Tackling programming challenges on the world stage

Year 11 student, Miles Conway, will put his exceptional talent for devising algorithms and writing ingenious code to the ultimate test on an international scale next month.

Miles is one of just four students nationwide selected to compete in the 35th International Olympiad in Informatics to be held in Hungary in August. “I feel nervous, but also excited, to be representing Australia,” he says.

One of the most prestigious competitive informatics events in the world, the International Olympiad in Informatics brings together exceptional secondary school students to tackle challenges in algorithm design, programming, data structure and problem analysis.

The Olympiad runs over two days, during which participants have five hours each day to respond to three complex challenges.

A Balance Of Logic And Creativity

Miles explains that the kinds of problems Olympiad participants need to solve can range from real-world examples to obscure math questions, but that all require a balance of logic and creativity to find the best solution.

“Rather than just using fundamental math, you’re using algorithmic logic to speed up the computational process,” he says. “It’s really satisfying when you’ve written a program and then it works. You give the computer an input which enables it to work through a problem that a human could never work out in a reasonable time – and then it just does it!”

Miles adds that while there are many ways to approach the problems he’ll need to solve in this year’s competition, it’s about finding the one that will get to the right answer within the time available.

“The main skill is thinking of an algorithm that will solve the problem by the deadline – generally, that’s the hardest part,” he says. “I’m looking forward to solving some really difficult problems in the competition.”

With university on the horizon, Miles is weighing up his options and deciding whether to study here in Australia or make the move overseas.

“I want to study either maths or computer science,” he says. “Wherever I end up studying, I want to keep working on my programming skills.”

Whatever choice he makes, the experiences he will have at the Olympiad will be sure to play a part.