UW-Madison computer team gets honorable mention in world finals

A University of Wisconsin–Madison student computer team has earned an honorable mention at a world championship competition, held last week in Harbin, China.

The finalists in the International Collegiate Programming Contest, organized by the Association for Computing Machinery, emerged from more than 7,000 teams that entered regional contests around the world.

The UW–Madison team rose close to the top for solving three problems, says associate professor of computer science Dieter van Melkebeek, the team’s coach. “I’m really proud — this ‘battle of the brains,’ as the competition is often referred to, draws some of the most driven and intelligent young people on the planet.”

This year’s team, named “Wrong Answer,” was comprised of three computer science students: graduate students David He and Chris Hopman, and junior Zef RosnBrick.

This was the ninth straight year that UW–Madison has sent a team to the finals, says Melkebeek. “It’s a credit to the university and the state as a whole that our students manage to compete at that level every year.”

Hopman and RosnBrick are from Wisconsin, and He is from Minnesota.

During the five-hour competition, each team solves problems by writing computer code that will produce the correct answer no matter what data is input. Each team shares a single computer during the contest.

“This is the oldest, largest and most prestigious programming contest in the world,” says van Melkebeek. He adds that the competition at Harbin was intense, as many of the competitors correctly believe that placing well is a major professional advantage.

“The contest requires creativity, logical thinking, advanced knowledge and understanding of algorithm design, strategy, mental endurance and the ability to perform under pressure,” says van Melkebeek, “and in these terms, the UW–Madison team excelled.”