SAN ANTONIO, Oct. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Student computer programmers from universities around the world are preparing to battle for a spot to attend the World Finals of the 36th annual Association for Computer Machinery (ACM) International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC), sponsored by IBM (NYSE: IBM).

 

Regional contests in the United States begin on October 21, 2011 and will continue through December. Following the regional rounds, only 100 elite three-person teams will advance to the World Finals. The final contest will take place May 14 through May 18, 2012, hosted by the University of Warsaw located in Warsaw, Poland.

 

The contest, also known as the Battle of the Brains, challenges university students to solve complex and rigorous real-world problems using open technology and advanced computing methods under a grueling five-hour deadline. In one day, these students will complete an entire semester's worth of computer programming.

 

Through the contest, the ACM-ICPC and IBM encourage students to embrace and contribute to smarter software ideas. The goal of the contest is to encourage students to develop more intelligent and efficient solutions for some of the world's most daunting challenges.

 

"We recognize the urgency in nurturing the next generation of technology leaders," said Doug Heintzman, director of strategy for IBM Software Group and sponsorship executive of the ICPC. "The purpose of this contest is to celebrate exceptional computer science expertise, expose students to real world business issues and help prepare them for the competitive and global workforce they'll encounter upon graduation. It is our hope to get to know these students, promote the pursuit of excellence and to hopefully recruit some of them to pursue prosperous careers with IBM."

 

Considered the largest and most prestigious computer programming competition in the world, the Battle of the Brains reaches tens of thousands of students from more than 2,000 universities, 88 countries, and six continents. Since IBM began sponsoring the contest in 1997, participation has grown more than one thousand percent. During the 2010-2011 contest, more than 24,000 students participated in the regionals portion alone.

 

"The ACM-ICPC is more than just a battle of whit, but instead a unique opportunity for students from around the world to engage and interact with peers while enjoying the challenge of competitive problem solving," said Dr. Bill Poucher, ICPC Executive Director and Baylor University Professor of Computer Science. "While the competition is about building keen solutions in software, for the students, it's about raising aspirations and magnifying their career opportunities. These talented and engaged problem solvers are essential to top industry recruiters like IBM."

 

IBM's sponsorship of the Battle of the Brains is one of IBM's many university programs which blend both technology and business leadership skills. IBM works with universities throughout the world that teach courses in Service Science, Management and Engineering (SSME), an academic discipline in an effort to enrich both business and engineering curriculum.

 

The 2011 World Finals were held in Orlando, Florida at the Peabody Hotel. Zhejiang University took first place, with the University of Michigan and Tsinghua University placing second and third, respectively.

 

For more information about the contest and to listen to the ACM ICPC podcast, visit www.ibm.com/university/acmcontest/ or follow along on Twitter at http://twitter.com/BrainBattleICPC .

 

For more information about IBM, visit http://www.ibm.com/software and http://www.ibm.com/university

 

About ACM
ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery www.acm.org , is the world's largest educational and scientific computing society, uniting computing educators, researchers and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources and address the field's challenges. ACM strengthens the computing profession's collective voice through strong leadership, promotion of the highest standards, and recognition of technical excellence. ACM supports the professional growth of its members by providing opportunities for life-long learning, career development, and professional networking.

 

Media Contact:

 

Amanda Carl
Tierney Communications
(215) 790-4370
acarl@tierneyagency.com

 

 

 

U.S. Participating Schools by Region:

East Central North America Region:
Ashland University,
Baldwin-Wallace College,
Ball State University,
Butler University,
Carnegie Mellon University,
Cedarville University,
Cleveland State University,
College of Wooster,
Denison University,
DePauw University,
Duquesne University,
Edinboro University of Pennsylvania,
Grand Valley State University,
Grove City College,
Indiana Institute of Technology,
Indiana University of Pennsylvania,
Kalamazoo College,
Kent State University,
Marietta College,
Miami University,
Michigan State University,
Mount Vernon Nazarene University,
Muskingum University,
Oberlin College,
Ohio Northern University,
Ohio State University,
Ohio University,
Ohio Wesleyan University,
Penn State Erie - The Behrend College,
Pennsylvania State University,
Purdue University,
Saginaw Valley State University,
Taylor University,
The University of Toledo @ LCCC,
Thiel College,
University of Akron,
University of Cincinnati,
University of Dayton,
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor,
University of Michigan-Dearborn,
University of Notre Dame,
University of Pittsburgh,
Westminster College.
Wittenberg University,
Wright State University,
Xavier University,
Youngstown State University

Greater New York Region:
Adelphi University,
Binghamton University,
Columbia University,
Cornell University,
Dowling College,
Hofstra University,
Iona College,
Kean University,
Manhattan College,
Nassau Community College,
New York Institute of Technology,
New York University,
Polytechnic University,
Princeton University,
Queens College - CUNY,
St. Joseph's College,
Stevens Institute of Technology,
SUNY Stony Brook,
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art,
Touro College,
Yale University,
Yeshiva College

