Khalifa University wraps up Gulf Programming contest

Khalifa University announced the winners of the third Gulf Programming Contest (GPC 2012) today, which was held on March 13th and 14th at its Abu Dhabi campus. A team from American University of Sharjah won the competition with a score of six problems out of eleven. The winning team consisted of the students Omar Harib, Abdul Rahim Haddad and Mohamed Amer. Second place went to Travelling Salesman team from Khalifa University, which included the students Zaid Almahmoud, Abdulrahman Alhadhrami and Ahmed Suleiman, while the third place went to Brainiacs from Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, which included the students Fahim Davi, Baljit Singh and Syed Hashim Moosavi. The GPC 2013 hosted 50 teams, consisting of over 200 students, from the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman. These teams worked to solve several complex, real-world problems, within 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 Leopards won by solving the most problems in the fewest attempts in the least cumulative time. GPC 2013 offered students majoring in computer science, computer engineering, management information systems, information technology, and other 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 the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), Emirates Advanced Investment (EAI), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Chartered Institute for IT. "I would like to congratulate the winning teams in this year's GPC competition." says Dr. Jay Noren, Khalifa University's Provost. "The high standard of the GPC's competitors reflects the significant progress made by the region's university students. We at Khalifa University are delighted to support this competition. The GPC 2013 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 region's students with the basic skills for their future careers, done outside classrooms." The winning teams will compete next in the upcoming Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Regional Contest, and the World Programming Contest that will be held in Saint Petersburg, Russia.