Millersville Gold Places First

In one day, 157 teams from 64 Mid-Atlantic institutions including Millersville University competed at the 35th annual Association for Computer Machinery (ACM) International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC), Mid-Atlantic Region, at Shippensburg University, November 6.

Millersville was represented by two teams, Millersville Gold and Millersville Black. Millersville Gold placed 1st at Shippensburg and 20th regionally. Millersville Black placed 11th and 87th, respectfully. The teams were made up of three computer science majors each. Matt Pape, Bob Grube and Daryl Boyer represented Millersville Gold while Millersville Black included Will Killian, Ben Bryant and Matt Maze.

Millersville was the only regional comprehensive University to place in the top 20. The University placed alongside Duke University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Villanova University and Virginia Tech.

“I feel as though this event showcases what Millersville can really do, as well as help present opportunities for the students to gain experience in teamwork, programming skills and networking,” said Todd Echterling, computer science system administrator.

Also known as the Battle of the Brains, this competition challenges university students to complex and rigorous real-world problems using open technology and advanced computing methods under a grueling five-hour deadline. Teams try to advance for a chance to attend the world finals, which will be held March 4, 2011, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

The contest aligns with IBM’s Smarter Planet initiative aimed at infusing intelligence into the fabric of society and technology, making the planet a more efficient and sustainable place. The ICPC encourages students to create smarter software solutions by embracing IBM’s Smarter Planet initiative in an effort to solve the world’s most daunting challenges.