It is that time of the year again for the National Olympiad in Informatics (NOI), modelled after the International Olympiad in Informatics, the reknowned international competition in competitive computing. Emphasising creativity in problem-solving, as well as programming skills and expertise, this is an opportunity for students aged 13-18 to showcase their programming capabilities to their entire country.
The NOI competition consists of two rounds – the Online Qualification Contest and the Final Contest. Any number of students from each school can participate in the Online Qualification contest. Of the many students who participated, only the top 5 students from each school, at each level, are shortlisted for the Final contest and awarded medals.
After the two intensive rounds were finally completed on 18th March 2023, we are proud to announce that 10 of our students have obtained medals in the 26th NOI 2023!
Presenting to you Coding Lab’s 26th NOI Qualification Contest medallists:
Ziv Lim Zhengheng
Silver Medallist
Aanya Kaur Agrawal
Silver Medallist (previously a Bronze Medallist)
Caleb Chia
Silver Medallist (previously a Two-time Bronze Medallist)
Vayun Mathur
Four-Time Silver Medallist
Derrick Lukimin
Silver Medallist
James Pearman
Silver Medallist (previously a Bronze Medallist)
Bobby Lee
Bronze Medallist
Jaehyuk Cho
Bronze Medallist
Wongtreenatrkoon Jirapas
Bronze Medallist
Zhang Yanjia
Two-time Bronze Medallist
Special mention to Ziv Lim Zhengheng, who clinched the Silver Award in his very first NOI! This bright young coder has been attending classes with us since he was 9 and was also part of the Champion team for the National IMDA CodeXtremeApps (CXA) 2019 Hackathon. Other students who received a medal in their first NOI are Bobby Lee, Jaehyuk Cho and Wongtreenatrkoon Jirapas.
It is always great to see our students show improvement! We would like to commend Aanya Kaur Agrawal and Caleb Chia on achieving their firstSilver Medals, a step up from their Bronze Medals in 2022!
We would also like to congratulate Vayun Mathur on his fourth Silver Medal! He was one of our students who was featured on Google and the international news network CGTN before.
Congratulations and a big round of applause to all of our students! Their outstanding coding abilities in our classes got them selected for our intensive NOI Preparation Course (By Invite Only) – Like Ziv, many of them started with us early, whilst still in Primary school. Kudos to all of our students for their hard work!
Interested to find out more? Check out our proprietary Python Meets Math course, which incorporates O and A-Level Mathematics for ages 13 to 18 to pick up one of the most versatile programming languages. We also have Advanced Elective courses, which includes Data Analytics, Algorithm, Game Development, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Secondary school and Junior College students.
What better way to spend time with the whole family while having fun and learning at the same time? In line with our aim to nurture future leaders in technology, we have prepared several #Techtivities for the family to enjoy and discover how technology is a part of many things in our lives! 🤩
Starting off with a #TechFact, did you know that Apple Computer Company was incorporated by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak on April 1, 1976? Apple would go on to revolutionize the tech industry with the IPhone, and it is still one of the top tech companies today! (Source)
Now that we’re learnt a new titbit, keep scrolling on to discover techtivities that you and your family can indulge in this month! ✨
Singapore Air Force Museum
Are your kids huge fans of planes and fighter jets? The Singapore Air Force Museum is the perfect place for them to visit! Learn more about the Republic Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and be fascinated by the various defence vehicles and technology systems that help defend our country. 🚁
What tech is here? 🤔
🧑💻 Be a pilot and execute combat manouevres at the three-player simulator with a realistic panoramic screen to show the pilot’s point of view, all with the help of Augmented Reality! 🧑✈️
🧑💻 See and touch various aircrafts in real life with the help of multimedia and 3D models! 😃
🧑💻 Use the multimedia touchscreen digital console to find out all about the aircraft of RSAF! 🛩️
At Singapore’s first ever children’s museum, your little ones will never be bored! Engaging all of our little ones’ senses, all the exhibits are perfect for them to have fun and learn more about Singapore’s history. 👨👩👧👦
What tech is here? 🤔
🧑💻 The museum’s mascot, Wonderbot, is a virtual robot powered by Artificial Intelligence and will be guiding our tots through their journey back in time with various tasks and interactive panels! 🤖
🧑💻 Be a ship captain at The Voyage in Time, where our little ones can experience sailing on a ship in different weather conditions, and many more! ⚓
🧑💻 How does a predator hunt for prey? Hunt for prey as the Spotted Wood Owl at Imagine a Garden: An A-maze-ing Exhibition through multimedia games powered by Augmented Reality! 🦉
Do your tweens and teens just want to stay in front of their tech devices all day? Are they sporty types? Action Motion will present them all an active challenge they cannot resist! Get through various obstacle courses at this adventure playground at your own pace – chill or competitive, there’s something for everyone! 👍
What tech is here? 🤔
🧑💻 Get an enhanced indoor playground experience with various Augmented Reality (AR) powered games and score points! 😄
🧑💻 Up for a challenge? Be part of the leaderboard and record your fastest time through the obstacles course with the help of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology in wrist tags! 🏃
Are you ready to celebrate Easter with us in The Coding Lab Way? Join us for our exciting 2-hour Easter themed workshops for ages 5 to 9 – Grab a friend to join the fun as we’ll be coding exciting games that you can enjoy with your loved ones after class! 🥳
🥚 Ages 5 to 6: Become the Easter Bunny and catch their colourful decorated Easter Eggs! Students will pick up key coding concepts such as loops and conditionals along the way.
