News

On November 15th, Portland State University and the College of Engineering and Computer Science hosted the 28th ACM Pacific Northwest International Collegiate Programming Contest. The Pacific Northwest competition was hosted at three locations, CSU Fresno, BYU Hawaii, and PSU. 82 teams from 35 universities came together in a challenge of software engineering. Nine real-world problems were presented to each team, which not only challenged their logic and algorithmic expertise, but also the students' ability to employ strategy to prioritize the problems, develop test cases, identify constraints, and develop workable solutions within a grueling 5-hour time limit. A panel of experts judged each submitted solution, and the number of incorrect submissions and the amount of time spent on each problem was used to determine the winner.

Hosting an event of this magnitude brought great merit and prestige to PSU and the College of Engineering and Computer Science. However, placing 14th out of 82 teams, gave us braggin' rights!

As Bart Massey, one of the competitions primary proctors, a team coach, and faculty member in the Computer Science department put it, "It was such big fun to watch so many smart people being really smart!"

In addition to being fun, it was also a great opportunity for students to develop an appreciation for the real work required to make good choices. Students learned the importance of teamwork since no one individual could solve all the problems on their own. In addition, they learned how to communicate intention, allocate resources, and how to satisfactory explain their solutions to teammates. This kind of activity maps very well to the real world, where we all know, that having the greatest idea in the world means nothing if you can't explain it to anybody.

After such a successful event, you would think everyone would be relaxing but our students, energized by this year's event, have already begun to prepare for next year's competition. Travis Berg, President of ACM, feels that 'like any sport, practice is a must for success'.

Portland State's ACM has also started planning next year's competition, which PSU and the College of Engineering and Computer Science anticipate hosting. With even more time to prepare, next year's event should be incredible and will give the college an opportunity to showcase the new computing facilities, which to be located in the new Broadway Housing Building. The new facility will have approximately 100 machines located in one lab with an additional 20 computers in an adjoining classroom.

Contact: Marcia Fischer, (503) 725-4289