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CSE Contest: Computational Thinking '09
The main purpose of this contest is to encourage high school students to consider pursuing further computer-science related studies, e.g., as computer science or computer engineering majors in college. We want to hold a contest that will be fun, while exposing students to aspects of computing that they might not have previously considered. We also hope students will consider Texas A&M when choosing where to come to college!
Teams may have as few as 3 or as many as 5 students. So that more students can participate, we would encourage teams to try to have 5 students each. Each school may send no more than one team (with a possibility of one additional team, depending on the number of participating schools). This is to ensure that we can accommodate as many schools as possible. There is no cost. The teams are responsible for their own travel to and from Texas A&M University. Everything related to the contest itself, including breakfast and lunch, will be provided.
The contest will be held on Saturday, October 3, 2009.
Registration begins on August 15, 2009. Any applications received before this time will not be considered. Please follow the instructions on the Registration Form and either email or fax it to us. REMEMBER, IT IS A FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE BASIS!
FAQ
Teams and Registration
When must we register by?
Registration will be taken on a first come, first registered basis until all slots are filled up. Currently, we can accommodate a total of 15 teams. We would prefer teams to register no later than September 12 to allow for adequate planning on our part, and to allow teams to receive preparation materials enough in advance.
We've registered, but want to change our team. Can we?
Yes. You can change your team at a point after registration, but individual-specific information (such as t-shirt sizes) might be fixed.
Who else can come besides the team members?
Each school and/or team should have an advisor/coach that will serve as the point of contact for the team and accompany the team to the contest. We also realize that some schools might have a parent(s) or other chaperone attending/driving. Please make sure that all those who are coming are listed on registration, so that we can plan appropriately. We will have activities for advisors/coaches.
If schools bring along other students that are not participating in the contest, please realize that we will not have any planned activities for those students, nor will they be allowed to be with the competing team members during most of the contest.
Contest Logistics
When do we need to be there?
Registration begins at 8:15 a.m. The contest activities will start at 9:00 a.m. We would hope that all teams would have arrived and registered before the 9:00 start time.
What time is the contest over?
Our plan is for all contest activities to end by 5:00 p.m., to allow teams adequate time to return home.
Where does the contest take place?
The contest will be held in the H.R. Bright building on the Texas A&M campus in College Station. Maps will be available on the website.
Do we need to bring lunches?
No. Breakfast foods and box lunches will be provided.
Do we need to bring computers?
No. The contest will not be programming-based, so additional computers (beyond those we will provide in labs) will not be particularly helpful. To ensure that all teams have basically the same chance to compete, we ask students not to bring their own laptops.
What will the advisors/coaches do during the contest?
Advisors/coaches/etc. will have a separate room they can spend the day; lunch will be provided. This will be a chance to talk with other coaches, and with some faculty members of the Texas A&M Department of Computer Science and Engineering. If advisors and coaches would like to leave during part of the day, we will ask that they provide a cell phone number to be reached at in case of any issues arising with their team.
Contest and Preparation
What is this contest about?
The focus of this year's contest will be on computational thinking. More
specifically, it will be on the application of computational thinking to
solving simple real-life problems.
The term "computational thinking" refers to a general attitude that
enables the application of computer science concepts in all aspects of
human life. Observing and analyzing physical, biological, societal, and
other complex systems to derive abstractions, to model, and to simulate,
while using concepts from computer science can be broadly considered
computational thinking.
In this year's contest, your team will "design" a solution to a simple
computational task by putting together everyday objects in a certain
arrangement to perform that specific function. The objects include
strings, wood planks, springs, switches, balls, etc.
The following material can help you better understand the concept
of computational thinking:
- http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/usr/wing/www/publications/Wing06.pdf
- http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~CompThink
Excerpts from the above:
- "Computational thinking is a way of solving problems, designing
systems, and understanding human behavior that draws on concepts
fundamental to computer science."
