2/12/2004

Contact: K.E. Schwab  -- 724-738-2199;  e-mail: karl.schwab@sru.edu

HIGH SCHOOL COMPUTER PROGRAMMING STUDENTS TO COMPETE AT SLIPPERY ROCK UNIVERSITY    

          SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – High school students studying computer programming from nearly 25 regional high schools will compete Tuesday [Feb. 17] at Slippery Rock University for honors when the university’s computer science department hosts its fourth annual “High School Computer Programming Competition.”

          Final registration opens at 7:45 a.m. in the Eisenberg Classroom Building.

          Led by Dr. Michael Conlon, assistant professor of computer science, the all-day event involves some 125 students on 41 teams. The contest offers both a lower division competition, restricted to high school freshmen and sophomores, and an upper division competition open to all high school students.

          “This annual competition allows high school students to exhibit their computer skills as teams working to solve a given set of problems. The problems are selected from mathematics, computer science and logic, and students may use a number of programming languages as part of their work,” Conlon explains.

          The competition will use automated software written especially for the competition by Conlon.

 High Schools participating include:

Beattie Tech, Allison Park

Blackhawk, Beaver Falls

Butler Area SHS, Butler

Central, Erie

Clarion Area, Clarion

Franklin Regional, Murrysville

Harrison Central, Cadiz, OH

Hickory, Hermitage

Lincoln, Ellwood City

New Brighton, New Brighton

North Allegheny Senior, Wexford

North Hills Senior, Pittsburgh

Northgate, Pittsburgh

Quaker Valley, Leetsdale

Riverside Beaver County, Ellwood City

Seton-LaSalle, Pittsburgh

Sewickley Academy, Sewickley

Shady Side Academy, Pittsburgh

Taylor Allderdice, Pittsburgh

Trinity, Washington,

Upper St. Clair, Upper St. Clair

Winchester Thurston School, Pittsburgh