WACO, Texas, May 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Under The High
Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed
VI of Morocco, the next
generation of elite computer software engineers will meet in
Marrakech on May 20 to compete in the
39th Annual ACM International Collegiate Programming
Contest (ICPC) World Finals sponsored by IBM (NYSE: IBM) and
hosted by Mohammed V University, Al Akhawayn University,
Mundiapolis University, and The Moroccan ACM.
Headquartered at Baylor University and known as the "Battle of
the Brains," the world's oldest, largest, and most prestigious
programming contest will take place on the African continent for
the first time. The contest serves as a proving ground for the top
collegiate programmers, challenging them to solve a series of
complex real-world problems in just five hours. Huddled around a
single computer, the 128 teams of three students will race against
the clock in a grueling battle of logic, strategy and mental
endurance.
The 128 World Finalists emerged from local and regional ICPC
competitions this past fall. Initially, selection took place from a
field of more than 300,000 students in computing disciplines
worldwide. A record number of students advanced to the regional
level, as 38,160 contestants from 2,534 universities in 101
countries on six continents competed at more than 450 sites, all
with the goal of earning one of the coveted invitations to
Morocco. Of the 128 teams
competing in the World Finals, 23 represent the United States.
"In 1970, the ACM-ICPC began as a competition among the
universities of Texas and has
transformed into a worldwide phenomenon over the past four decades"
said Dr. Bill Poucher, ICPC
Executive Director and Baylor
University Professor. "This year further illustrates the
global nature of the contest with the first World Finals in
Africa. We're thrilled to open
doors of opportunity for these talented young students as they put
their creativity and technical expertise to the test to tackle real
world challenges in a competitive environment. We are excited to
see this elite level of talent compete in Marrakech with IBM as
sponsor and a trio of fantastic universities – Mohammed V
University, Al Akhawayn University and Mundiapolis University – and
The Moroccan ACM as hosts."
The contest will begin at 9:30
a.m. local time in Marrakech on May
20. A live broadcast will air on ICPCLive.com and live
contest standings will be available on MyICPC.ICPCNews.com.
"As the contest sponsor, IBM's goal is to celebrate the world's
best computing students, expose them to key technology trends
such as cloud computing, and provide insight that will help them
successfully transition into business and technology leaders," said
Gerald Lane, ACM-ICPC Sponsorship
Executive and Director, IBM Open Technologies & IP. "IBM Cloud
is designed for business and is well suited to help companies
transform their operations in today's digital era. According
to industry analysts, nearly half of enterprises will have hybrid
cloud deployments by 2017, making this a rapidly growing field with
tremendous employment opportunities for the students competing at
this year's contest."
"We are extremely honored that the ICPC World Finals in
Marrakech are being held under the High Patronage of His Majesty
King Mohammed VI. This
is a huge privilege for the ICPC, and a great demonstration of the
importance of both IT and education for Morocco," said Sidi Ali Maelainin, ACM-ICPC
2015 World Finals Director, Founder and former Regional Contest
Director of Arab and Africa Regional Contest. "We are
grateful to IBM for facilitating a hackathon activity focused on
education and for offering us the use of IBM Bluemix technologies.
We thank the ICPC elite programmers, who are participating in the
hackathon to create great innovative applications that will help
improve the Moroccan elementary school system. Perhaps the very
same schoolchildren that they will be helping now will one day
follow in their footsteps."
"Supporting the ICPC is just one of IBM's initiatives to develop
technical talent in Africa," said
Hassan Bahej, Country General Manager, IBM Morocco. "The IBM Africa
Technical Academy and Middle East
and Africa University Program help local IT students and
professionals cultivate skills in areas such as analytics, systems
of engagement and Cloud computing that are crucial to the economic
development of the African continent. We are excited to build on
the success of these programs by hosting the ICPC World Finals in
Marrakech and furthering the development of talent here."
"I'm proud that our students have the opportunity to compete
with their peers from some of the most prestigious universities in
the world," said Dr. Driss
Ouaouicha, Al Akhawayn University President. "Such
interactions can only benefit them by improving their technical and
interpersonal skills. In particular, they will experience cultural
exchange, tolerance and friendship. It is also a great opportunity
for Morocco to host such an
event."
"This competition aims to develop tomorrow's leaders as history
has proven that ICPC finalists can have great futures," said Dr.
Saaid Amzazi, Mohammed V University
President. "It also combines IT skills with creativity, teamwork
and innovation, making this a great experience for our students. We
really thank ACM-ICPC for choosing Morocco and IBM for their support in the
organization of this great and unique competition."
"It is a great honor for Mundiapolis University and Morocco to host this prestigious ICPC World
Finals contest and welcome elite students from all around the
world," said Dr. Amine Bensaid,
Mundiapolis University President. "It is a great opportunity to
stimulate our students' passion for innovation and creation. I
would like to thank in particular the students and professors
engaged in the competition and wish them good luck."
About the ACM-ICPC
Headquartered at Baylor University, the ACM-ICPC is a global
competition among the world's university students, nurturing new
generations of talent in the science and art of information
technology. For more information about the ACM-ICPC, including
downloadable high resolution photographs and videos, visit ICPC
headquarters and ICPCNews. Additional information can be found via
the "Battle of the Brains" podcast series. For IBM's insights,
visit the company's University Relations page. Follow the contest
on Twitter @BrainBattleICPC and @ICPCNews, #ICPC2015. For more
information, see www.icpc2015.ma.
About ACM
ACM, the Association for Computing
Machinery, with more than 100,000 members, is the world's largest
educational and scientific computing society, uniting computing
educators, researchers, professionals, and students to inspire
dialogue, share resources and address the field's challenges. ACM
strengthens the computing profession's collective voice through
strong leadership, promotion of the highest standards, and
recognition of technical excellence. ACM supports the professional
growth of its members by providing opportunities for life-long
learning, career development, and professional networking. For more
information, see www.acm.org.
Media Contact:
Chas
Kurtz, Tierney Communications
+1 (215) 790-4386
ckurtz@tierneyagency.com
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SOURCE ICPC