THE 2014 BOSTON-AREA PRELIMINARY
OF THE ACM PROGRAMMING CONTEST

IMPORTANT Before the Contest: This year we are not providing hardcopies of the contest help/demo files available from the BOSPRE site. So if you want any of these, print them before the contest. Reminder: contest rules forbid you from accessing the Internet during the contest, so you need to physically bring any materials you want to access (handouts, textbooks, etc.)

Directions: The contest will be held at the Science Center at Wellesley College . (Click on links for maps and directions.) Please park in parking area directly east of the Science Center, which is called Gray Lot --- see the maps at the end of this announcement. (Some maps depict a small house nearby called Gray House, but that's been removed.) The entrance to the building is up the main staircase at the front of the building (shown in the photograph to the left). If you have trouble finding the campus or building, or trouble getting into the building, call Franklyn Turbak at 339-225-0287.

• 8:30 - 9:45am: Register at the registration table as you enter the Science Center at the very top of the stairs. Registration is $75; make checks payable to Wellesley College. Cash is also acceptable, but we cannot process credit cards. Each team will be assigned its own office or classroom with one terminal. After registering, teams may go to their rooms to practice using their contest accounts.
  
  Breakfast (bagels, pastries, fruit, juice, coffee) will be provided at this time in the Sage Lounge on the 2nd floor of the Science Center, overlooking the main atrium. Please eat only in the Sage Lounge and not in any classrooms or offices.
  
  
• 9:50am - 10:00am: VERY short meeting in Room 278 (at the end of the hall from the Sage Lounge) solely to introduce the people running the contest and answer questions. In theory, everything you really need to know is in the contest help/demo files that you read in advance and printed out to bring with you. The meeting will end at 10:00am SHARP with problems being handed out, after which teams will go to their rooms.
  
  
• 10:00am - 3:00pm: The actual contest! After the contest starts, the contestants can run hpcm_get to set up their problem directories. Reminders:
  • Your team is allowed to use only the one provided computer during the contest. You are not allowed to use any other computational devices for the contest, including smartphones or tablets.
  • Contest rules forbid you from accessing the Internet during the contest, so you cannot browse the web by computer, tablet, smartphone, etc.
• noonish: Lunch for contestants/coaches will arrive in Sage Lounge. It will be available for the rest of the contest. Please eat in Sage Lounge and not in the computer labs, offices, or classrooms. We will have lunches for all team members, coaches, and volunteers. If members of your team have dietary restrictions, please email fturbak@wellesley.edu .
  
  
• 3:00pm -- 3:30: Destress. Take group picture! Discussion of problems over ice cream in Room 278 as we wait for results. Announcement of final scores and winners.