UIS hosts regional contest in 34th annual International "Battle of the Brains"

Local Information Technology Code Warriors Compete on Campus to Showcase Problem-Solving Skills at Regional Competition of IBM-sponsored Contest

WHAT: The powerhouse computer programming team from the University of Illinois Springfield and top collegiate programmers from surrounding areas will compete in an all-out “battle of the brains.”

WHO: Teams from the University of Illinois Springfield, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Augustana College, Illinois College, Illinois State University, Knox College, and Trinity Christian College.

WHEN: Saturday, October 24, 2009 from 9:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

WHERE: University Hall Building (UHB) on UIS Campus in 2nd floor Cisco labs

DETAILS: Imagine completing a semester’s worth of computer programming in one afternoon. The IBM-sponsored ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest, the most prestigious computer programming competition of its kind, will gather tens of thousands of students from universities in approximately 90 countries on six continents during its preliminary rounds through December. One hundred teams from around the globe will earn coveted spots at the Contest’s World Finals February 1-6, 2010 hosted by Harbin Engineering University in Harbin, China.

The 34th annual Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) International Collegiate Programming Contest challenges teams of three university students to use their programming skills and rely on their mental endurance to solve complex, real world problems under a grueling five-hour deadline. One hundred successful teams will advance to the World Finals in Harbin, China. IBM’s sponsorship has fueled the growth of the contest to include tens of thousands of students. Since the IBM sponsorship began in 1997, the number of teams participating has grown from 1,100 to more than 7,100 teams. For more information on previous contests, problem sets and last year’s final standings, please visit http://icpc.baylor.edu/icpc/. Also visit IBM’s contest page at www.ibm.com/university/acmcontest/ or the contest podcast series at battleofthebrains.podcast.com.

For more information about the event at UIS please contact Lucinda Caughey, Computer Science Instructor at 217/206-8336 or lcaug2@uis.edu.