St. Petersburg University of ITMO Takes Top Honors
Warsaw, Poland, Thursday
The contest is over, and amid much excitement, St. Petersburg University of ITMO is again, the world champion in the ACM Intercollegiate Programming Contest. The tired, but happy team, said "It's amazing!" and that they would go home and celebrate.
The University of Warsaw took second place, amidst a huge whirlwind of media attention on the contest floor. The Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology was third, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University took the last gold medal. Silver medals went to the Chinese University in Hong Kong, Harvard University, Zhongshan (Sun-Yat Sen) University and Belarusian State University. The University of Waterloo, Moscow State University, The University of Tokyo and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
This evening the teams enjoyed IBM's celebration planned for them which included bowling, games, karaoke and the Polish Elvis.
Amanda Sturgill for ICPC News
Signs of Concentration
Warsaw, Poland, Thursday
The balloons in the air over the tables are a sign of a team's hard work, but there are other subtle signs. Lunch was delivered to the teams at their tables a while ago - a sandwich, water and Scooby Doo juice. Some teams are finished, but others are so absorbed in problem solving that they have not touched the snacks or meals provided for them.
Host the University of Warsaw is back near the top, having successfully solved seven problems.
Amanda Sturgill for ICPC News
Russian teams on top
Warsaw, Poland, Thursday
Teams from Russia told us they practiced extensively for today's contest including attending training camps and "solving thousands and thousands of problems." At this point, the strategy is paying off. Two and a half hours in, St. Petersburg IMTO keeps its lead, while University of Warsaw falls to 8th place. Second and third place are held by Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and Moscow State University, respectively.
Renee Negin for ICPC News
Lead changes places frequently
Warsaw, Poland, Thursday
As has been the case in recent years, teams from Asia and Europe have been battling for gold medal spots in this year's contest. St. Petersburg University of ITMO has solved 6 problems, with Moscow State University having solved 5. The rest of the top 13 have each solved 4. Amanda Sturgill for ICPC News
Balloons fill air over contest floor
Warsaw, Poland, Thursday
St. Petersburg IMTO continues to dominate the scoreboard with four correct problems. Home team Warsaw University trails closely behind. Problem B is the most solved. 71 teams solved it using C++ and 14 solved it in Java. They are awarding first to solve balloons for each super-region, and every one has been awarded.
Renee Negin for ICPC News
European teams come on strong
Early leads did not last, as both St. Petersburg ITMO and Warsaw University have solved three problems, an hour into the contest. Problem B seems to be the one many teams are starting with, followed by Problem D. See St. Petersburg ITMO and Warsaw University students explain how they trained for today's competition in this video:Amanda Sturgill for ICPC News
Stanford takes early lead
Warsaw, Poland, Thursday
We are thirty minutes into the competition. Stanford leads the way as the first team to solve a problem. The team correctly answered problem B and was rewarded with a bouquet of metallic balloons, cheers, and applause. Tsinghua University submitted the first answer, but their solution was not correct.
Renee Negin for ICPC News
Final Words of Advice from Coaches to Teams
Warsaw, Poland, Thursday
We asked ICPC coaches if they had any final words of advice for their team. Some coaches said they had already told their teams everything they could tell them. Others said their teams were doing very well and needed none. But many coaches had final words of advice for their teams:
Pu-Jen Cheng, National Taiwan University: Enjoy the contest!
Jarett Schwartz, Princeton University: Don’t select the hardest problem to start with.
Richard Lobb, University of Canterbury: They’re doing superbly.
Topraj Gurung, Georgia Institute of Technology: Stay in the moment, stay mentally positive. Don’t worry about the results from practice. GLHF!
Calvin Li, Georgia Institute of Technology: It’s a long walk from Poland to America!
Debbie Noonan, College of William and Mary: They did very well in dress rehearsal. I’m very happy.
Carl Sturtivant, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities: Make only moderate effort at practice. Make maximum effort at contest. Filter out the teams around you and focus on the problems. What you don’t think about is as important as what you do.
Vivas Quimey, Universidad de Buenos Aires-FCEN: They are doing very well.
D. Scott Weaver, Messiah College: Relax and focus. Trust the frog.
Renee Negin for ICPC News
It's Here: Contest Day Begins
Warsaw, Poland, Thursday
It's a foggy morning here in Warsaw, but 336 of the world's finest collegiate programmers probably won't notice the weather until this afternoon, as their minds are on nothing but the competition.
After yesterday's day of orientation and practice, the contest floor at the University of Warsaw's Faculty of Management sits quiet, waiting for the processional of the 112 teams from around the globe.
