Undergraduates Take 2nd Place in a Computer Science Competition
An article by six students won an award during IMPA Tech’s first participation in CTIC
IMPA Tech students took second place in the Scientific Research Competition (CTIC), Brazil’s leading award for undergraduate research in computer science. The results were announced during the 46th edition of the Brazilian Computer Society (CSBC) Conference, held last week in Gramado (RS).
The article “On the Computation of a Maximum Minimal Cover Set: Exact Algorithms and Lower Bounds Based on (S)ETH”, under the guidance of Professor Uéverton Souza, ranked among the top two in the country in a record-breaking edition of the competition, which received 105 submissions from Brazilian institutions. In addition to the award, the article was published in the SBC Electronic Journal of Undergraduate Research. Check out the article here.
The research was conducted by the students Alan Santos, Cristiane Sampaio, Felipe Ribeiro, Lucas Fraga, Marcelo Alves, and Vinicius Prestes during the guided study sessions for the course “Exact Exponential Algorithms”. Vinicius represented the team in the final round of the CTIC, presenting the project to the judging committee during the conference.
Uéverton Souza and Vinicius Prestes
The study investigates a variant of the classic problem Set Cover, proposing new algorithms and establishing theoretical limits for their solution. This is a fundamental problem in computational theory, a field that investigates the limits and possibilities of algorithms for solving computational problems.
“This is IMPA Tech’s first time participating in an academic competition of this scale, and we’ve already achieved a truly remarkable result. This demonstrates the potential of our students and confirms that it is possible to produce outstanding research right from the start of the institute’s journey,” said Uéverton Souza
According to the professor, this recognition also underscores the importance of basic research for the advancement of computer science. “Seeing essentially theoretical research receive this level of recognition is particularly gratifying, as it reaffirms the importance of basic research as a driving force behind the advancement of computer science.”
Held annually by the Brazilian Computer Society (SBC), CTIC showcases the leading undergraduate research projects developed by students in the field and is part of the program for the Brazilian Computer Society Congress (CSBC), the premier gathering of the computing community in Latin America.
