What is the Computer Society International Design
Competition (CSIDC) ?
While there are a number of substantive system
design competitions in other fields of science, engineering,
and technology, there is currently no such competition in
computer science and computer engineering. The Computer Society
International Design Competition (CSIDC) addresses this void.
The value of a substantive design experience in undergraduate
education is well recognized.
“Students must be prepared for engineering practice
through the curriculum culminating in a major design experience
based on the knowledge and skills acquired in earlier course
work and incorporating engineering standards and realistic
constraints…”
The CSIDC Committee’s vision for the competition
can be simply stated,
The Computer Society International Design Competition
will advance excellence in education by having undergraduate
student teams design and implement computer-based solutions
to real-world problems.
Who are the Sponsors of CSIDC?
The Computer Society is indebted to a number
of firms that are supporting this competition. Primary financial
support is provided by Microsoft Corporation. Additional financial
support is provided by ABB and the IEEE Foundation.
Who can participate in CSIDC?
The CSIDC is for teams of undergraduate students
in computer science, computer engineering, and related fields.
Teams will be made up of three-to-four undergraduate students
who attend the same college or university. Students are eligible
to be on a team provided they are not currently employed as
full-time hardware, software, or system developers in industry
or in similar full-time positions at their respective institutions.
They will work under the supervision of a faculty advisor
over a 3-½ month period.
How do the teams compete?
The competing teams will be tasked with the
design and implementation of a prototype system that addresses
a common problem. The competition provides a set of “realworld”
constraints (and opportunities) the students must contend
with in their design, similar to situations encountered in
industry. A spending limit is imposed to eliminate a potential
bias in favor of schools with greater economic resources.
For further information on the CSIDC,
contact:
Alan Clements, CSIDC Chairman
University of Teeside
12 Merrington Avenue
Acklam Middlesbrough TS5 8RH
United Kingdom
a.clements@computer.org
Telephone: UK +44.1642.290116
Stacy Saul
IEEE Computer Society
1730 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036-1992
ssaul@computer.org
Telephone: +1.202.371.1013
Fax: +1.202.728.0884
Also See:
CSIDC Website
CSIDC
Backgrounder (in
PDF)
