Annual Computational Linguistics Competition Sees Growing Participation

Posted January 29, 2025

The School of Modern Languages recently hosted the 19th North American Computational Linguistics Open (NACLO) Competition. This marks the fourth year Georgia Tech has served as a university site for the national event, which challenges middle and high school students to solve complex linguistics puzzles in a competitive setting, according to co-organizers Hongchen Wu and Kyoko Masuda, both faculty members in the School.

The linguistics puzzles in the NACLO competition ranged from deciphering an ancient script to deducing the logical patterns of Swahili or Hawaiian, providing students with an opportunity to refine their analytical skills, deepen their scientific knowledge, and gain an understanding of the intricate diversity and consistency inherent in language.

This year, 57 students registered for the Open Round session hosted by Georgia Tech, representing a 58% increase in participation compared to last year. Thirty-six students attended the in-person event on Jan. 23. Additionally, 40 middle and high school students from Georgia, Virginia, and Florida participated in two earlier online training sessions. 

NACLO’s national committee will evaluate the performance of the Open Round participants to determine who will advance to the Invitational Round, which will be held March 13. Winners of the that round will qualify to represent the U.S. in the International Linguistics Olympiad, one of twelve prestigious international science Olympiads for high school students.

The Georgia Tech event included a lunch networking session in the School of Modern Languages’ student lounge, followed by a campus tour.