They will have 5 hours to solve as many difficult problems as they can, beginning at 10 a.m. Warsaw time.
We'll have day-long coverage here, and through all our media at ICPC News. Come follow us as we take you through the ceremonial touching of the ICPC Trophy before the contest begins to the celebration at the end of the day.
Amanda Sturgill for ICPC News
Indian Institute of Technology - Delhi takes top honors in ICPC Challenge
Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday
Two of the top four teams in the ICPC Challenge were from Latin America, but it was the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi who ran away with the win. All three of the team’s members were World Finalists last year, said they had fun watching the tournament and were sad that they had not participated. So this year, they entered and won. Congratulations to Rudradev Basak, Nikhil Garg and Pradeep George Mathias. Other top teams were Universidad de La Habana (4th place), Universidad de Guanajuato-CIMAT (3rd place), and University of Alberta (2nd place).
Renee Negin for ICPC News
Coach writes new competitive programming book
Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday
There are books providing coaching on various contest problems, but they aren't accessible to everyone because they are written in Russian or Chinese, according to Steven Halim, coach of the National University of Singapore team and author of "Competitive Programming," a book on the various types of problems found in the World Finals.
"I purposely wrote this book for everyone else," Halim said of his decision to publish a book in English.
The book covers problems contained in 40 percent of the ACM Problem archive Halim said. It contains problem descriptions, suggested algorithms for solving the problem with explanations, sample implementations and a list of examples implementations.
The book is for sale at lulu.com.
Amanda Sturgill for ICPCNews
Excitement Abounds at Contest Orientation
Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday
Contest orientation took place today, starting with SysOps Team Lead John Clevenger telling contestants “DON’T TOUCH ANYTHING.” ICPC Deputy Executive Director Jeff Donahoo welcomed the students and reviewed the basic rules for the competition. He reminded contestants that electronic devices will not be permitted on the floor and that coaches will not be allowed to enter the competition area. Once the teams were permitted to touch the equipment, the room buzzed with excitement. Contestants reviewed the sample problem and familiarized themselves with the computers. Teammates discussed strategies and logistics, but also laughed and joked with one another. It was clear that the students were excited to be one step closer to the competition. Renee Negin for ICPC Digital
Opening Ceremony dazzles
Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday
Flames, wrestling masks, dancers and dignitaries marked this year's 3-D Opening Ceremony, at the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw.
The Ceremony started off with an impressive group of distinguished guests, including Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, the Mayor of Warsaw, as well as executives from IBM, ACM, Honor Society Upsilon Pi Epsilon, and ICPC. All of the teams competing in the World Finals and all Regional Directors were introduced to the audience on-screen, with one Latin American team donning colorful masks and the University of Wisconsin in the United States holding up a school flag.
Contestants were congratulated on reaching the World Finals, encouraged to have fun, and wished good luck in Thursday’s competition. Afterward, attendees were treated to an awe-inspiring display of lasers, 3-D images, live performers, and pyrotechnics, which highlighted Poland’s culture with an informatics theme.
Renee Negin for ICPC News
Tech Trek offers glimpse of future
Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday
Today, Douglas Heintzman and Sal Vella of IBM presented TechTrek to attendees of the ICPC 2012 World Finals at the University of Warsaw. Last year marked the 100th anniversary of IBM, and at the World Finals in Orlando, Florida, IBM offered a retrospective of the past one hundred years.
This year, TechTrek gave a look forward at the future of computer technology. IBM's research is looking to develop systems with the ability to be faster, to be more efficient with both space and energy, and to be smarter. Heintzman, the IBM/ICPC Sponsorship Executive, talked about the exponentially growing amount of data available, much of it from social media. He said that computers will need to differentiate useful information from noise, and that the challenge lies in being able to teach computers how to think. “We’re at the cusp of a new era,” he said.
After Tech Trek, science become more hands-on, as IBM hosted the teams and coaches at Warsaw's Copernicus Centre. Contestants could attend a show in the Robotics Theatre and another in the Planetarium. There were plenty of hands-on exhibits throughout the museum where attendees tested their skill and strength, doing things riding a "magic carpet" hovercraft and pumping up air pressure to shoot a bug into the air.
Renee Negin for ICPC News
Local volunteers key to contest success
Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday
From greeting contestants when they first arrive at the airport to giving directions to taking photographs, about 100 student volunteers from the University of Warsaw are working long hours to support this year's ACM-ICPC.
Anna Prokopczuk is one of them, and she said that because classes are in session in Poland at this time, she is even missing some classes in order to help with the contest. "It's nice to help people," she said at a 7 p.m. dinner. She had begun work at 8 this morning, and would not be done until 10 tonight.
