[1 ] [2 abc] [3 def ]
[4 ghi ] [5 jkl ] [6 mno ]
[7 pqrs] [8 tuv] [9 wxyz]
[* ] [0 _ ] [ # ]

Furthermore, most phones will have a circular navi-key with which you can produce the navigation actions UP, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, and this navi-key is used to separate key presses for two letters on the same key. For example, to spell “cat” on this keypad, press [2] three times to produce “c”, then press RIGHT, then press [2] once to produce “a”, then press [8] once to produce “t”. Thus we need a total of six key presses to spell “cat”. Note that the character “_” on the [0] key stands for SPACE, and to generate SPACE, we need only press [0] once.

Create a computer program that counts the number of key presses needed to produce a text message. Assume that your phone can only produce lower-case letters and SPACE, and that we only need to send text messages containing lower-case letters and SPACE.

Input. Input will consist of at most 20 data sets. The first line of input will contain the value of N, the number of data sets. This will be followed by N lines, with each line containing one data set, namely the text message to send. The length of the message will not exceed 160 characters, including blanks. There will be exactly one blank character between words.

Output. For each data set, print “Set K:”, where K is the data set number, starting from 1. Then print the number of key presses needed to produce the given text message.

Sample Input

2
i love you
cab money

Output for Sample Input

Set 1: 24
Set 2: 22







---------------------------------------------------
Problem F: Shopping Spree
Input: C stdin, or Java System.in
Output: C stdout, or Java System.out
Execution Time Limit: 1 second
---------------------------------------------------

You have received a local pass from the grocery store for a one day shopping bonanza. At the start of the day, you are given a pushcart of capacity M and can get all the items you want as long as it can fit into the pushcart.

As a programmer and expert shopper you want to maximize the total value of the items that you have bought by designing a simple program to identify what items you will buy.

Input. The first line contains an integer X, indicating the number of one-day shopping spree occasions you won; X is also the number of data sets. The first line of each data set contains two integers N and M indicating the number of various items available in the shop and the capacity of the pushcart respectively. The next N lines will contain the name of the item n[i] as a 20 character alphanumeric string, and a pair of integers indicating the cost c[i] and size s[i] of each item. The sizes will be given in ascending order.

Output. For each data set, will print the data set number, starting from 1, the name and number of each item bought, and the total value of the shopping purchase, as shown in the sample below. Items should be arranged in ascending lexicographical (alphabetical) order.

Sample Input
1
5 17
A 4 3
B 5 4
C 10 7
D 11 8
E 13 9

Output for Sample Input
Set 1: A–1, B-0, C–2, D–0, E–0, Total PHP24


Copyright, 2008. Computing Society of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University, and Philippine National Olympiad in Informatics Committee (c/o Dr. Rafael Saldaña).

Congratulations, John Anglo and Enzo Dayrit: Winners in Philippine National Olympiad in Informatics (PNOI 2008)

John Anglo (of Philippine Science High School - Main Campus), 1st Place Winner, receives his certificate of achievement from Dr. Rafael Saldaña, PNOI 2008 Contest Director.

Fabian Lorenzo Dayrit (of Ateneo de Manila University-High School), 2nd Place Winner, receives his certificate of achievement from Dr. Rafael Saldaña, PNOI 2008 Contest Director.


Congratulations to all winners and finalists in the 1st Philippine National Olympiad in Informatics (PNOI 2008) held on March 15, 2008 in Ateneo de Manila University.

First Place: John Anglo, Philippine Science High School - Main Campus

Second Place: Fabian Lorenzo Dayrit, Ateneo de Manila University (High School Department)

All finalists and winners in PNOI 2008 are eligible to join the 2nd Asia Pacific Informatics Olympiad (APIO 2008) - Philippine Site, to be held in Cebu City (tentative venue) on May 10, 2008.

PNOI 2008 was organized by the Grid and Cluster Computing Group (AGHPC) of the School of Science and Engineering of Ateneo de Manila University in cooperation with the Computing Society of the Philippines with the Department of Information Systems and Computer Science (DISCS) of Ateneo de Manila University as host.

