HIGH POINT, N.C., Nov. 10, 2011 – A group of 12 select students from High Point University’s Mathematics and Computer Science Department recently had the chance to exercise their brain power for representatives from IBM by competing in the 36th annual IBM-sponsored Association for Computing Machinery Collegiate programming contest- better known as “The Battle of the Brains.” The regional competition was held at Duke University on Nov. 5.
HPU was up against 165 teams from top schools around the region, including Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, Lafayette College, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Wake Forest University – all competing for a chance to attend the World Finals roster, which will be held in Warsaw, Poland. Only 100 teams world-wide will compete in the final contest.
Each team of three students was given eight problems to solve in five hours using only one computer. The problem set was difficult, and only six teams solved more than three problems. Ultimately, HPU ranked 47th out of 165 schools, putting them in the top 28 percent of teams participating.
“The ACM contest is a prestigious contest,” says Roger Shore, associate professor of mathematics and computer science who serves as adviser to the HPU teams. “We hand select students from HPU to participate. The contest fosters creativity, teamwork and innovation in building new software programs.”
The four HPU teams consisted of: Samantha Allen, Alex Miller and Zachary Shore; Thomas Langford, Kevin Sanders and Christian Weigandt; John Czaplicki and Leroy Hunter; Thomas Douglas, Ryan Joiner and Michael Messer.
HPU has participated in the competition since Shore arrived at HPU in 1988.
At High Point University, every student receives an extraordinary education in an inspiring environment with caring people.℠ HPU, located in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina, is a liberal arts institution with over 4,200 undergraduate and graduate students from 51 countries and 46 states at campuses in High Point and Winston-Salem. It is ranked by US News and World Report at No. 3 among Regional Colleges in the South. Forbes.com ranks HPU in the top 7 percent among “America’s Best Colleges.” Parade Magazine lists HPU in the top 25 private schools in the nation. HPU was selected in the 2010-2011 list of “Colleges of Distinction,” as well as one of the top green schools in the country by the Sierra Club. The university offers 50 undergraduate majors, 43 undergraduate minors and 10 graduate degree programs. It is accredited by the Commission of Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and is a member of the NCAA, Division I and the Big South Conference. Visit High Point University on the Web at highpoint.edu.
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Pam Haynes
Communication Specialist
336-841-9055