ONU to Compete in IBM-sponsored Collegiate Programming Contest

Ohio Northern University engineering and computer science students will participate in the 34th annual IBM-sponsored Association for Computing Machinery International Collegiate Programming Contest (ACM-ICPC). ONU will send six students to the University of Cincinnati to participate in the regional competition on Oct. 31.

Tens of thousands of students from 83 countries and six continents will compete in regional competitions around the world. The top 100 teams from these regional contests will qualify to advance to the World Finals in Harbin, China, Feb. 1-5, 2010. The World Finals are hosted by Harbin Engineering University.

Northern will send two teams to the regional competition, "Klondike - Black" and "Klondike - Orange." Competing for the Black team are Kyle Foley, a senior computer engineering major from Elida, Ohio; Jacob Honigford, a junior computer science major from Columbus Grove, Ohio; and Brett Wiechart, a junior computer science major from Columbus Grove, Ohio. The Orange team includes Greg Back, a senior computer engineering major from West Chester, Ohio; Bob Milos, a senior computer engineering major from Kettering, Ohio; and Neal Shine, a junior electrical engineering major from Lima, Ohio.

The contest pits teams of three university students against eight or more complex, real-world problems, with a grueling five-hour deadline. Huddled around a single computer, competitors race against the clock in a battle of logic, strategy and mental endurance.

ONU will compete against students from the University of Cincinnati, Ashland University, Ball State University, Butler University, Carnegie Mellon University, Case Western Reserve University, Cedarville University, Miami University, Ohio State University, Ohio University, Ohio Wesleyan University, Purdue University, University of Dayton, Wright State University and Xavier University.