Purdue Cheburashka to Compete in Stockholm

12-09-2008

The "Purdue Cheburashka" programming team is going to Stockholm! Nathan Claus, Zhanibek Datbayev, and Arman Suleimenov are going to Stockholm, Sweden in April to compete in the 2009 ACM ICPC World Finals. The World Finals, hosted by Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan (KTH), will see contestants from Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Latin America, North America, and the South Pacific.

Consistent with past years, Purdue was represented by two teams at the 2008 ACM East Central North America (ECNA) Regional Programming Contest in Cincinnati, Ohio on November 1. Both teams ended up in the prize ranks. "Purdue Cheburashka" earned their place in the World Finals when they took 3rd place in the regional competition.

Prof. Patrick Eugster, ACM programming team advisor, enthuses, "This is an extraordinary achievement. It will have been 27 years since Purdue University last got to attend the world finals." Purdue university ranked 2nd in the inaugural competition in 1977. They also participated in other early contests in 1979, 1980, and 1982. Eugster continues, "`We're really lucky to have a great constellation currently which brings together three extremely passionate competitors.''

The 2009 ACM ICPC World Finals, sponsored by IBM, will run from April 18 through April 21. There will be a series of events leading to the competition on April 21, and an awards ceremony to wrap up the outcome.