- "Computational thinking means creating and making use of different
levels of abstraction, to understand and solve problems more effectively."
So do students need to know about computational thinking before the contest?
No, the contest is meant to allow all students to participate on a nearly-equal basis, regardless of prior experience with the specific topic (computational thinking). Hopefully, students will learn a bit more about computational thinking during the contest.
What programming languages can we use?
You will not need to know or use a particular programming language, since this is not a programming competition.
Did you say no programming?
Yes.
But I thought this was a computer science contest?!?
It is. There is much more to computer science than programming, and part of the point of the CSE contests we are hosting is to highlight some of the non-programming aspects.
So do we need to know how to program for this contest?
The more experience you have with computer science (for high school students, this is usually programming), the better you will tend to do in the contest. Programming skills, especially the ability to take a larger problem and break it down into smaller pieces that can be solved individually will help. But no, programming skills are not required!
Then do we need people with particular skills or ability to use certain programs?
No experience with particular programs is needed for this contest, and teams will not be asked to use any specific computer science technique within the contest. The main focus of this contest will be on the design and analysis aspects of the problem.
How long should we prepare for the contest?
No preparation for the contest should be needed. The website may contain some general background information, but it should not be necessary to review/practice before the contest. We are trying to give all teams as equal of a footing as possible, regardless of how much time they have available to devote ahead of time.
If we don't prepare, how will we be able to compete?
The contest is not meant to be a test over how much you've learned, but rather to see how well you can apply your overall knowledge and analysis abilities to a problem. We also hope through this contest, students will learn a bit more about the general idea of computational thinking and its applicability to real-life problems.
Judging and Prizes
How are teams judged?
Teams will be notified of criteria used for judging at the start of the contest. Judges will visit each of the teams during the contest to familiarize themselves with what the teams are doing, and what approach they are taking. At the end of the contest, all teams will come together, and each team will give a short presentation describing their solution. Judges will give numerical scores to the teams, and the teams with the five highest numerical scores will be finalists (not announced). Judges will then confer to choose first, second, and third place teams from among the five finalists.
Who are the judges?
We will have a group of 4-6 judges, pulled mainly from relevant faculty and from those at companies that are closely involved with our department or with closely related industry experience.
Who can win prizes?
First, everyone who participates will receive some small prizes, e.g., t-shirts. Larger prizes will be given to the top three teams. In the past, we have also held a drawing for some other prizes.
What are the prizes?
That will be a bit of a surprise (in other words, we don't know exactly, yet), but the prizes have always been good. Usually, winning team members have received individual prizes (such as gift cards), and top teams have won prizes (such as printers) for their school.
Are there any catches?
Yes, and this is important: students winning individual prizes (generally, members of the winning teams, or possibly winners of drawings) might be asked to provide their social security number. Depending on how the prizes are structured, this is needed so that we can report the prizes for tax purposes.
About the Contest
Why is this contest not programming based — don't computer scientists need to program?
Yes, programming is a key part of a computer science education, and an important skill that most computer scientists rely on regularly. But, computer science as a whole is a much broader field that can make use of many skills beyond just programming ability. There are other contests out there that are programming-oriented, so we wanted to design a contest that emphasized other aspects of computing. Like most of engineering, a key part of computer science is the ability to apply principles learned previously to design and develop something new, and predict how it will work. We are trying to focus on those aspects of computer science here.
What have been the topics of previous contests?
In 2006, the first CSE contest focused on user interfaces. Teams were asked to design a user interface for a program. In 2007, the second CSE contest focused on computer games. Teams were asked to design a computer game based off of an existing board game. In 2008 the third CSE contest focused on graphics. Teams were asked to design a graphical display for a new multiplayer game that was played on a mobile device. We anticipate changing the focus each year to a different computer science related topic.
If you have any questions, please contact
Theresa Roberts
theresa@cse.tamu.edu
(979) 862-3405
