Jessica Dreher of Justice Competes In College Computer Science Competition

2013 Mar 14

Jessica Dreher of Justice, Ill. recently competed at the annual Associated Colleges of the Chicago Area programming competition.

Lewis University Computer Science students Vanessa Basick, Jessica Dreher, Ryan Jessen, Jose Marquez, Chris Pelech, Eric Raber, and Corey Wagemann wrote C++ code to solve a variety of mathematical problems and logic puzzles.

The team of Marquez, Pelech and Raber took home fourth place in the Advanced Competition. Lewis University Computer Science students have consistently earned awards in recent years at this competition.

In addition to competing, the students spent weeks training with their coaches, Dr. Cindy Kersey, assistant professor, and Dr. Piotr Szczurek, assistant professor. They worked on how to solve complicated programming puzzles as a team.

"The Department is very proud of these seven students and is grateful that they represented the department so well," commented Dr. Ray Klump, chair of Mathematics and Computer Science. During its 40-year history, the Lewis University Computer Science program has undergone continuous improvement and refinement to keep pace with changes in technology including the opening of four new labs to teach students how to program mobile and embedded devices and better equip students to work on the front lines of cyber defense. Lewis University offers bachelors' degrees in Computer Science as well as minors in Computer Science and in Cyber Security Science. It also co-manages a Master of Science in Information Security. Students have the opportunity to pursue internships in the field, while being enrolled as students.

ACCA is a consortium of 15 private liberal arts colleges, founded in 1966 to promote cooperation in education and training in the sciences. Areas of focus include biology, business/economics, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, physics, psychology and sociology/anthropology.

Lewis University is a Catholic university offering distinctive undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 6,500 traditional and adult students. Lewis offers multiple campus locations, online degree programs, and a variety of formats that provide accessibility and convenience to a growing student population. Sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, Lewis prepares intellectually engaged, ethically grounded, globally connected, and socially responsible graduates. The seventh largest private not-for-profit university in Illinois, Lewis has been nationally recognized by The Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report. Visit http://www.lewisu.edu for further information.