Oliver W
First Year Computer Science Student
About Me
Hi, I'm a first-year Computer Science Advanced student with a six year background in programming. I enjoy solving a variety of problems and applying my skills to real-world challenges.
Things I've Built
Minecraft-Based Computer
In Year 11, I designed and built a computer inside Minecraft. It has 16 bytes of writable memory and over 128 bytes of readable memory and it could successfully calculate the Fibonacci sequence up to around the 14th term. I had to consider timings and the instruction set as I was building it, and I also needed to sketch and create logic diagrams to help me build the actual components in Minecraft. It has very much deepened my understanding of logic and computer architecture.
3D Engine Prototype
During Year 10, I developed a prototype 3D engine from scratch in Python. It can render dots of various sizes depending on the camera’s position and viewing angles in the world.
Computer Vision for F1 in Schools
As part of the F1 in Schools finals competition in Sydney, I made a Python app that synced three laptops with cameras to detect how many fingers were held up, automatically changing the slides.
Sudoku App
For my degree's introductory MATLAB course, I made a terminal-based Sudoku player and solver.
Drafting App
I built a C++ drafting app for a mobile game that uses an MCTS-like algorithm with a predictor to determine good character picks.
Other Projects
These projects and some of my many other experiments can be found on my GitHub (linked below).
Interests & Hobbies
Outside of uni, work, and my projects, I sometimes look for other puzzles or new skills to learn. Some things I enjoy include:
- Main Hobbies: Playing soccer and piano. I used to play piano in bands during school along with club soccer. I still play both frequently.
- Puzzles: Solving the Rubik's Cube (including blindfolded), Sudoku, and Minesweeper.
- Programming Challenges: I'm currently active in the Adelaide University Competitive Programming League. I have competed in the ICPC, and I also enjoy working through problems on LeetCode (73 solves at the time I wrote this).
- Memory Challenges: In the past I have enjoyed memory challenges such as memorising the periodic table or completing the chimp test.
Studies
University (2024 - Current)
I'm currently studying a Bachelor of Computer Science (Advanced). I also completed a couple of university-level courses (MATLAB & C, Object-Oriented Programming) while still in high school through the Headstart Scholarship program, which have allowed me to take DSA 1 and currently DSA 2 in my first year of uni.
Academic Awards
Throughout my schooling, I received some awards including the Australian Institute of Physics' Future Physicist Award for my efforts in Physics, and an award for the highest predicted Digital Tech grade in my final year of high school.
