A StFX computer science team took home a second place finish, placing on the podium out of 19 teams entered in the competitive programming competition, and a delegation of StFX students had an impressive attendance at Science Atlantic's 2025 Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science conference hosted by Cape Breton University on October 17-18.
The StFX computer science team that attended Science Atlantic included, back row, l-r, Dr. Taylor Smith, Dr. Milton King, Aravind Kaveripakkam Raghuraman, John Kendall, Avery Doiron, and Ben Dickson. Front row: Elizabeth King, Patrick Bowen, and Dylan Clark.
It was a successful conference for StFX with three students, Patrick Bowen, Aravind Kaveripakkam Raghuraman, and Liz King, presenting their research, and with five students on two teams taking part in the competitive programming competition.
Patrick Bowen, Dylan Clark, and John Kendall, members of X-abytes 0, finished in second place. Ben Dickson and Avery Doiron competed as members of X-abytes 1.
"We were able to have a strong presence at this year's conference thanks to the support of StFX and the generous donation from the River Philip Foundation," says StFX computer science professor and programming coach Dr. Milton King.
Dr. Taylor Smith also attended the conference. "This was the fifth year I participated in the Science Atlantic MSCS conference, and each year I consistently come away impressed by the exciting research work done by undergrad and grad students both at StFX and across Atlantic Canada," he says. "Conferences like this give our students the opportunity to network with students and faculty at other institutions, to share their ideas, and to put their knowledge into practice. I'm already looking forward to accompanying our excellent students to next year's edition."
Dr. King says attending events such as Science Atlantic are beneficial for the undergraduate students. "It was great to see the students compete against their peers in the programming competition and showcase their research during the presentations. The technical and social skills that the students learn in preparation for the programming competition set these students up for success in problem solving positions in technology-based industry."
These skills can also assist those that are planning to attend graduate level programs, he said.