Mid-Atlantic United States Region:
American University,
Bluefield State College,
Bridgewater College,
Bucknell University,
Campbell University,
Christopher Newport University,
College of William and Mary,
Davidson College,
Dickinson College,
Duke University,
East Carolina University,
Elizabethtown College,
Elon University,
Fayetteville State University,
George Mason University,
George Washington University,
Gettysburg College,
Goldey-Beacom College,
Goucher College,
High Point University,
Hood College,
Howard University,
King's College PA,
Kutztown University,
La Salle University,
Lafayette College,
Lebanon Valley College,
Lehigh University,
Longwood University,
Lynchburg College,
Meredith College,
Messiah College,
Methodist University,
Millersville University,
Moravian College,
North Carolina State University,
Penn State Harrisburg,
Radford University,
Rowan University,
Shippensburg University,
Susquehanna University,
Swarthmore College,
Temple University,
The Johns Hopkins University,
University of Delaware,
University of Maryland,
University of North Carolina at Asheville,
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
University of North Carolina at Charlotte,
University of North Carolina at Greensboro,
University of Richmond,
University of Scranton,
University of Virginia,
Villanova University,
Virginia Commonwealth University,
Virginia State University,
Virginia Tech,
Virginia Wesleyan College,
Wake Forest University,
Washington College,
West Virginia University Institute of Technology,
Western Carolina University,
Wilkes University,
Winston-Salem State University

Mid-Central United States Region:
Austin Peay State University,
Belmont University,
Berea College,
Centre College,
College of Lake County,
College of the Ozarks,
Depaul University,
Drury University,
East Tennessee State University,
Harding University,
Hendrix College,
Illinois College,
Illinois Institute of Technology,
Illinois State University,
Illinois Wesleyan University,
Indiana University Southeast,
Knox College,
Lindenwood University,
Loyola University Chicago,
Marshall University,
Maryville College,
McKendree University,
Middle Tennessee State University,
Missouri State University,
Morehead State University,
Murray State University,
Northern Illinois University,
Northern Kentucky University,
Park University,
Principia College,
Rhodes College,
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology,
Saint Louis University,
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville,
Southwest Baptist University,
The University of Tennessee at Martin,
Thomas More College,
Union University,
University of Arkansas at Little Rock,
University of Arkansas Fort Smith,
University of Central Arkansas,
University of Central Missouri,
University of Chicago,
University of Evansville,
University Of Illinois - Chicago,
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
University of Kentucky,
University of Missouri-Kansas City,
University of North Alabama,
University of Tennessee - Knoxville,
Vanderbilt University,
Washington University in St. Louis,
Western Kentucky University,
Wheaton College

North Central North America Region:
Baker University,
Bethel College,
Briar Cliff University,
Carleton College,
Doane College,
Dordt College,
Drake University,
Graceland University,
Gustavus Adolphus College,
Luther College,
Marquette University,
Ripon College,
Saint John's University,
South Dakota State University,
St. Ambrose University,
University of Manitoba,
University of Nebraska - Lincoln,
University of Nebraska - Omaha,
University of Northern Iowa,
University of Wisconsin - Madison,
University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh,
University of Wisconsin - Parkside,
University of Wisconsin - Platteville,
William Penn University

Pacific Northwest Region:
Brigham Young University - Hawaii,
California State University - Sacramento,
Eastern Washington University,
George Fox University,
Hawaii Pacific University,
Lewis & Clark College,
Linfield College,
Simon Fraser University,
Thompson Rivers University,
University of California at Berkeley,
University of Oregon,
University of Portland,
University of the Pacific,
University of Washington Tacoma,
Western Washington University,
Whitworth University

Rocky Mountain Region:
Brigham Young University,
Colorado State University,
Dixie State College,
Montana State University - Bozeman,
Montana Tech of the University of Montana,
Neumont University,
The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs,
University of Alberta,
University of Arizona,
University of Calgary,
University of Lethbridge,
University of Saskatchewan,
University of Utah,
University of Wyoming,
US Air Force Academy

Southeast United States Region:
Armstrong Atlantic State University,
Auburn University Montgomery,
Bob Jones University,
Clemson University,
College of Charleston,
Columbus State University,
Florida Institute of Technology,
Florida International University,
Georgia Institute of Technology,
Georgia Southern University,
Jacksonville University,
Mercer University,
Mississippi State University,
Morehouse College,
Nova Southeastern University,
The Citadel (The Military College of South Carolina),
The University of Alabama at Birmingham,
University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa,
University of Central Florida,
University of Florida,
University of Miami,
University of South Alabama,
University of South Florida,
University of Southern Mississippi,
University of West Florida,
Winthrop University,
Wofford College

South Central North America Region:
Abilene Christian University,
Angelo State University,
Baylor University,
Centenary College of Louisiana,
East Central University,
Lamar University,
LeTourneau University,
Louisiana State University,
Louisiana Tech University,
McNeese State University,
Midwestern State University,
Northeastern State University,
Oklahoma State University,
Oral Roberts University,
Rice University,
Southeastern Oklahoma State University,
Southwestern University,
Texas A&M University,
Texas Christian University,
The University of Texas at Austin,
The University of Texas at Dallas,
The University of Texas at Tyler,
Trinity University,
University of Houston,
University of Louisiana at Lafayette,
University of Mary Hardin-Baylor,
University of Mississippi,
University of New Orleans,
University of North Texas,
University of Oklahoma,
University of Tulsa

Southern California Region:
California Lutheran University,
CSU Channel Islands,
Harvey Mudd College

 

 

 

 

 

SOURCE ACM ICPC