Code champions — One of the winningest teams at UW–Madison is not a sports team

For the seventh consecutive year, a UW–Madison team has claimed first place at the regional round of the International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC). The numbers tell an extraordinary story. Five of UW–Madison’s teams placed in the top 10 at regionals, and eight in the top 20. The university is also tied with MIT for the ICPC’s North American record, with both having 21 consecutive appearances at the World Finals.

After five hours of competition, UW–Madison team B-Tree  — Tan Bui, Ishan Joshi, Tuan Tai Nguyen — solved all eleven problems in under four hours (out of five hours allotted) to claim victory. In doing so, they also protected UW’s 25-year streak of advancing to the next level of competition – a record unmatched by any other institution in North America.

The architect behind the success: Dieter van Melkebeek

At the heart of this dynasty stands Computer Sciences Professor Dieter van Melkebeek, who has coached UW–Madison’s ICPC teams for all 25 years. His journey began almost by accident in 2001, his first year at UW–Madison, when a graduate student from China organized a team and asked Professor Somesh Jha to coach. Van Melkebeek volunteered to help with training, delivering a few lectures on problem-solving strategies.

 

 

Read the full story here.