SIMC^2.0 is drawing to a close! Today will be a busy but hopefully fun-filled day, as we say our goodbyes and make some more precious memories. 

The overseas participants have been treated to cultural tours, and today they will get more time to explore Singapore during the Free and Easy Excursion. Enjoy and have fun! 

In the afternoon, all participants will gather back at school to hear the results we have been anxiously waiting for! Regardless of the results, we hope that the Award Presentation and Closing Ceremony will leave a lasting and fulfilling impression, and that everyone will be proud of their accomplishments. 

As we partake in the farewell dinner, let us think back over our experiences and catch up with the new friends we have made over the course of this adventure. The journey has been long and challenging, but now it feels like it has all passed by too soon. 

If you already feel nostalgic, we have also compiled a few other snippets of SIMC^2.0 for you to browse, such as interviews with some of the people working behind the scenes to make SIMC^2.0 the success it has been, namely with our SPLs and also the Operations Team.

Do check back here for updates as we roll out our final articles of the week. It has been an absolute honour to be part of SIMC^2.0! 

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A Whirlwind Tour of Singapore’s Culture 

by Chang Yi Xuan Giselle, Tyra Peh and Lo Ian Ee Eleos 

Today is the grand finale of SIMC^2.0! Students and educators on the international Endeavour track enjoyed ‘Free & Easy Cultural Excursions’, where they could explore any part of Singapore or follow one of three pre-planned routes: Tiong Bahru, Vivocity / Sentosa and Clementi. Most students opted for the Vivocity route while one group decided to explore the unique charm of Tiong Bahru. 

Tiong Bahru 

Those who chose this route immersed themselves in the rich culture of Singapore.  

They began exploring at Tiong Bahru market, learning more about traditional foods and browsing the various wares on display at the wet market.  

They then moved on to explore the surrounding neighbourhood. While walking around, they managed to take a peek into the lives of ordinary Singaporeans and take pictures of some historic HDB (Housing Development Board) flats. 

On their quest to find murals in Tiong Bahru, the participants came across several cafés and bakeries, including the renowned Tiong Bahru Bakery. They also made a pit stop at Cat Socratic, a small gift shop selling local souvenirs. 

They ended off their journey by having lunch at Tiong Bahru Plaza’s food court, enjoying local delicacies and buying souvenirs like kaya and bak kwa to bring back home. 

Vivocity / Sentosa 

Those who chose this route managed to shop around one of Singapore’s biggest shopping malls and enjoy a morning at Sentosa. 

Students and educators were first dropped off at Harbourfront Cruise Centre Coach Bay, before heading to Vivocity for early lunch. There, they visited Vivo city’s wide array of cafés, restaurants and local diners, like Ya Kun Kaya Toast, Old Chang Kee and Wok Hey.  

Afterwards, they went to Sentosa Boardwalk, admiring the scenic view of not only native plants and flowers, but also the ocean and Resorts World Sentosa across the bay. 

At 2 p.m., the buses picked the students up from their respective locations and concluded their eventful journey around Singapore. We hope that everyone gained valuable insights into Singapore’s culture, and we wish all the best to all participants for the challenge results release at today’s Closing Ceremony! 

It’s a Wrap – SIMC^2.0 Closing for the Future (2026) 

by Prabakaran Sahana, Elgin Rahardja 

5 days of learning, problem solving, joy, sadness, sweat, tears, friendships, memories made …can you believe it’s all over?  On the evening of 24 May 2024, the final day of the inaugural SIMC^2.0, it was time to wrap up a fruitful journey with the Closing Ceremony so participants could reap the fruits of their labour.

Student Programme Leaders’ Appreciation Speech 

The programme was kickstarted with the emcees inviting the Student Programme Leaders, Colin Toh, Darin Koay and Chew Xin Kai to give their appreciation speech. The trio took the time to thank everyone who had played a part in making the event a memorable and successful one – from the participants for showing resilience, learning and collaboration,  to the educators for accompanying their students; from the esteemed speakers for their masterclasses, to the  organising committee of dedicated staff; from the “aunties” and “uncles”  (our hardworking janitors) who kept the school clean throughout the busy week, to the student volunteers who had prepared the welcome packs and received our visitors at the airport well until 1am. Truly, their thoughtful speech made us nostalgic in recalling the fun times the participants had with one another and their student programme liaisons (buddies).  

