ICPC-Jamilur Reza Choudhury Scholarship Award Giving Ceremony at UAP

The ICPC-Jamilur Reza Choudhury Scholarship Award Giving Ceremony was held on 7 May at 2 PM at UAP, celebrating the achievements of students in competitive programming during the Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 semesters. A total of 20 students were awarded the prestigious scholarship.
The event highlighted the continuous activities of the UAP Programming Contest Club (PCC) and featured a heartfelt video message from Dr. Bill Poucher, Executive Director of ICPC.
The faculty, staff, and students from the Department of CSE have been working tirelessly for several years to establish a vibrant competitive programming culture at UAP. They worked voluntarily for distributing the scholarship fairly to deserving candidates.

Convenor of PCC, Mr. Nadeem Ahmed, presented a comprehensive overview of PCC’s activities over the past year. He shared a remarkable growth in participation: from 81 students in 2023 to 309 in 2024, largely driven by the ICPC-JRC scholarship. He noted that students now regularly participate in weekly contests, national competitions, and inter-private university collaborative contests organized by PCC.
Former BOT Chairperson, Dr. Mohammad Alauddin, eloquently recounted the background of the ICPC-JRC scholarship, recalling how the idea was initiated during a conversation with Dr. Bill Poucher at the ICPC World Finals in Dhaka—all to better support students in their programming journey.
In a touching video message, Dr. William Bill Poucher, Professor Emeritus, President of the ICPC Foundation, remembered Dr. Jamilur Reza Choudhury’s resilience and commitment to promoting competitive programming. He appreciated the efforts of Convenor, Nadeem Ahmed and Co-convenor, Noor Mairukh Khan Arnob for establishing a fair and inclusive programming environment at UAP.

Prof. Dr. G. R. Ahmed Jamal, Dean, School of Engineering, spoke about the national and international impact of this scholarship. He emphasized the need for inter-departmental collaboration to maximize its potential.
BOT Member, Mr. Monzoor Ahmed Chowdhury, shared his personal experience of receiving the official hosting letter from Dr. Poucher, and reflected on Dr. Jamilur Reza’s enduring legacy. BOT Member, Abdul Mohin Chowdhury, encouraged organizing future ceremonies on an even grander scale.
BOT Chairperson, Architect Mahbuba Haque, praised the PCC and emphasized the need to take the scholarship to a national and global level. She stressed how such programs enhance UAP’s visibility, while urging students and organizers to live up to Dr. Jamilur Reza’s brilliance and excellence.

Prof. Dr. Mohiuddin Ahmed Bhuiyan, Advisor to the Vice Chancellor, acknowledged Dr. Jamilur Reza’s instrumental role in laying the foundation of UAP and appreciated the CSE Department’s involvement in scholarship-related activities.
Honourable Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dr. Qumrul Ahsan, paid tribute to Dr. Jamilur Reza Choudhury’s contributions to math olympiads and programming contests in Bangladesh. He also announced that an additional amount of scholarship has been provided by the ICPC Foundation in support of this initiative.
In conclusion, the Head of the Department of CSE, Prof. Dr. Shah Murtaza Rashid Al Masud thanked the guests, scholarship awardees, alumni, faculty members, members of PCC, and students. He further acknowledged the anchors, Ekra Chowdhury Risha (Technical Manager, PCC), Sohanur Rahman Sohan (Technical Visualizer), and Noor Mairukh Khan Arnob (Co-convenor, PCC) for their contribution and dedication to host the event successfully. Let us continue to carry forward this incredible legacy and expand the reach of competitive programming for future generations.