News Release| Annual ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest; Cal State L.A.

November 10, 2010

MEDIA ADVISORY

Cal State L.A. students go head-to-head in computer programming contest to earn spot at 35th annual World Finals in Egypt

3 teams of 3 to represent Cal State L.A. at regional competition

WHAT:                Competing in a “battle of the brains,” Cal State L.A.’s computer science team and collegiate programmers from Southern California regional schools will participate in the IBM-sponsored 35th Annual Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) International Collegiate Programming Contest, the most prestigious computer programming competition of its kind. 

WHO:                   Thousands of university students, during its preliminary rounds through December, will complete a semester’s worth of computer programming in one afternoon. Teams from approximately 26 universities will compete in the Southern California regional contest.

                               Directed by CSULA Professor Raj Pamula (faculty advisor/coach), Cal State L.A.’s three teams include Cristina Decesare, Sanmit Narvekar and Alfonso Ortega; Yin Yin Chen, Alberto Gutierrez and Rafael Sanchez; and Michael Hsu, Chuong D. Van and Mark Buising.

WHEN:                 Saturday, Nov. 13, 2010, 8 a.m. – 9 p.m.

                                For schedule, go to http://socalcontest.org/current/schedule.shtml

WHERE::             Riverside Community College, Riverside City Campus. The campus is located at 4800 Magnolia Ave. in Riverside; 20 miles from Ontario Airport and 70 miles from LAX.

DETAILS:           The ACM Programming Contest challenges teams of three university students to use their programming skills and rely on their mental endurance to solve complex, real-world problems under a grueling five-hour deadline. One hundred teams from approximately 90 countries on six continents will earn coveted spots at the contest’s World Finals on March 3, 2011, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Since the IBM sponsorship began in 1997, the number of teams participating has increased from 1,100 to more than 7,100 teams. For information on previous contests, problem sets and more, please visit:

NOTE:                  To arrange an interview with Cal State L.A.’s team and coach, contact Christine Guerrini at (215) 790-4365 or [email protected].

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