Two teams of UALR student computer programmers are competing in the Mid-Central Regionals of the International Collegiate Programming Contest Saturday, Oct. 24, at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville.

The international contest organized by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) is considered the oldest, largest, and most prestigious programming contest in the world. The contest fosters creativity, teamwork, and innovation in building new software programs, and enables students to test their ability to perform under pressure.

Dr. Sean Geoghegan, assistant professor of computer sciences, is coaching UALR’s teams. Members of “Team Big Oh” are John Cannatella of Lake Village, Matthew Moore of Jonesboro, and Christina Dunlap of Duluth, Ga. Members of UALR “Team JAwesome” are Keenan Gillespie of Bauxite, Jason Ellis of Farmington, and Harry Hull of Conway.

The ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) is a multitier, team-based, programming competition headquartered at Baylor University. The contest involves a global network of universities hosting regional competitions that advance teams to the ACM-ICPC World Finals.