Welcome to the
North American Computational Lingusitics Olympiad

at Stony Brook University

What is NACLO?

An exciting program for middle and high school students: the National Science Foundation-sponsored North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad (NACLO), a contest for US and Canadian students. The NACLO consists of a challenging and fun series of puzzles in computational linguistics which students have to solve during a 3 hour test. No previous knowledge of linguistics or computing is required since the puzzles can be solved with analytic reasoning and problem-solving skills.

Last year there were more than 1000 participants at 100 sites, and participation is growing. Winners of the Open Round are invited to the Invitational Round where the problems are harder. The winners of the second Round are eligible to participate in the international competition, the International Linguistics Olympiad, one of 12 international high school science Olympiads.

I am not familiar with Computational Linguistics. Can I participate in the competition?

Yes you can! Since the competition is on a subject not taught in most schools, we have designed it for students with no prior training in linguistics, computer science, programming, or foreign languages.

What knowledge and skills do I need?

You mostly need logical thinking, as well as basic general knowledge, such as arithmetic and standard calendar. As metioned above, we have designed the competition for students with no prior training in linguistics, computer science, programming, or foreign languages. Check out Practice Problems with Solutions to see what kind of problems will appear in the competition!

We will provide a training session for students interested in participating. The training session will include practice problems, test-taking tips, as well as an overview of linguistics and computational linguistics.

How do I register?

Click here to register. Registration is free of charge. The deadline is Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 3:00 p.m..
Be sure to select Stony Brook University as your test location!

Important Dates

  • Training session
    Sunday, January 27, 2013
    11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
  • Registration deadline 
    Wednesday, January 30, 2013

  • First round competition (open to all)
    Thursday, January 31, 2013
    10 am - 1 pm (Arrive by 9:30am)

  • Second round competition (invitational) 
    Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Important Links & Resources:

Location of training session

Stony Brook University
Social and Behavioral Sciences Building, Room S-207
Stony Brook, NY 11794-5233

Location of the competition

Stony Brook University
Center for Science and Mathematics Education
Life Science Building Room Number 063 (basement)
Stony Brook, NY 11794-5233

Directions to reach the Main Campus

Program Directors

Lori Repetti, Associate Professor, Department of Linguistics
Yejin Choi, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science

Contact Information

Kristen La Magna
Center for Science and Mathematics Education
Tel: 631-632-9750
E-mail: cesame@stonybrook.edu


 

Poster Printing Services

REGISTRATION DEADLINE

May 15
Physics Summer Camp

June 3
Explorations in Forensics

UPCOMING EVENTS

May 16
Suffolk County Elementary Math Competition

May 17
Geology Open Night: "Exploring Mars with Curiosity" (Dr. Scott McLennan)

More Events