Click on the following links to view photos of PNOI 2008:

http://booleanlogic.multiply.com/photos/album/95/Opening_Session_Phil._Natl._Olympiad_in_Informatics

http://booleanlogic.multiply.com/photos/upload-ajax/96

For more information, contact:

Dr. Rafael Saldaña
Contest Director
PNOI 2008/
APIO 2008 (Philippine Site)
Telephones: (02) 4266125, (02) 7090907, 0928-5043121
E-mail: raffysaldana@gmail.com
Website: http://raffysaldana.blogspot.com/

More Photos: Philippine National Olympiad in Informatics (PNOI 2008)

Some of the participants in the 1st Philippine National Olympiad in Informatics (PNOI 2008).

Photos taken during the 1st Philippine National Olympiad in Informatics (PNOI 2008) held on March 15, 2008 in Ateneo de Manila University. From the photo collection of Raffy Saldaña (http://raffysaldana.blogspot.com)
To view photos taken during the contest proper and the Awarding Ceremony, click on the following link:
(Select 'Slideshow' for a better view.)

Friday, March 14, 2008

Photos: Opening Session, Philippine National Informatics Olympiad (PNOI 2008)


Philippine National Informatics Olympiad (PNOI 2008)
March 15, 2008
Ateneo de Manila University
To view more photos, click on the following link:
and select 'Slideshow' for a better view.
From,
Contest Director
PNOI 2008

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Urban Transport 2008 (Malta)



Call for Papers: Urban Transport and the Environment


Urban Transport 2008
Fourteenth International Conference on Urban Transport and the Environment in the 21st Century
1 - 3 September 2008
Malta

Organised by:Wessex Institute of Technology, UK
Sponsored by:WIT Transactions on the Built Environment

View the conference website, which has full details about the conference objectives, topics and submission requirements at: http://www.wessex.ac.uk/urban2008rem4b.html

** Registration Information is available on the conference website:
http://www.wessex.ac.uk/urban2008rem4b.html **

Conference Topics

- Transport sustainability
- Urban transport planning and management
- Transport modelling and simulation
- Transport logistics and operations research
- Transport security and safety
- Transport technology
- Land use and transport integration
- Environmental and ecological considerations
- Intelligent transport systems- Public transport systems
- Information systems and GPS applications
- Road pricing
- Intermodel passenger transport systems
- Transport automation
- Modality in freight
- Traffic ManagementFull conference information is available at:

http://www.wessex.ac.uk/urban2008rem4b.htmlor submit an abstract directly by sending an email to:

rcreasey@wessex.ac.uk

Conference Secretariat

Rachel Creasey, Conference Secretariat, Urban Transport 2008, Wessex Institute of Technology,Ashurst Lodge, Ashurst, Southampton, SO40 7AA. Telephone: 44 (0) 238 029 3223Fax: 44 (0) 238 029 2853. Email: rcreasey@wessex.ac.uk

Submit an abstract via the conference website or contact the Conference Secretariat above: http://www.wessex.ac.uk/urban2008rem4b.html

Call For Participation: eResearch Australasia 2008 (Melbourne, Australia)


Members of the international research and higher education community are invited to participate in eResearch Australasia 2008, to be held 28 Sep - 3 Oct 2008 at the Sebel and Citigate Hotels, Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia.

Submissions are invited for presentations, workshops, and BoFs. These must be received by 23 May 2008. Submissions for posters and live demonstrations are also invited and must be received by 15 August.

Please see http://www.eresearch.edu.au/participation for further information.

eResearch focuses on technological platforms that enhance researchers' ability to generate, collect, share, analyse, store and retrieve information.

eResearch Australasia 2008 is supported by the Australian Government through AeRIC (Australian eResearch Infrastructure Council) and underwritten by The University of Queensland.

The conference aims to provide:
A catalyst for innovation and collaboration, by bringing together the architects, builders, users, and managers of eResearch infrastructures and services;
A forum to support the development, enhancement, and harmonisation of national, regional, and discipline-specific eResearch infrastructures and services;
A showcase for innovative science and research enabled through these technologies and services.

Keynote speakers include:

Senator the Hon Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research
Graham Cameron, Associate Director of the European Bioinformatics Institute, European Molecular Biology Laboratory
Sayeed Choudhury, Hodson Director of the Digital Knowledge Center, Johns Hopkins University
Michael Fulford, Professor of Archaeology at the University of Reading
Kerstin Lehnert, Director of the Geoinformatics for Geochemistry Program at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University
John Wilbanks, Vice President, Science Commons

The conference program also includes the eResearch Forum, a town meeting style feedback session for AeRIC which will look beyond existing initiatives for fresh ideas in innovation.

