Drexel fights at Battle of Brains
Stanley Wright
Issue date: 11/12/10 Section: News
Drexel University was represented by two teams of three students apiece in the regional segment of the 35th Annual International Battle of the Brains competition.
Held at Washington College Nov. 6 and officially known as the Association for Computing Machinery International Collegiate Programming Contest, this battle is one of the most illustrious computer-programming competitions in the world. Sponsored by IBM, the competition hosts approximately 2,000 universities from 98 countries around the world. Each team competes to secure a spot among the 100 teams who are issued invitations to the world championship in Egypt in 2011.
While only the top two or three teams from each regional competition are offered this bid, the caliber of talent across the board is impressive. Drexel was represented in the Atlantic regional division by two such teams, who placed 39 and 57 of the 112 competing.
Doug Heintzman, director of strategy for IBM Software Group and sponsorship executive for the competition, noted this as a significant accomplishment.
"The Battle of the Brains is a very unique level of competition. Drexel happens to be in one of the largest and more competitive areas in the world, so it's even harder to get to the next level than it is for a lot of schools," he explained.
Regionals was a true intellectual gauntlet for all the students participating. In preparation, students completed extensive amounts of programming problems, often for months beforehand.
With only one keyboard among three teammates, the logistics of surviving up to five-hour stretches of non-stop competition were tricky. In the past, competitors completed game theory challenges, requiring them to program computer avatars to complete certain tasks, as designated by the opposing teams.
"That's kind of the fun and recreational part of the competition," Heintzman said. "Then we sort of get to the main part of the competition."
At both the regional and world cup levels, teams are asked questions in the areas of geometry, physics, grid theory and series theory dressed up in real world scenarios, Heintzman explained.
Held at Washington College Nov. 6 and officially known as the Association for Computing Machinery International Collegiate Programming Contest, this battle is one of the most illustrious computer-programming competitions in the world. Sponsored by IBM, the competition hosts approximately 2,000 universities from 98 countries around the world. Each team competes to secure a spot among the 100 teams who are issued invitations to the world championship in Egypt in 2011.
While only the top two or three teams from each regional competition are offered this bid, the caliber of talent across the board is impressive. Drexel was represented in the Atlantic regional division by two such teams, who placed 39 and 57 of the 112 competing.
Doug Heintzman, director of strategy for IBM Software Group and sponsorship executive for the competition, noted this as a significant accomplishment.
"The Battle of the Brains is a very unique level of competition. Drexel happens to be in one of the largest and more competitive areas in the world, so it's even harder to get to the next level than it is for a lot of schools," he explained.
Regionals was a true intellectual gauntlet for all the students participating. In preparation, students completed extensive amounts of programming problems, often for months beforehand.
With only one keyboard among three teammates, the logistics of surviving up to five-hour stretches of non-stop competition were tricky. In the past, competitors completed game theory challenges, requiring them to program computer avatars to complete certain tasks, as designated by the opposing teams.
"That's kind of the fun and recreational part of the competition," Heintzman said. "Then we sort of get to the main part of the competition."
At both the regional and world cup levels, teams are asked questions in the areas of geometry, physics, grid theory and series theory dressed up in real world scenarios, Heintzman explained.
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