At the end of the Appreciation Speech, each of the leaders had a word to say to the audience: Colin -“Experior”, Xin Kai – “Expono”, and Darin – “Excedo”.  Regardless of who would emerge victorious, everyone is a winner for having put in the effort to arrive at the best solutions. 

Explore Track Award Ceremony 

After focussing on what was gained out of the entire experience of SIMC^2.0, the Awards Ceremony for the Explore Track commenced. 

The Explore Track was one that participants had prepared for even before they set foot into NUS High School, comprising of an A.I. and computational course during the March Holidays, a two-day coding workshop and self-directed online courses – something they had worked long and hard at to put together posters presented during the AI Learning Festival held on Monday this week. A total of 41 local schools had participated in the Explore Track. 

For their hard work and ingenious research and solutions, the following Explore Track teams earned the special awards: 

Five teams won the Special Award for Best Poster Design:

• Chung Cheng High School (Main) 
• Commonwealth secondary school 
• North Vista Secondary School Team A 
• Orchid Park Secondary School Team B 
• River Valley High School 

Five teams won the Special Award for Most Creative Problem and Solution:

• Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) 
• Clementi Town Secondary School 
• National Junior College 
• Singapore School of Science and Technology Teams A and B. 

Five teams won the Special Award for Best Presentation:

• Fuhua Secondary School 
• Kuo Chuan Presbyterian International School 
• Nan Hua High School 
• Raffles Girls’ Secondary School  
• Xinmin Secondary School 

The problem background was in cryo-EM, a discovery that had clinched the 2017 Nobel Prize. As Associate Professor Tong Xin put it, “…freeze ‘em, use electrons to attack [and] observe them in vitro.” A QR code was also projected on the auditorium screen that led to Assistant Professor Loh Ne-Te, the Chief Setter’s papers in the field of cryo-EM. Associate Professor Tong Xin jokingly quipped that Assistant Professor Loh wanted to secretly turn the participants into his future PhD students.  

Associate Professor Tong Xin had plenty of praise for the students for having their solutions exhibit depth of both their mathematical and computing knowledge which were not far from the “model solutions”. He concisely shared with the audience how Questions 1-3 had mostly right answers, Question 4 was about Noise in A.I., Question 5(f) was deemed to be slightly challenging, Question 6 was about Weak signal in A.I. while Question 7 had four different signals which had to be rotated correctly until their “candidate image” converged. Recognising the challenges that all the teams faced, he congratulated them for managing to complete all seven questions.  

He candidly shared that the team of around 40 judges, after having read through all the reports, were pleasantly surprised that the students knew so much about machine learning while the judges themselves had only learned the ropes while they were PhD students.  

Associate Professor Tong Xin light-heartedly shared that some judges had commented that the presentations were “better than most researchers’”, and how “we [the judges] have underestimated them”! Associate Professor Tong Xin himself was splitting hairs to determine the victorious team because there could only be one champion.  

Handing the envelope with the names of the awardees to the emcees, Associate Professor Tong Xin went to the centre of the stage, ready to present the shiny medals to their deserving recipients. 

Endeavour Track Award Ceremony 

Then and there, the highlight of SIMC^2.0 – the Endeavour Track Awards Ceremony – began! Students from both local and overseas institutions waited nervously for the results – the past 4 days of hard work all came down to this moment. 

Two teams won the Special Awards for Comprehensive Analysis:

• Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) 
• Pui Ching Middle School 

Our host’s team, NUS High School of Mathematics and Science, clinched the Special Award for Efficient Code, while the Philippine Science High School (Main Campus) clinched the Special Award for Novel Approach. 

The Merit Awards were presented to ten teams:

• Alferov Lyceum Physical Technical High School 
• Anderson Serangoon Junior College 
• Batory High School 
• Dunman High School 
• Eunoia Junior College 
• Mahidol Wittayanusorn School (MWIT) 
• Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan Senior Secondary School, K.K. Nagar 
• Ritsumeikan High School 
• St. Joseph’s Institution 
• Temasek Junior College 

The Distinction Awards were presented to ten teams:

• Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) 
• Chung Ling High School Penang 
• Fazekas Mihály High School Budapest 
• Korea Science Academy of KAIST 
• National Junior College 
• North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics 
• NUS High School of Mathematics and Science 
• Philippine Science High School Main Campus 
• Pui Ching Middle School 
• The High School Affiliated to Xi’an Jiaotong University 

And finally, the Champion for SIMC^2.0 2024 – John Monash Science School! 

John Monash Science School – Champions! 

