Mount Marty College Students Compete in ACM’s International Collegiate Programming Contest

November 9, 2007
Contact: Sister Bonita Gacnik,  605-668-1582

Imagine trying to do an entire semester’s worth of work in computer programming in only five hours. That is just what three students from Mount Marty College did when they participated in the North Central Regional of the Association of Computing Machinery’s International Collegiate Programming Contest at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln on Saturday, November 3.

Michael Kayser, a senior majoring in computer science and mathematics from Le Mars, IA, Mark Nelson, a junior majoring in computer science and mathematics from Ponca, NE, and Sister Makrina Mtitu, a senior majoring in mathematics from Tanzania, competed with teams from colleges and universities from five states and two Canadian provinces in the North Central Regional.

Contestants were given five hours to solve nine problems. Students are asked to identify the easiest problems, then design and code solutions for the problems, as well as debug their solutions. The team that solved the most problems in the fewest attempts and shortest amount of time was declared the winner of the contest. Problem solutions may be submitted multiple times; however each problem submission that fails is given a 20-minute penalty.

Contest results showed the Mount Marty College team ranked 15th (in the top 33%) among the 45 teams that participated in the contest at UNL on Saturday, November 3rd. They ranked 39 (in the top 18%) among the 213 teams that participated in the North Central American Region.

Their coach, Professor Bonita Gacnik, OSB, is very proud of their accomplishments. “They outperformed teams from schools many times our size, schools such as Kansas State University, University of Nebraska Omaha, University of North Dakota, Marquette, University of Manitoba, and others.”

According to Gacnik, the Mount Marty team was the first team to solve three problems correctly. They lead the competition at UNL for the first hour of the contest. “Mike, Mark, and Sister Makrina are quick thinkers, innovative problem solvers, very logical, and effective team members…just the kind of employees you would want in the workplace. A contest such as this provides an excellent opportunity for the student to apply classroom theory to real world problems.”

Mount Marty College
College Relations Office
1105 West 8th Street
Yankton, SD 57078
(605) 668-1517
mmc.college.relations@mtmc.edu