Computer Programmers from Shanghai Jiaotong University in China Are World Champions

Computer Programmers from Shanghai Jiaotong University in China Are World Champions

Students from host school Shanghai Jiaotong University in Shanghai, China, took first place in the Association for Computing Machinery’s (ACM) International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC), sponsored by IBM. The international “battle of the brains,” in Shanghai, China, challenged students to tackle a semester’s worth of computer programming curriculum under a grueling five-hour deadline, in a battle of logic, strategy, and mental endurance. The ACM-ICPC World Finals champions walk away with IBM prizes, scholarships, and bragging rights to the world’s “smartest trophy.”

Shanghai Jiaotong University was the only team to correctly solve eight of the ten problems in this year’s Contest. Moscow State University, St. Petersburg Institute of Fine Mechanics and Optics, and University of Waterloo finished the competition in second, third, and fourth places, respectively, and all won Gold medals.

Regional champions are: University of Waterloo, Canada (North America); Moscow State University, Russia (Europe); University of Cape Town, South Africa, (Africa and the Middle East); Instituto Tecnologico de Aeronautica, Brazil (Latin America); Shanghai Jiaotong University, China (Asia); and University of New South Wales, Australia (South Pacific).

“The ACM-ICPC shines the spotlight on the best and brightest problem solvers from campuses spanning the globe,” said Dr. Gabby Silberman, Program Director, IBM Centers for Advanced Studies, Hawthorne, N.Y. “At the World Finals, these programmers were exposed to IBM’s most advanced technologies, giving them a competitive edge as they launch careers in information technology.”

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