The newly crowned champions were invited on stage to present their solution to the audience. Caught off guard, the participants humbly shared that they had not expected to make it to the top. However, it was only a few seconds before they collected themselves and were ready to share their knowledge and insights with the eager audience. 

The essence of their winning solution lay in their methodical approach to the difficult task 7, going the extra mile to find all possible alternative solutions to the problem beyond using Principle Component Analysis and K-Means, as they tackled vectors in 625 dimensions!

They explored other alternatives such as Factor Analysis and the Gaussian Mixture Model, slowly unravelling their suspicions of the type of noise i.e., whether it is normally distributed. Not completely pleased with their findings, they came up with their own Heuristic Reconstruction Model to optimise the data and reduce noise even further – a true reflection of their humility, grace and tenacity in their desire to keep improving their solutions.  

Reflecting on their overall experience, the team confessed that their victory was “a real surprise”. 

“We were told to aim for a distinction, but I don’t think [anyone] expected this.” 

They also shared their heartfelt thanks for “The three SPLs… Orion, our teacher who went for [SIMC] in 2016 from our school, he helped us so much with our training… Mr May our teacher who organised all of this. The educators who came with us, Ms Pain and Mr Willoughby … Our principal Mr Corkill, who made a surprise appearance … [Assistant Professor Loh] who gave the Masterclass… and everyone at NUS [High] because everyone’s so helpful and everyone’s been such amazing hosts.” 

Media Club’s Video Montage 

Last came the video montage to reminisce all the moments – photos of students arriving at the airport, students intently listening to the lectures, passing the cubes to the front during the Opening Ceremony, poster presentations in the Explore Track, the ice-breakers with the SPLs, the oral presentations in the Endeavour Track, the much awaited outings around Singapore to relax, ending off with a wonderful photo with everyone together – which was what SIMC^2.0  aimed to do – bringing together people of common interests in Math and Computing to challenge themselves and ultimately learn from one another. 

There were goosebumps from watching the montage by the NUS High Media Club, that it was all over so soon. With the Closing Ceremony wrapped up, fellow competitors congratulated one another, displaying the spirit of camaraderie and sportsmanship!  

Farewell dinner 

The Closing Ceremony came to an end, but the night of celebrations had only just begun! 

The participants headed towards the school hall for the Farewell Dinner, for a well-deserved meal and reverie. Then came the performers with their energetic dancing and singing, ending in one final rave where everyone danced their hearts out to cap off a truly unforgettable night.

Congratulations again to everyone! Cherish the friendships that you have made at SIMC^2.0  and all the best for your future mathematical and computing pursuits! 

We’ll see you at next iteration of SIMC^2.0 in 2026! 

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“The Watermelon Was Very Sweet” and Other Reflections from our SPLs 

by Renee Yeap Yew Jin 

Welcome to part 2 of my interviews with my SPL friends! (You can read the previous one posted under Day 4…) 

How has the experience been so far? 

“Being an SPL has been an enriching experience for me… To my delight, conversations flowed smoothly and I managed to learn a lot about their culture and school life, as well as how these aspects compared to ours. I find that our school systems are a lot more similar than I previously expected! I’m glad I took this opportunity to participate in SIMC^2.0 as an SPL!” — Sze Yin, SPL for The High School Affiliated to Xi’an Jiaotong University 

I am glad that the language barriers Sze Yin had mentioned earlier did not end up being an issue and it is heartening to see people from different schools and countries being able to find commonalities! 

“I had a good time on Day 1. I woke up at 5.45am, because I had to report to NUS at 7am [to bring the students to NUS High]. It was a bit messy at first because there was some confusion about the route, but we adapted and managed to bring everyone to school successfully… afterwards at the Opening Ceremony, I saw some students trying to pass the cubes to the teachers as well!” — Yiying, SPL for John Monash Science School 

“I think the experience has been quite fun and interesting so far! The educators I brought on tour around the school seemed to really enjoy all the maths-related decor we had around the school. The participants in my group were also really friendly to everyone and had fun interacting with each other during the icebreakers… It was awkward interacting at first due to the language barrier, but after we sort of overcame it [and] it was fun talking to [my group] about our cultures, experiences and even video games.” — Alex, SPL for Alferov Physical Technical High School 

Alex also shared a funny anecdote that happened as they were trying to sort out the Wi-Fi connection. Remember the cubes that were thrown around during the Opening Ceremony? Well, in order to prepare all those cubes, many student volunteers spent hours doing nothing but folding paper. 

