Computer Science Superstars Meet for Battle of Brains
Shortages of Technical Talent put Collegiate Competition in Spotlight
SOMERS, N.Y (January 22, 1998) – Organizers of the 22nd Annual ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest, sponsored by IBM, announced today the names of college teams* who will advance to the contest’s World Finals in Atlanta, February 27-28, 1998. Approximately 3,750 of the world’s brightest students representing 700 universities in 40 countries competed in 1997, with only the top 162 students qualifying for next month’s finals.
ACM’s announcement of finalists follows last week’s Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) conference in California, where industry leaders discussed the critical economic need for skilled technology workers. According to industry reports, up to 400,000 jobs requiring computer software skills are still open. As part of the conference the U.S. government announced several training initiatives to increase the number of technology workers. IBM’s sponsorship of the competition is one way the global information technology company hopes to increase interest in the computer sciences at the collegiate level.
Since 1970, ACM has organized the contest to challenge and inspire students in the computer sciences. For the next five years as sponsor, IBM will help expand the contest through its global presence. This past year marked the first time schools in Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Japan competed, in part due to IBM’s efforts.
The contest pits teams of three students against a host of complex, real-world problems, which they must solve in a set amount of time. Students rely on their programming savvy – skills, creativity, and teamwork – to solve problems as they race against the clock in the five-hour battle of logic, strategy and mental endurance. Teams that solved the most problems in the fewest attempts and the least amount of time qualified for the World Finals.
Source: IBM