On Nov. 8 three students, Trevor Boone, Jacob Smith, and Tyler Uhlenkamp, came in second place out of 270 teams at the Association for Computing Machinery North Central North America regional contest.
This has qualified them for the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest World Finals, which will be held from May 16 to May 21, 2015 in Ifrane, Morocco.
During the regional conference the team of three was given nine complex problems, with five hours to solve.
The winner is determined by which team solved the highest amount of problems with the fewest attempts in the shortest amount of time. The ISU team was one of three teams in the entire region that was able to solve all nine problems.
Iowa State’s team has placed at the regionals for the last four years consecutively. Last year, ISU was one of two United States team to win an award at the world finals.
Dr. Simanta Mitra, computer science lecturer and ISU team coach, said that this is the most prestigious programming competition in the world and the student’s success has significantly enhanced Iowa State University’s stature with prospective students and industry contacts.
“This provides an opportunity for these bright minds to meet and make lifelong connections and friendships,” said Mitra. “They learn a lot from each other and this makes their stay at ISU that much more of an enjoyable and exciting adventure.”
"I would like to take the opportunity to thank our trip sponsors (Workiva and the Computer Science and Software Engineering programs), Aronnax Miles (who helped with contest set up and judging), and Assistant Coach Anindya Das”, he added.
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About Liberal Arts and Sciences The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is a world-class learning and research community. Iowa State’s most academically diverse college, LAS educates students to become global citizens, providing rigorous academic programs in the sciences, humanities and social sciences within a supportive personalized learning environment. College faculty design new materials, unravel biological structures, care for the environment, and explore social and behavioral issues. From fundamental research to technology transfer and artistic expression, the college supports people in its community and around the world.
NEWS RELEASE College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Iowa State University
Contacts Simanta Mitra, Computer Science (smitra@iastate.edu) Kelsey Roehrich, Liberal Arts and Sciences Communications (roehrich@iastate.edu)