🐇 Ages 7 to 9: Program a fun and exciting game for your loved ones to play along – control the Bunny to collect eggs that appears randomly on your game screen! Students will pick up key coding concepts such as loops, clone and sensing.
These are perfect for beginners wanting to dip their toes into the world of coding. Give your child an immersive coding experience with us, and grab your slots!
Singapore has achieved yet another technological breakthrough! Through harnessing AI, the detection of cross-border smuggling and maritime firefighting emergency response 🌊 is now greatly enhanced and expedited.
Check out how the eXaminer, the latest technology, helps to detect illegal items across borders and how an unmanned surface vessel could help to bolster Singapore’s emergency response capabilities here!
If you haven’t seen our previous techtivity recommendations, check out our March #TechtivitiesOfTheMonth, which includes more cool tech-related activities you can do with friends and family!
(Written by Thinzar)
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We love seeing our students shine and grow as they develop their coding skills and discover how they can find success through coding! Meet one of them today: our student Aidan Sin, age 12, who won the Platinum Award (the highest honour) at the Hwa Chong Infocomm Challenge (HCIC) 2022!
Meet Aidan Sin, who enjoys challenging himself through various coding challenges, even applying his knowledge of Mathematics to his programs!
Aidan found his passion and confidence for programming at Coding Lab, and has recently completed our advanced S100 Python Classes during the holidays! He particularly enjoys integrating his knowledge of mathematics in his coding projects, and has shared with the Coding Lab Team about his fascination with the limitless possibilities that coding provides! There are so many ways to approach a coding challenge, which enables him to let his creativity and imagination flow!
They are impressed by the projects I have made! Coding is also complementary with my interest in maths and problem-solving. Now, it is pretty common for kids to pick up coding skills; once a coder, with passion – always a coder.
Hi Aidan, tell us about yourself! What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Hi! I am Aidan Sin, a keen learner with an inquisitive mind. I am 12 this year. During my free time, I enjoy playing English Chess, Chinese Chess and Wei Qi as these games relax me.
I also like watching Youtube videos relating to maths puzzles, science facts, solving complex video games as well as strategy techniques (eg. 孙子兵法， 三十六计，三国演义 etc). I like to think about perplexing problems and take on challenges. When I come up with an idea, I like to code it into Python and see if it would work. To further challenge myself, I incorporated Maths into it as well!
What do your friends and family say when they hear that you are a coder?
My family members are intrigued when I said I started coding at 7 years old. They are impressed by the projects I have made! Coding is also complementary with my interest in maths and problem-solving. Now, it is pretty common for kids to pick up coding skills; once a coder, with passion – always a coder.
Congratulations on winning the Platinum Award at the Hwa Chong Infocomm Challenge (HCIC)! How do you feel about your achievement?
I am pleased with myself after winning the Platinum Award at the Hwa Chong Infocomm Challenge (HCIC). I know that getting this award is no easy task as I put in a lot of time and hardwork in preparing for HCIC.
Aidan has won awards outside of coding as well!
How was your HCIC experience? What have you learned? What was the best part of it?
The HCIC experience was relatively simple: I stayed back in school, took the test on a computer, and went back home. The best part of the experience was meeting up with old friends. Most of my friends that I knew were either in other classes or were too busy with schoolwork so during this short period before taking the test, I could catch up and have a chat with them.
Tell us how you first got started with coding!
I started my coding journey when I was in Lower Primary 2. During that time, my Co-Curricular Activity (CCA) was Robotics. I was using the Lego Mindstorm to build a robot. Apart from constructing and adding features to it, I was able to use the computer to enable the robot to complete a certain task using code. At first, I was unfamiliar with this coding language but slowly, with the help of my peers, I was finally able to use it! I was even able to represent my school and participated in a National Robotics School Competition with my team.
Subsequently, I discovered Scratch where I started coding more programs. When these programs worked, I was overjoyed! Personally, I see Coding as a vast grassland. With the programs I built, it felt like as I added more houses to the civilisation that I built, it helped others while also benefiting myself.
Aidan is pictured with his parents, who signed him up for Coding Lab’s classes and supported him in his journey in coding!
