Beware the DIY biohacker

June 13, 2009 by Maths Science Tutor

Source: Straits Times, 13 June 2009

By Andy Ho, Senior Writer

SCIENTIFICALLY inclined youngsters are setting up do-it- yourself biology laboratories at home. Likened to self-trained computer hackers, these enthusiasts – self-styled biohackers – browse online catalogues of DNA parts and order them from small commercial labs. With self-modified household items and used equipment acquired online, they try to tweak bacteria or synthesise novel organisms in their free time.

I recently met a fresh graduate from a US university who, on returning home, wanted to find just such an interest group here. But first, he had to ask his supplier in the United States if it would ship some oligomers (DNA parts) to him. The lab promptly replied in the positive and asked just ‘how many nanomoles or micromoles’ he needed. All he needed to do was provide a shipping address and pay online by credit card.

A Calculating Web Site Could Ignite a New Campus ‘Math War’

June 13, 2009 by Maths Science Tutor

Source: Chronicle of Higher Education, 12 June 2009

By Jeffrey R. Young

The long-running debate over whether students should be allowed to wield calculators during mathematics examinations may soon seem quaint.

The latest dilemma facing professors is whether to let students turn to a Web site called WolframAlpha, which not only solves complex math problems, but also can spell out the steps leading to those solutions. In other words, it can instantly do most of the homework and test questions found in many calculus textbooks.

The new tool will be a bane to teaching, some professors say—but others see a blessing.

Iraq-born teen cracks maths puzzle

June 12, 2009 by Maths Science Tutor

Source: Yahoo News, 28 May 2009

STOCKHOLM (AFP) – A 16-year-old Iraqi immigrant living in Sweden has cracked a maths puzzle that has stumped experts for more than 300 years, Swedish media reported on Thursday.

In just four months, Mohamed Altoumaimi has found a formula to explain and simplify the so-called Bernoulli numbers, a sequence of calculations named after the 17th century Swiss mathematician Jacob Bernoulli, the Dagens Nyheter daily said.

Altoumaimi, who came to Sweden six years ago, said teachers at his high school in Falun, central Sweden were not convinced about his work at first.

RELIEF FOR STUDENTS: 10-year series out in July

May 25, 2009 by Maths Science Tutor

Straits Times, 24 May 2009
ST link

After almost six months, publisher Michelle Yoo might finally stop receiving frantic phone calls.

Her firm, Singapore Asian Publications, has received more than 50 calls daily from parents, teachers and students since the start of the year.

They wanted to know why they could not buy copies of the sought-after 10-year series, which compiles questions from past O- and A-level exams into books by subject.

The series was pulled because of a copyright issue.

Copyright issues hit 10-year series

April 1, 2009 by Maths Science Tutor

The various 10-year series are currently unavailable on the market as they have been hit with copyright issues.

In a press statement released in March 2009, the Ministry of Education said: “The Cambridge International Examinations and the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (Seab) are in discussion to resolve some copyright issues of third-party materials used in the examination papers … … As such, publishing firms have been told to hold off the publishing of past-year examination papers in the interim.”

Mr Kelvin Yoo, CEO of Singapore Asian Publications, said: “This problem is only happening this year. We’re just waiting for the tender date to be out … … For the last two years, about six publishers were given the publishing rights. We would usually know the tender date by November and the results by December. But this time, we haven’t heard anything from MOE yet.”

Some parents said that without the series, their children will have less practice before their exams.

Madam Goh Lee Kim, 48, told the New Paper: “I’m not happy that this is happening. Students in secondary schools and JCs need to look at past years’ papers to have an idea of what to expect when they sit for their O or A levels … … It will be a big disadvantage, though they may get papers from other schools. The Ten-Year Series set the standard for what students can expect in their forthcoming papers.” Madam Goh’s son is studying in Yuhua Secondary School.

The MOE said students would not be handicapped. It said: “Seab would like to assure students that they still have access to past-year papers for reference … … School candidates can approach their schools while private candidates can approach MOE’s customer service centre for assistance.”

About Myself

March 31, 2009 by Maths Science Tutor

Individual and Small Group Mathematics and Statistics Tuition in Singapore – University and Junior College level

I am a private tutor in Singapore specializing in:

Mathematics and Statistics – for University level, Junior College H2+H1, Integrated Programme (IP), International Baccalaureate (IB).

Chemistry and Physics – for Junior College H2+H1, Integrated Programme (IP), International Baccalaureate (IB).

I am a full-time tutor conducting individual home tuition and small group tuition at affordable rates. My students have benefited from private (one to one) home tuition. They have gained confidence tackling the difficult concepts presented to them, and have benefited from the personalized attention that one to one tuition provides.

Academic Qualifications and Private Tutoring Experience

Ph.D. in Mathematics, 2011, National University of Singapore.

B.Sc. First Class Honours in Mathematics, 2002, National University of Singapore.

Grade Point Average (GPA): 4.9 out of 5.0. Placed on Dean’s List for 4 Semesters. Served as student mentor at Special Programme in Science (SPS) for several semesters.

Very Extensive experience since 2002 tutoring Junior College and Integrated Programme Mathematics, as well as Secondary School Elementary maths and Additional maths.

Experience since 2009 tutoring University Level Mathematics and Statistics – including Calculus of Several Variables, Business Statistics, Engineering Calculus, Real Analysis, Abstract Algebra, Linear Algebra, Probability, Discrete Mathematics.

Experience since 2009 tutoring Junior College, Integrated Programme, and Secondary School Chemistry and Physics.

Contact Information

Handphone: 9724-0163 (Mr Ng)

Alternatively, please Email: tutor@sgmathtuition.net

My Approach to Private Tuition

The Singapore government and various Members of Parliament have voiced concerns about private tuition. Many have highlighted the stresses and pressures students are facing at school and have wondered if we are pushing our students too hard.

I believe that having private tuition is a personal choice that the student and parent must decide on their own. My students have benefited from private (one to one) home tuition. They have gained confidence tackling the difficult concepts presented to them, and have benefited from the personalized attention that one to one tuition provides.

At school or at tuition centres, it is difficult to give each and every student such individualized, personal attention. That is where home tutors like myself come in. I strongly believe that well-qualified tutors like myself have a role to play in helping students strengthen their academic foundations and achieve better grades.

My aim is to make the learning experience a pleasant and enriching experience for all my students.

Maths and markets

March 31, 2009 by Maths Science Tutor

Financial Times, 20 March 2009
FT link

Markets + maths = mayhem. That equation sums up an erroneous view of the role played by mathematics in the banking crisis, which is gaining currency in financial and regulatory circles. For example, this week’s report by Lord Turner, chairman of the UK Financial Services Authority, blamed “misplaced reliance on sophisticated maths” for lulling banks’ top managers into a false sense of security about the risks they were taking. Terms such as quant, geek and rocket scientist, once used in affectionate respect, now have darker connotations.

Mathematicians tend to be shy and retiring, compared with other professional groups, and they have not leapt up to defend themselves in public. In private, however, they are seething – understandably so, since the problem was not the maths itself but the way banks used it.

Contrary to Lord Turner’s assertion, the banks’ sums were not sophisticated enough. They over-simplified, and assumed away the limitations and caveats of their models. They did this to convey an illusion of accuracy and precision, and so convince the market that they had everything under control.