In a stroke of inspiration, Alex told his team, “You can fold papers into SIMC cubes to destress when the Wi-Fi doesn’t work.”  

Luckily, the joke landed well, and everyone laughed heartily. 

Any place in SG you would recommend to those from overseas? 

“It’s a very basic answer but [I would recommend] the Marina Bay area, there’s a highway that you can see the entire skyline from and it’s so beautiful. I’ve seen it many times but every time I’m enamoured by it and I can’t take my eyes away from it.” — Niranjana, SPL for Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan Senior Secondary School 

“I would recommend going to one of the hawker centres and ordering different foods to share, as there are many types of food in Singapore which are all pretty delicious! Although people say it’s a bit overrated, I would also suggest going to Marina Bay Sands and Gardens by the Bay area for a walk as it is really quite beautiful in the evening especially!” — Alex 

It sounds like the Marina Bay area is certainly a fan favourite. It was a good thing the Cultural Learning Journey went there as well! 

Personally, my favourite spot in Singapore is probably one of the libraries, but I think after hearing from the SPLs, it seems the most valuable part of SIMC^2.0 is not the location or activity, but the people we have met along the way. 

While many of us will not be able to take part in another SIMC — all the SPLs I’ve interviewed here are in their final or penultimate year of NUS High — I hope that the memories we have made will be revived by our juniors and future participants of SIMC. May this tradition continue to thrive! 

BONUS: Here are some funny bonus quotes that I could not leave out! 

“I don’t leave the house.” — anonymous SPL when asked for recommended places in Singapore 

“[For the lunch buffet on Day 1], the egg tofu, fried chicken and fruit were good. The watermelon was very sweet.” — Yiying, watermelon lover 

I’ve seen Yiying eat multiple slices of watermelon almost every day, so I can vouch that she is somewhat of a watermelon specialist. 

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Unlocking the Potential of SIMC: OPS stands for Organised, Proficient, Strategic  

by Prabakaran Sahana 

Meet the passionate and dedicated SIMC^2.0 Operations Team: Mr Joseph Giri (in charge of Accommodations for the past and current SIMCs), Mr Poh Boon Hor (Overall in charge of the Operations Team), Mr Leong Kin Chong (in charge for all the food catering for the past and current SIMCs), and Ms Van Li Hui (in charge of operations for as long she can remember). 

For such a ginormous event like SIMC^2.0, the preparation had to be done long before. Mr Giri surprised everyone by revealing he started searching for accommodations around September last year, even before he was conferred his role in December! He made the floor burst into fits of laughter when he said he even wanted the accommodations for 2026 to be done now, if possible! As for Mr Leong, he began sending out invites to food vendors 3 months ago, asking them to bring samples of their cooking for the staff members to taste and vote for. So the selection of our current food caterers for SIMC^2.0 was a democratic process – have you been enjoying the food? 

Ms Van, who spearheads planning on the operations side, said she started work 2 months ago. She has answered calls directed to the operations main line and eased woes by supplying participants with what they need (adaptors, water bottles, toiletries, you name it) or directing them to the best places for tours. She also takes care of everyone’s well-being by arranging for people to check on students who are unwell and to stay in their hotel. Mr Poh said that he used to be in charge of food but has since levelled up. As the overall in charge of the entire team, he has all of them in his heart.   

When asked what made them take up this role, Mr Giri candidly shared that they were the “Chosen Ones”! Listening to them, I too, felt immersed in their joy and previous experiences with SIMC. For one, they thought that SIMC^2.0 was different because they had fewer interactions with the educators to address their queries. 

This was not really a bad thing! Rather, it was because operations went more smoothly. Ms Van shared that this time there were no injuries, illnesses or hospitalisations. Mr Poh and Mr Joseph also brought up that — having learnt from their past experiences — they were able to better anticipate what participants would need, reducing unnecessary trips to the operations room.   

Mr Giri also shared a personal reason for not having much time to talk to educators. During SIMC 2018 he had one child, but this year that number has grown to two. Thus, for this year, he could stay for only half a day, allowing him to take care of his children.  This is a testament to these fantastic four who work behind the scenes while also attending to their personal lives. 

As our interview drew to a close, I posed a final question: How do you feel about SIMC^2.0 ending? Anticipating a nostalgic comment, I was surprised by the straightforward reply: Looking forward to next round in 2026! Well, hope you are too, readers! Enjoy this day while it lasts, and best wishes to all for the closing ceremony!