U. Warsaw informatics student Mitosz Swizdor said the ICPC represented a good opportunity for his country and school. But it is a personal opportunity as well. It is "the opportunity to confront your own views on, for instance, various views on what we are studying," he said. Volunteers "get to know stuff from different points of view.
Amanda Sturgill for ICPC News
Contestants manage competition, studies
Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday
As teams has their first day of regular contest activities, many of them were also trying to keep up with classes at home as well. Contestant Li Yuliang from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology said that he was missing a final exam in order to compete, and would have to prepare to take it as soon as he returned. Yan Liu from Shanghai Jiao Tong University wasn't facing finals, but has three classes he is enrolled in this semester to return to after the finals.
For many of the North American teams, May is a convenient time to compete, because the contest comes just as universities are taking vacation for the summer. Brett Cooley from the University of William and Mary in the United States said that he took his last final exam on May 9.
At the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina, team members planned their course schedules with ICPC in mind. Students have some autonomy in planning their schedules, so "When we knew we were coming here, we did not take as many subjects," said Leopoldo Travilse.
Jevgenijs Vihrouse from the University of Latvia tried a different strategy. He is in the middle of an academic term as well, but "my teacher is our coach," he said.
Amanda Sturgill for ICPC News
This year ready, planning turns to next
Warsaw, Poland, Monday
The contest floor sits ready for the attendees while the directors of regional contests all over the world met to plan for next year's series of contests that will lead to advancing teams to the world finals.
Some regional directors are brand new this year, while others have been doing it for more than 25 years, said James Comer, director of regional contests.
It is always fun to see the veteran RCDs get back together for the first time. Even though they only see each other once a year at the World Finals, they share so much common experience that it's like they are old friends. And truly, they are...one of many "families" that work together each year to make the contest happen.
The directors heard presentations from potential world finals sites, and planned in their own regions. This was especially important for regions that are seeing a great deal of growth such as Africa and the Middle East, which grew about 30 percent last year, said ICPC Deputy Director Jeff Donahoo. See pictures and videos from the RCDs at our ICPC News web site
Amanda Sturgill for ICPC News
Team arrivals all day
Warsaw, Poland, Monday
Warsaw's Frederic Chopin airport was abuzz today as teams, coaches and guests were arriving. The smiling volunteers from the University of Warsaw, holding up contest signs just past customs were a welcome sights, and led contestants and coaches boarded shuttle buses to the Sobieki Hotel to check in, rest up, and get ready for the contest!
For some teams, it was an arduous journey. The University of Cape Town team (InsaneCodersPesteringComputers) arrived on Monday after more than twenty-four hours of flights and layovers. This is the first trip to the ICPC World Finals for the three contestant. Their coach, Bruce Merry, is attending his third World Finals competition. He attended both the 2003 and 2004 World Finals as a University of Cape Town contestant.
Jarrah Lacko, of the University of New South Wales in Australia, said his team had one of the longest journeys at 27 hours. The team arrived in Warsaw on Saturday in order to get over some of the effects of traveling. The double major in computer science and international relations said the long trip was par for the course when you live in the South Pacific. "It's quite normal for us."
Igor Canadi, a contestant on the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s The Antisocial Network team, arrived ahead of his team. This is his second time competing at the World Finals, and he and his colleagues are making the most of the long trip. After the contest, they plan to travel to Romania and Croatia.
The Falcons Blue team from Messiah College arrived looking and feeling well-rested, as their travel arrangements included an overnight stay in London. The team spoke about their training process in preparation for the contest. They meet weekly for practice for 1 to 1.5 hours. Each week their coach, D. Scott Weaver, gave them two new problems. The coach would sometimes give them a strategy to use to solve the problem; other times, the team members would brainstorm a method for solution. During the past semester, the team often focused on past problems from the ICPC World Finals, which the team agreed were “significantly more challenging” than those problems presented during Regionals.
Jarett Schwartz, coach of the Princeton University team, arrived from Prague, where he has spent the past year on a Fulbright research scholarship with Charles University. When asked about the challenges of coaching his team from abroad, he said that his coaching was minimal and was mostly done via email, as his team members were often so busy with other campus activities that this was more of a hobby for them. Pretty impressive for a team who qualified for the Finals! Jarett (and former team-mate John Pardon, competing this year for Stanford University) c was a contestant and World Finals contestant last year on the Princeton team, but was unable to attend as the date and venue change conflicted with graduation.
Renee Negin for ICPC News
