The beginning of November saw the China University of Petroleum in Qingdao host the 43rd ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest (ACM-ICPC) Asian Regional Competition. 1119 participants from 373 teams, featuring 226 universities and 7 middle schools across China participated in the competition. The Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) Programming Team was led by Assistant Professor Tang Bo of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. He Qiyang, Zhu Honglin and Zhang Wenzhao were selected to be the three members called “SUSTech_London.” The team won the gold medal, which was the first gold medal ever won by a SUSTech team at the Asian Regional level of the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest.

The ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest was initiated by the International Computer Society ACM. Each competition is divided into two phases. Regional competitions make up the first phase, taking place around the world from September to December. The second phase is the World Finals, taking place during April and May. The competition demonstrates students’ ability to innovate, work together, analyze and problem-solve. The ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest has been running for 40 years and has become the most influential computer programming competition for college students. It is now known as the computer programming Olympiad. The ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest has also been listed by the China Higher Education Society as one of the 19 authoritative competitions in the White Paper on Chinese University Subject Competition. It has become an important competition to highlight the achievements of innovative university talent training programs in academic competitions.

During the competition, the “SUSTech_London” team fought fiercely for five hours. They finally won a gold medal in the competition. They had to answer 6 questions and were ranked 14th among all schools competing, 20th among all teams.

The SUSTech Programming Competition Team was established in September 2017. The Department of Computer Science and Engineering is responsible for organizing and training the team. The SUSTech Programming Competition Team trains together regularly as well as conducting high-level training during vacations. They also improve their technical abilities through regular competition. Since their establishment last year, they have earned 1 gold, 4 silver and 5 bronze in the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest. They have also won 2 silver and 2 bronze in the Chinese University Student Programming Competition while receiving 1 gold, 1 silver and 4 bronze medals at the Guangdong University Student Programming Competition.