| EECS graduate student Tom Sirgedas won $1,000 in the semifinals of the Sun Microsystems and TopCoder Collegiate Challenge programming competition that took place April 19th, 2002. Entering the semifinals, Tom reigned as the Midwest Regional Champion winning $5,000. He is working toward his Master's degree in Computer Science and Engineering. A total of 16 national finalists (out of an original 512) were invited to compete for a grand prize of $100,000 at the onsite competition at the University Park Hotel @ MIT in Cambridge, MA. The winner of the grand prize was a student from Stanford University. Scoring in TopCoder competitions is based on two factors: intensity, or the ability to use a particular coding language well under the pressure of peer-to-peer competition; and velocity, the ability to write good code quickly and accurately. Scores are calculated using TopCoder's objective assessment model designed to fairly and accurately gauge a contestant's performance. Other participants in the finals were from Stanford, M.I.T., Caltech, University of California Berkeley, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Georgia Tech, Michigan Tech, University of Central Florida, Virginia Tech, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Oberlin College and Purdue University. For more information on how to participate in TopCoder's weekly online matches and registration details, visit our website: http://www.topcoder.com. |
