Birzeit University students win world’s largest programming competition, scoring 1st locally, 47th globally

A team of Birzeit University undergraduate students took first place locally and forty-seventh internationally at the IEEEXtreme 24-hour Programming Competition, held virtually by IEEE–Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Competing against 3,503 international teams, five teams from Birzeit University participated while maintaining social distancing and the required safety measures. The winning teams took over three of the top ten prizes on the local list, scoring first, second, and fourth.

The competition participants were required to solve a set of programming problems within a 24-hour time span.

Wasel Ghanem, assistant professor at Birzeit University’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and secretary of the IEEE university branch, pointed out that the competitors were given long and challenging questions at regular intervals for 24 hours. He added, “I am thrilled with the students’ achievement, hoping that we will keep on climbing in international rankings.”