How did you get started at Coding Lab?
Since I was super interested in coding, my mother searched the web and found Coding Lab. The lessons are packed and filled with knowledge and information which I liked! The lessons were fun and progressively allowed me to challenge myself and learn accordingly. I really want to thank and appreciate Teacher Edmund, he fused fun and laughter in class. I enjoyed attending his class. With his help and preparing my DSA portfolio, I got better at coding!
What do you like about coding? How has coding made a difference to your life?
I like coding as I can use it in limitless ways and many different ways to solve a coding program. Not only am I able to use my left brain in executing the coding process but I can also use my right brain to generate new ideas for my next coding project!
Through coding, I can use both my left brain and right brain, enabling me to be more creative and innovative at the same time! It also teaches me to be patient and to think outside the box when debugging my code. These key virtues are essential during our daily lives, that is why learning to code is so important.
Here at Coding Lab, we encourage our students to engage in individualised learning and independent studying at home, especially for older or more advanced students!
What are some difficulties you faced while learning to code, and how did you overcome them?
Debugging is a tedious task. Debugging and fixing errors in my code are often the challenges that I faced in the past —- and will continue to face as long as my passion for coding continues. These obstacles can be overcome. I needed to “become the computer” and run through the entire program bit by bit until I spotted the error.
Do you have a favourite coding project that you would like to share with us?
I could make a Prime Factorisation program to help out in my Maths, or I can create a Quiz to provide entertainment to my peers!
Here is Aidan’s Prime Factorisation program. He also has a website full of coding projects that he has created as part of his DSA portfolio. Check it out here!
“Aidan is an exceptional and independent student who is enthusiastic in his learning. I am especially impressed by his determination and perseverance in tackling challenges. When encountering something new, he always relishes the challenge of solving the problem by thinking about it from different perspectives.“
– Educator Edmund
What are you coding right now? Do you have any exciting future coding projects or dream projects that you would like to mention?
I have not been coding much lately, as I am preparing for my PSLE. After my exams, I will be sure to start working on some interesting projects that hope to solve some complex world issues.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
My future? I aspire to combine my coding skills and maths & science knowledge to solve people’s problems around the world.
Do you have any advice for young people who are learning to code?
My advice for young people who are learning to code is to keep pursuing your dream, whatever you do, do not give up on your dream. If you work hard enough, it will come true one day.
Thank you Aidan for sharing with us about your passion for coding, and for the words of wisdom you have given for other young people who are learning to code! 🌏
We hope that you are as inspired by Aidan’s thirst for knowledge, enthusiasm for coding and love for learning as we are, and that this will motivate you to take the first step in your very own journey with code!
Aidan Sin, who turns 13 this year, was a student at Pei Hwa Presbyterian Primary School. He attended P201 App Inventor class at Coding Lab when he was barely 10 years old and advanced his way to our S203 Algorithm course by the time he was 12. Aidan was awarded the Platinum Award (highest honour) at the Hwa Chong Infocomm Challenge (HCIC) 2022.
Our #CodingLabStudents series features our ambitious students and their ongoing coding journeys – be it the budding coder or advanced Python Pro, we appreciate each and every single one’s efforts as they progress to greater heights. 🌱
Coding Lab offers an award-winning curriculum specially for ages 5 to 18 – check out our courses to begin your own coding journey today!
Congratulations to team Urban Coders (ages 13 to 18) for winning the “Sustainable City Development Award” at the 2022 Minecraft Cup! 🏆
The Minecraft Cup is held annually and the theme of 2022 was sustainability and creating an environment that integrates “nature” and “convenience” in the long run. Comprising of both local and Japan students, our young and talented students crossed borders and worked together to come up with innovative ideas.
Team Urban Coders created a city called CodeTropolis Nature. They focused on the United Nations’ Sustainability Development Goal 15, and created a city rich with biodiversity and green architecture that blends the urban landscape seamlessly into the surrounding wetlands refuge and nature preserves.
Take a look at their beautiful Minecraft world – CodeTropolis Nature!
Combining their creativity and care for the environment with the help of code, the team was awarded the Sustainable City Development Award, making them one of the four teams to get an achievement in Minecraft Cup 2022!
View the livestream of their presentation here!
In addition, they were also selected for the Tokyo Bay eSG project. Along with another one of our teams, team Wither Coders (ages 7-9), they will be presenting their project to the Governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike! If selected, our students will get to see their Minecraft project turn into real-life architecture.
It has been tremendously encouraging to watch our students come together (globally too!) with a pioneering idea to help in solving today’s real-world issues. All teams have worked hard and done their best, and we would like to congratulate them all for coming this far. 💚
Want to create your own complex structures and design your dream world on Minecraft? Explore the different possibilities that you can create with our Holiday SpecialMinecraft: Code Your World (ages 10-12) class!
