College Programming Team Vies With The Best in Regional Collegiate Computing Competition

On Nov. 11, 2000, Washington College's first computer programming team competed in the 25th International Collegiate Programming Contest sponsored by the Association of Computer Machinery (ACM) and IBM. Vying with 137 teams from the Mid-Atlantic region, Washington College finished 38th, tying with several schools, including Duke University, University of North Carolina, and University of Delaware.

More than two thousand teams worldwide participated in thirty regional competitions of the ACM's International Collegiate Programming Contest. During the five-hour competition, teams had to design various programs, such as a word processing grammar check and an airplane collision detection system. The contest provides college students with an opportunity to demonstrate and sharpen problem-solving and computing skills in a competitive, time-sensitive environment.

Washington College was represented by seniors Chris Klimas, an English major and computer science minor from Randallstown, Md.; Colleen Hick, a double major in mathematics and computer science from Levittown, Pa.; and Chris Lawrence, a computer science major and president of the Washington College Computer Club from of Narberth, Pa. The team's faculty advisor, Austin Lobo, assistant professor in mathematics and computer science says, "Though this is the first year Washington College has offered a computer science major, our students have emerged as motivated, knowledgeable, and our best and brightest are able to compete with peers from the top schools in the field."