ACM Research Contest Showcases Innovative Computing Projects

ACM RESEARCH CONTEST SHOWCASES INNOVATIVE COMPUTING PROJECTS

Graduate, Undergraduate Student Finalists Present Quality Research

 
NEW YORK, June 14, 2007 - ACM (the Association for Computing Machinery) honored the Grand Finals winners of its rapidly expanding Student Research Competition (SRC) with awards and cash prizes for achievements in computing research. The winners, from colleges and universities in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, presented original research on a range of topics, including computer graphics, programming tools, wireless networks, mobile phone design, non-visual web browsers, biomedical information extraction, data exchange, and grid computing. The awards were presented on June 9, at the 2007 ACM Awards Banquet in San Diego, CA.

The competition was held at seven major ACM Special Interest Group conferences within the last year. Each SRC featured research projects produced by an international array of graduate and undergraduate students in computer science. Nearly 200 students applied to participate in the SRC events this year.

ACM's Student Research Program is sponsored by Microsoft Research. Mark Lewin, who directs Microsoft Research's partnership with ACM for the SRC, noted that Microsoft Research want to encourage students to pursue careers in computer science research. "The SRC is a vibrant program that offers students a rich and rewarding first experience in preparing and presenting research in real-world conference settings as well as a warm welcome to the research community," said Lewin, Program Manager for Microsoft Research's External Research & Programs group.

Ann Sobel is the Chair of the SRC Committee and associate professor at Miami University of Ohio. "We know from events like ACM's International Collegiate Programming Contest that early practice and preparation for these competitions is a major advantage in demonstrating success in these problem-solving projects. We're pleased to see these competitions continue to expand to additional ACM conferences in many diverse areas of computing," she said.

SRC Grand Final Results

In the graduate student category, the first place winner was Eugene Borodin of Stony Brook University for his research on computers and accessibility. Second place went to Emerson Murphy-Hill of Portland State University for his work on improving tools for restructuring computer code. In third place was Bowen Hui of the University of Toronto for his contributions to customizing automatic software.

In the undergraduate category, the first place winner was Anselm Grundhoefer of Bauhaus-University, Weimar for his research on real-time images for computer graphic applications. Second place went to Maria Kazandijevea of Mount Holyoke College for her contributions to improving resource sharing in wireless networks. The third place finisher was Yuan-Ting E. Huang of the University of British Columbia for her research on mobile phone design using Chinese text.

Previously conducted as a single event at the ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE) conference, the SRC's now take place throughout the year with plans for at least ten presentations at various ACM SIG conferences, each focusing on different areas of computing. Entries are judged on the quality and significance of the work, as well as the quality and clarity of the oral and visual presentations of results. SRC winners from each of the SIG competitions are then eligible to compete in the Grand Finals, where their research is evaluated over the World Wide Web.

The top three undergraduate and graduate winners at each SRC receive prizes of $500, $300, and $200, respectively (USD). The top three undergraduate and graduate winners at each SRC receive an award plaque and a two-year complimentary ACM membership with a subscription to ACM's Digital Library. The top three graduate and undergraduate Grand Finalists receive an additional $500, $300, and $200 respectively and Grand Finalist plaques, and are invited to ACM's annual Awards Banquet.

The ACM Special Interest Group conferences that sponsored SRC events during the recently completed contest include:

2006 ASSETS (Computers and Accessibility)
2006 MOBICOM (Mobile Computing and Networking)
2006 Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing
2006 SIGGRAPH (Computer Graphics)
2006 OOPSLA (Object-Oriented Programming, Systems, Languages and Applications)
2007 SIGCSE (Computer Science Education)
2006 SC (SuperComputing)

About ACM
ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery http://www.acm.org, is an educational and scientific society uniting the world's computing educators, researchers and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources and address the field's challenges. ACM strengthens the profession's collective voice through strong leadership, promotion of the highest standards, and recognition of technical excellence. ACM supports the professional growth of its members by providing opportunities for life-long learning, career development, and professional networking.