More than 300 people attended the inaugural conference in 2007, for more details see www.eresearch.edu.au/programme-2007 This year’s conference will also incorporate many aspects of APAC’07.

The program committee includes Nick Tate (Chair), The University of Queensland; Mike Briers, SIRCA; Adrian Burton, APSR; Paul Davis, VeRSI; Rhys Francis, AeRIC; Jane Hunter, The University of Queensland; Clare McLaughlin, DIISR; Patty McMillan, AAF; Peter Nicholson, DIISR; Mark Ragan, The University of Queensland; Andrew Rohl, iVEC; Andrew Treloar, Monash University and Tony Williams, ARCS.

We hope you can join us.

For more information, please visit http://www.eresearch.edu.au/.

Nick Tate, Chair
eResearch Australasia Conference

New Master's Program in the University of Cergy-Pontoise (France)

From Ms. Ines Loge, Science and Technology Attache, Embassy of France to the Philippines:


Please be informed that the University of Cergy-Pontoise in France just opened a new Master:
Master 1 - MPIE : Maths, Physics, Informatics in English.

For more information, please check the following website

http://www.u-cergy.fr/phy/MPIE/


--
Inès Loge, Ambassade de France aux Philippines Attachée scientifique et technique

CFP: Asian Internet Engineering Conference (AINTEC 2008), Thailand

CALL FOR PAPERS

Asian Internet Engineering Conference (AINTEC 2008)
Bangkok, Thailand
18-20 November, 2008
http://www.interlab.ait.ac.th/aintec08/

Organized by

Interlab, Asian Institute of Technology
WIDE Project, Japan
Thailand Research and Education Network
In cooperation with ACM SIGCOMM

--------------------------------------------------------

-The 4th Asian Internet Engineering Conference (AINTEC) provides an international technical forum for experts from industry and academia,especially aiming at addressing issues pertinent to the Asia and Pacific region with vast diversities of socio-economic and networkingconditions while inviting high quality and recent research resultsfrom the global Internet research community.

AINTEC 2008 follows the three successful editions held in Thailandbut, first time, is in cooperation with ACM SIGCOMM.

The conference proceedings will be published by the ACM Digital Library. The conference is single-track and features a technical program withsignificant opportunities for individual and small-group among adiverse set of participants. The technical sessions will include invited talks by leading experts, presentations of papers, demos, posters and a pre-conference (19th Asian School on Computer Science on 15-16 November 2008). AINTEC 2008 solicits high quality papers that improve digitalcommunications in diverse situations, represented as "Challenged Networks".

Areas of interest include, but are not limited to the following:


- Networking technologies in developing regions
- Emergency networks and dependable infrastructures
- Ad hoc and sensor networking and applications
- Wireless and mobile networks
- Delay and disruption tolerant networks
- Autonomic and situated communications
- New networking paradigm and architecture
- Location management and positioning
- Internet measurement, analysis and modelling
- Peer-to-peer and overlay networks
- Multimedia systems and applications
- Network operations and management

Submissions must be original, unpublished, and not have been submitted to another conference or journal for publication.

Papers must be submitted in electronic format following the instructions provided on the AINTEC web site and must be less than 10 pages in the 10ptsSIGCOMM format.Submission of a paper implies that should the paper be accepted forpublication in the conference proceedings, at least one of the authorswill register and present the paper in the conference.

Important Dates:

Title and abstract registration: July 15, 2008

Full paper submission: July 22, 2008

Acceptance notification: September 17, 2008

Final version due: October 8, 2008

AINTEC2008: November 18-20, 2008

Scientific Advisory Committee:

Keith W. Ross, Polytechnic University of New York, USA
Erol Gelenbe, Imperial College, UK
Jun Murai, WIDE Project and Keio University, Japan
Surasak Sang-uanpong, APAN-TH, Thailand
Randy Bush, Internet Initiative Japan Inc., USA

Steering Commitee:

Philippe Jacquet, INRIA, France
Kenjiro Cho, IIJ and WIDE Project, Japan
Kanchana Kanchanasut, Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand
Serge Fdida, UPMC, France

General Chair:

Kanchana Kanchanasut, Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand

Program Committee Co-Chairs:

Jennifer Rexford, Princeton, USA
Martin May, ETH, Switzerland
Kenjiro Cho, IIJ and WIDE Project, Japan

Program of Activities, Philippine National Olympiad in Informatics (PNOI 2008)

Philippine National Olympiad in Informatics (PNOI 2008)
15 March 2008, Ateneo de Manila University
E-mail: pnoisecretariat@ gmail.com
Website: www.math.admu.edu.ph/pnoi

Organized by the
Grid and High-Performance Computing Group
School of Science and Engineering (SoSE)
Ateneo de Manila University

in cooperation with the Computing Society of the Philippines (CSP).

