Computer programming students to apply problem-solving skills in international competition

Fort Worth, TX

10/29/2007

TCU computer programming students are sharpening their skills in preparation for an internationally prestigious computer programming competition, the 32nd Annual Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC), sponsored by IBM.

The ICPC Regional Competition, which will be held November 3 at East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma, will include universities such as University of Texas at Dallas and Oklahoma University as well as students from TCU in a “battle of the brains” for a chance to compete in the World Finals.

The contest presents teams of three people with real-world problems and teams are asked to develop a solution within five hours. Students must rank the difficulty of the problems given to them and create a software program that will solve the problems under the examination of the judges.

The amount of work done within the five-hour time slot is normal of a semester’s worth of work, but the contest furthers creativity, teamwork and innovation in a field where it is demanded.

Over 6,099 teams representing 1,700 universities in 82 countries are expected in this year’s competition.

Winners in the past include teams from universities such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the U.S.A., St. Petersburg Institute of Fine Mechanics and Optics in Russia and Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China.

For more information about the competition contact: Dana Procaccino at (215) 790-4358 or e-mail at dprocaccino@tierneyagency.com. For more information about the competing TCU team contact the TCU department of computer science at (817) 257-7166.