Charles University of Prague Wins IBM-Sponsored International Collegiate Programming Contest
ATLANTA (March 02, 1998) – Top honors in the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest go to Charles University of Prague, The Czech Republic, which won a five-hour battle of logic, programming skills and mental endurance. Rounding out the top five in descending order are: St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia; University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada; University of Umea, Umea, Sweden and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts.*
The ACM Contest, sponsored by IBM, is designed to shine a spotlight on young programming talent around the world and attract more students to the field of computer science. This is particularly important in an economy driven by rapidly advancing technology. In fact, a recent survey found nearly 200,000 vacant information technology jobs in the U.S.**
“This competition transcends national borders and demonstrates the power of technology to bring people together. All of these students are working at a very high level — they’re all winners,” said John Swainson, IBM’s general manager for application software development.
Fifty-four teams of three students each competed in this year’s World Finals. From the moment the contest began there was an intense level of concentration and collaboration required. As each team successfully solved a problem, a colorful balloon was floated above their work station. Excitement and tension mounted as the minutes ticked by and more balloons appeared.
The 162 competitors in this, the ACM’s 22nd contest, earned a place at the World Finals by competing in a field of nearly 4,000 students representing 700 universities in 40 countries. Regional competitions will begin in the fall of 1998 for the 1999 World Finals which will be held in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. This marks the first time the contest finals will be held outside the United States.
“As an international company, IBM is able to help us strengthen the global aspect of the competition. This year, we expanded the contest by 25%, growing from 1,000 to 1,250 teams competing in regions around the world,” noted Bill Poucher, ACM Contest Director.
Source: IBM