Hosted by the
Department of Information Systems and Computer Science (DISCS)
Ateneo de Manila University.

PROGRAM OF ACTIVITIES

Date: Saturday, March 15, 2008
Venue: Rm. F223, Faura Building, Ateneo de ManilaUniversity,
Loyola Heights, Quezon City, Philippines

Time/Activity

08:00 - 09:00 a.m REGISTRATION

09:00 - 10:00 OPENING SESSION
* Invocation
* National Anthem
* Welcome Remarks
- Dr. Rafael Saldaña
Project Director, PNOI 2008
* Introduction of Lecturers, Judges and Participants
* Seminar and Contest Orientation

10:00 - 10:20 BREAK

10:20 - 12:00 Lectures: Best Practices in Computer Programming Competitions
- Mr. Allan Espinosa
- Mr. Christopher Rigor
- Dr. Pablo Manalastas
* Practice Session Using PC^2
- Mr. Michael Samson

12:00 - 01:00 LUNCH

01:00 - 01:30 p.m. CONTEST BRIEFING

01:30 - 04:30 CONTEST PROPER

04:30 - 05:00 AWARDING/CLOSING SESSION

MASTER OF CEREMONIES: Mr. Andrei Coronel

BOARD OF JUDGES:

Dr. Pablo Manalastas (Chair)
Dr. Felix Muga II
Dr. Rafael Saldaña
Mr. Allan Espinosa
Mr. Christopher Rigor
Mr. Michael Samson

PROJECT ASSISTANT : Ms. Kristi Magan

PROJECT DIRECTOR: Dr. Rafael Saldaña

For inquiries, contact: (02) 4266125, (02)7090907,
0928-5043121, pnoisecretariat@gmail.com

Congratulations, Dr. Alan Finkel -- New Chancellor of Monash University (Australia)

NOTE: I am an alumnus of Monash University (Melbourne, Australia), where I took my M. Sc. (prelims), Master's and Doctor's degrees in mathematical and computational biophysics. Raffy Saldaña (http://raffysaldana.blogspot.com/)

Thursday, March 13, 2008 at 2:38 PM
Subject: Monash alumnus installed as new Chancellor

A message from John Kearsey, Divisional Director, Donor, Alumni and Community Relations, Monash University

"I am delighted to advise you that this afternoon, students, alumni, donors, staff, government leaders and senior tertiary sector leaders gathered for a ceremonial occasion to mark the installation of Dr Alan Finkel AM as Chancellor. A Monash alumnus and philanthropist, Dr Finkel (BE 1976, PhD 1981) becomes Monash University's seventh Chancellor.

During the event, held at Robert Blackwood Hall, the new Chancellor welcomed all new graduates, along with his son Victor, to Monash's 200,000-strong alumni community. Victor Finkel received a Bachelor of Music degree.The installation ceremony officially marks the beginning of Dr. Finkel’s term as Chancellor. This is an important day in the University’s history as Dr. Finkel is the first Monash graduate to occupy this prestigious position.

Many Monash alumni have told me how proud they are that such a prominent Australian is taking on this leadership role in the University. To read more about Dr Finkel, please read his profile on the Monash website. You might also like to re-read the interview with Dr Finkel from a recent edition of Monash Magazine.

I look forward to bringing you further news about Dr Finkel in coming weeks and months as we celebrate the University’s 50th Anniversary."

Related Link:

Monash University: http://www.monash.edu.au/
The Chancellor: http://www.adm.monash.edu.au/execserv/council/profile.html

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Undergraduate Research Presentations

The following undergraduate research in mathematics were presented in a forum organized by the Mathematics Department of Ateneo de Manila University last Monday, March 10, 2008:


1. Philippine Landslide Dynamics: A Mathematical and Computational Study Using Cellular Automata and the Minimization Algorithm- Timothy James L. Yusun (4 BS-Math). Adviser: Dr. Rafael Saldaña.

