Khalifa University wraps up successful Gulf programming contest

Khalifa University today announced the winners of the second Gulf Programming Contest (GPC 2012) which was held on March 14^th and 15^th at its Abu Dhabi campus.

A team from the American University of Sharjah (AUS) won the competition with a score of 8043. The winning team consisted of members Al Muhairi Omar, Habib Kareem and Bahderi Munir. Second and Third place went to teams from Carnegie Mellon Qatar and Khalifa University came 4^th scoring 7913 points.

The GPC 2012 hosted 36 teams, totaling 104 students, from five countries, Kuwait, Qatar, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. These teams, which represented 18 different universities, worked to solve several complex, real-world problems, with a grueling five-hour deadline. The teams used a single computer and raced against the clock in a battle of logic, strategy and mental endurance.  AUS won by solving the most problems in the fewest attempts in the least cumulative time.

The GPC 2012 offered students majoring in computer science, computer engineering, management information systems, information technology, or any IT related subjects an opportunity to demonstrate their skills in programming and problem solving while meeting with other students from around the Gulf.

The event was organized and hosted by Khalifa University and sponsored by Lockheed Martin, Knowledge Point, Etisalat-BT Innovation Center (EBTIC), Emirates Advanced Network for Research and Education (Ankabut), IEEE and the Chartered Institute for IT.

"I would like to congratulate Al Muhairi Omar, Habib Kareem and Bahderi Munir, for winning this year’s GPC competition.” says Dr. Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Khalifa University’s Executive Vice President. “The high standard of the GPC’s competitors reflects the significant progress made by the regions university students. We at Khalifa University are delighted to support this competition. The GPC 2012 offered participating students a nurturing environment where they were able to express their creativity and scientific knowledge. This competition stands as an important platform for stimulating a constructive spirit and providing the regions students with the basic skills for their future careers, done outside classrooms."

The teams will next compete in the upcoming Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and World Programming Contest that will be held in Warsaw, Poland in May, 2012.