Three ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ teammates competed in the 2023 on Monday against 150 of the best and brightest computer programming students in the U.S. and Canada.
Out of 51 university teams, ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ ranked 17th β besting Ivy League institutions including Yale, Princeton and Brown and earning a spot in the 2023 ICPC World Finals later this year.
Fifty-one universities assembled three-member teams of elite programmers who train rigorously throughout the year to compete at solving real-world, and highly complex, computer programming challenges. In this intense battle of the brains, students raced against the clock in a five-hour competition of logic, strategy and mental endurance.
Out of 51 university teams, ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ ranked 17th β besting Ivy League institutions including Yale, Princeton and Brown and earning a spot in the 2023 ICPC World Finals later this year.
ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ not only competed in the North America Championship, but also hosted the event on their home turf: ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs main campus in Orlando.
Computer science undergraduate Natalie Longtin, and computer science alumni Andy Phan β21 β23MS and Jacob Steinbronn β23 applied their advanced problem-solving skills and collaborative teamwork at the 2023 International Collegiate Programming Contest North America Championship.
ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ earned its spot to compete in Mondayβs ICPC North America Championship after Longtin, Phan and Steinbronn finished 2nd in the ICPC Southeast USA region in February. The region includes universities from five states. ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ has placed in the top three in ICPCβs Southeast Region for 40 consecutive years, a record unmatched by any other school.
As a team, Longtin, Phan and Steinbronn excel in working together to solve problems, according to coach Arup Guha, ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ computer science senior instructor.
βWhile Andy will occasionally pick off a problem on his own, a majority of the time, two of the three students will carefully discuss and design a solution to a problem before deciding who is the best person to code it. Since they have a mixture of overlapping and distinct strengths, the team has some flexibility in deciding who should code up solutions to which problems,β Guha says.
The ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ teamβs success brings an exclusive invitation to the 2023 ICPC World Finals, an elite contest of the top 130 finalist teams that represent the best of 16,000+ regional teams from 111 countries. Last yearβs World Finals were delayed due to the COVID pandemic, so the World Finals for both 2022 and 2023 will be held in Egypt in November.
Meet the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Competitors
Natalie Longtin, computer science undergraduate student
Longtin is the first woman to represent ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ at an invitational competition above regional level. Prior to attending ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½, she established a name for herself at Timber Creek High School in Orlando as one of two students in her graduating year to score a perfect 100% on the AP Computer Science A exam. With stellar academic achievement, Longtin gained admission to Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but instead chose to attend the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½. Longtin now works at Google in a summer internship and is on track to receive her bachelorβs degree in computer science in Spring 2024.
Competition Experience: ICPC Southeast Regionals 2020, 2021, 2022
Strengths: Dynamic programming, math problems, number theory
Andy Phan β21 β23MS, computer science alumnus; mathematics masterβs student
At age 17, Phan already holds two degrees from ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½. In fact, he was 15 when he earned his bachelorβs degree in computer science, making him one of the youngest degree recipients in university history. As a member of the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Programming Team, he competed in the ICPC World Finals in 2020, held in October 2021. His team finished 17th β out more than 130 teams worldwide β missing a medal by only five places. Phan ranks as an βInternational Grandmasterβ on Codeforces, a competitive programming website. Phan earned a masterβs degree in computer science earlier this month, and this fall he will begin a masterβs program in mathematics.
Competition Experience: ICPC World Finals 2020, ICPC Southeast Regionals 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
Strengths: Problem solving, math, ad hoc problems.
Jacob Steinbronn β23, computer science alumnus
Steinbronn is a recent ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ graduate of computer science. Over the past four years practicing and competing with his teammates on the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Programming Team, he has come to serve as point guard, making sure all the problems are read and time is allocated appropriately. In addition to practicing and competing, Steinbronn also mentors the junior varsity Programming Team members. He says his three internships have enabled him to bring industry-level programming experience to the team. In his spare time, he enjoys rock climbing, a hobby that he incorporated into his senior design capstone project: a mobile app that uses statistics to track progress on the climbing tower in ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs Recreation and Wellness Center. Steinbronn will begin his job at Meta in Seattle as a software engineer in July.
Competition Experience: ICPC Southeast Regionals 2020, 2021, 2022
Strengths: Data structures, tree problems, string problems
Why Competitive Programming Is Important
The projected growth in computer and IT occupations β about 667,600 new jobs by 2030 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics β translates to heavy demand from employers for skilled programmers. Many companies recruit students who participate in ICPC competitions, often before they graduate.
ICPC β the oldest, largest and most prestigious programming contest in the world β helps to meet the workforce need through training and competition. The contests are held under the umbrella of the ICPC Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charity, which is responsible for sponsorship, hosting, fundraising, outreach and operations.
The 2023 ICPC North America Championship and North America Programming Camp is hosted by ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ and is sponsored by the National Security Agency, L3Harris, Lockheed Martin, National Security Innovation Network and The Florida High Tech Corridor.