2. Prediction of Crashes in the Philippine Stock Market Using Log-Periodic Analysis -- Miguel Karlo R. De Jesus (4 BSM-AMF). Adviser: Dr. Jose Marasigan.

3. A Computational Study on the Guimaras Oil Spill Dynamics Using Lattice Gas Cellular Automata, Watershed Transform and Parallel Computing --Patricia Lorenzo, Rhena Lelleen Plagata, Paolo Niccolo Santos (4 BS-AMC). Adviser: Dr. Rafael Saldaña.

4. Serial Implementation of Benjord's Law for Detecting Potential Election Fraud--Daphne Regina Toledo, Jonalyn Valencia (4 BS-AMC). Adviser: Dr. Felix Muga II.

5. An Implementation of Linsker's Neural Network Demonstrating the Emergence of Spatial-
opponent Cells in the Brain -- Rosary Anne David, Regina Marie Frez, Jade Rachele Garcia (4 BS-AMC). Adviser: Dr. Raymond Melton.

Two of the research groups were under my supervision: (1) Philippine Landslide Dynamics and (2) Guimaras Oil Spill

The undergraduate research forum was coordinated by Dr. Jumela Sarmiento.


Dr. Rafael Saldaña
Thesis Adviser
and Associate Professor
Mathematics Department
Ateneo de Manila University

Monday, March 10, 2008

Congratulations, Riva Maria Galveztan -- Ambrosio Padilla Awardee


Ms. Riva M. Galveztan (IV BS CTM) (third from left in the photo) was the recipient of the Ambrosio Padilla Award during the 2008 Loyola Schools Awards for Leadership and Service held on March 10, 2008 in Ateneo de Manila University.

Riva together with fellow awardees -- Patrick Ozaeata, Chris Tiu and Cassandra Tioseco -- sang the Ateneo Alma Mater Hymn (A Song for Mary) during the finale of the Loyola Schools Awards Ceremony.


Congratulations to all winners and nominees!


Cheers,

Raffy
3/11/08

Congratulations, Patrick Ozaeta and Cassandra Tioseco: 2008 Ateneo Sportspersons of the Year


Photo Caption: Chris Tiu, Patrick Ozaeta, and Cassandra Tioseco are shown in the photos receiving their awards as 2008 Sportspersons of the Year. From the photo collection of Raffy Saldaña (http://raffysaldana.blogspot.com)


Patrick Ozaeta (Football) and Cassandra Tioseco (Basketball) were proclaimed Ateneo Sportspersons of the Year, together with Chistopher "Chris" Tiu (Basketball) during the Loyola Schools Awards for Leadership and Services held on March 10, 2008 at the Roofdeck of the M.V. Pangilainan Center for Student Leadership Bldg. in Ateneo de Manila University.

Kudos to all winners and nominees!

Cheers,

Raffy
3/11/08


Congratulations, Chris Tiu -- 2008 Ateneo Sportsman of the Year






Various photos of Chris Tiu, 2008 Ateneo Sportsman of the Year Awardee, during the Loyola Schools Awards for Leadership and Service held on March 10, 2008 in Ateneo de Manila University. From the photo collection of Raffy Saldaña (http://raffysaldana.blogspot.com)



Note: This is an experiment. I wonder if my blog hit counter would dramatically increase if I feature a celebrity Ateanean like Chris Tiu (famous varsity basketball player of Ateneo) in my blog :)

Anyway, Chris (fullname: Christopher John A. Tiu) deserves to be congratulated because he won the 2008 Ateneo Sportsman of the Year Award (together with Patrick Ozaeta, a football player).

I also found out that Chris Tiu is a double major: Management and Applied Mathematics Major in Mathematical Finance :)
Aside from Chris Tiu, the other winners in the Loyola Schools Awards for Sports are:
  • Patrick Ozaeta, co-winner of the Sportsman of the Year Award
  • Cassandra Noel Toseco, winner of the Sportswoman of the Year Award
  • Riva Maria Galveztan, Winner of the Amborosio Padilla Award


To all winners in the 2008 Loyola Schools Awards for Leadership and Service -- CONGRATULATIONS!

Cheers,

Raffy
3/10/08