The American University in Dubai (AUD) recently hosted the fifth edition of the Gulf Programming Contest (GPC) 2015, which saw the participation of over 120 students from fourteen universities across the GCC.

"For the second time AUD hosted 39 teams representing 17 universities, from Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE that competed in this prestigious event that has taken place every year for the last fifteen years,” said Dr Adnan El Nasan, AUD chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

“The students had 5 hours to solve eleven problems and code them using a programming language (either JAVA or C++). Some of these problems were quite difficult and required advanced algorithmic skills. Such engagements allow AUD students to interact with students from other universities and increase their preparedness to compete in more globally recognized contests," he added.

The event was technically sponsored by IEEE and was supported in part by the competition’s strategic partner Dubai Internet City and Dubai Outsource Zone, SAP and TURN8.

Majed Al Suwaidi, managing director of Dubai Internet City and Dubai Outsource Zone and keynote speaker at the event said: "The Gulf Programming Contest provides a great platform for students to prove their problem-solving skills in programming and coding. It is of the utmost importance that young students are given the right exposure to enable them to compete in their future jobs.”

“The event continues to play a major role in supporting the development of students pursuing degrees in Computer Engineering, MIS or any IT-related subjects, and offers a platform for future programming experts. Dubai Internet City is committed to supporting initiatives such as these to foster innovation through problem-solving."

The Gulf Programming Contest is a preparation for teams to participate in the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) regional and world-programming contest. The Gulf Programming Contest is an extension of the National Programming Contest (NPC) that has been running for over a decade for university students in the United Arab Emirates. – TradeArabia News Service