Hi!

Next year I'll start working on my Master's thesis (in computer science), and we have to choose the subjects now. I'm not very enthusiastic about the subjects that are suggested by default but we are allowed to suggest our own topics if we want. So I got an idea: what if I could work on a topic related to competitive programming?

I have good relationships with some of the teachers so I should be able to convince one of them to accept it if it's an interesting subject. But it's not that easy to find a good subject on that theme.

An example I thought of would be to study the current state of the art in a subfield like geometry: which kinds of problems appear in which competitions, which algorithms are considered common knowledge, which kinds of implementations are used, how precision issues are dealt with, etc. I would try to summarize that and to figure out by reviewing the research litterature which new algorithms or techniques might appear in the future, thanks to which implementations.

So, do you have any ideas on interesting subjects to study? It can be about any aspect of competitive programming, also including coaching, contest creation, etc. I'm also a trainer for future IOI contestants and a novice problem setter so those subjects interest me too. I'm excited to hear your ideas!

Of course, if the subject gets accepted, I would keep you informed and post regular updates over here (your feedback would be a great help)!

Thanks in advance!