DENTON (UNT), Texas -- Two University of North Texas computer science and engineering students, along with a recent alumnus, have finished 19th among the top 30 international teams attending an international computer science and programming competition held last weekend in Budapest, Hungary. For the second year in a row, the "Texas Codeboys"--John Rizzo, Michael Mohler and recent graduate Jack Lindamood--were the only American team competing in the Challenge 24 contest. Last year, the Codeboys finished 14th. The top three teams in this year's contest were all from Sweden. The Codeboys prepared for the competition with assistance from their coach and mentor David Keathly, a lecturer in UNT's Computer Science and Engineering Department. This year's contest consisted of the various teams in a 2-D virtual space race where they built and equipped virtual spaceships, competing against each other while battling the alien "Kwargs." Contest organizers say the major goal of the Challenge 24 competition was to provide an opportunity for students and industry professionals involved in computer science and programming to measure their knowledge and ability in an extreme environment In March, the Codeboys placed third out of 160 international teams in the preliminary online qualifying round for the Challenge 24 competition. Earlier this year, the team finished fourth in an international online programming contest sponsored by the Indian Institute of Technology. Mohler, a second year graduate student in computer science and engineering from Cedar Hill, is the son of Gaylord and Artie Mohler. He attended Cedar Hill High School. Rizzo, a senior computer science and mathematics major from Houston, is the son of John and Anita Rizzo of Houston. He attended Kingwood High School in Houston. Lindamood, a 2006 computer science and engineering graduate from Dallas, is the son of Johnnie and Marian Lindamood. He attended the Dallas Science and Engineering Magnet High School. Dr. Oscar Garcia, founding dean of the UNT College of Engineering says, "Our programming team continues to place in a most competitive and grueling international competition. It is a microcosm of the intellectual competition for innovative solutions that we all face in a global market economy today. They are better prepared for it because of this experience." To contact team members, call Keathly at (940) 565-4801; Garcia can be reached at (940) 565-4300. |
