"The Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge is designed to motivate younger students who have done some enrichment study beyond their school year and who are looking for a mathematics enrichment challenge", said Mr. Ronald Dunkley, University of Waterloo, and Chair of the CMS COMC Committee. "In addition, the Open acts as a qualifying paper for the Canadian Mathematical Olympiad which will be written on April 1, 1998".

1997 Prize Winners: The top five winners in the 2nd Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge are:

Adrian Birka, Lakeshore Catholic High School, Port Colborne, Ontario; Adrian Chan, Upper Canada College, Toronto, Ontario; Teppei Mikami, Sentinel Secondary School, West Vancouver, British Columbia; Adrian Tang, Albert Campbell Collegiate Institute, Scarborough, Ontario; Jonathan Yu, Western Technical Commercial School, Toronto, Ontario.

For outstanding performance in the COMC, the top contestant in a region is selected as the Provincial Champion. The 1997 Open Provincial Champions are:

Brian Tsai, Western Canada High School, Calgary, Alberta; Teppei Mikami, Sentinel Secondary School, West Vancouver, British Columbia; Matthew Hasselfield, Kelvin High School, Winnipeg, Manitoba; Graham St. Laurent, Fredericton High School, Fredericton, New Brunswick; Nicholas Howlett, O'Donel High School, Mount Pearl, Newfoundland; Hudson Godfrey Smith, Halifax West High School, Halifax, Nova Scotia; Adrian Birka, Lakeshore Catholic High School, Port Colborne, Ontario Central; Wei Jen Lee, West Carleton Secondary School, Dunrobin, Ontario East; Adrian Chan, Upper Canada College, Toronto, Ontario - Metro; Adrian Tang, Albert Campbell Collegiate Institute, Scarborough, Ontario - Metro; Jing Ge, Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School, Sudbury, Ontario North; Yin Lei, Vincent Massey Secondary School, Windsor, Ontario West; Mihaela Enchescu, Dawson College, Montréal, Québec; Rebekah Joy Stewart, Campbell Collegiate Institute, Regina, Saskatchewan.

"All of these winners have excelled in a very challenging competition and demonstrated the critical and creative problem solving skills so essential in today's workplace", said Dr. Patrick Stewart, Dalhousie University, and Chair of the CMS Mathematical Olympiads Committee. "Students with excellent problem solving skills are important if Canada is to be competitive in a global economy."

Approximately 80 of the top students from the 1997 Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge will be invited to write the 1998 Canadian Mathematical Olympiad (CMO). The CMO is Canada's premier mathematics competition organized and administered by the Canadian Mathematical Society. "These top students will now be busy honing their problem solving skills as they prepare for the 1998 CMO and try to be one of the six students who will represent Canada at the 1998 International Mathematical Olympiad in Taipei, Taiwan in July", said Dr. Graham Wright, Executive Director, Canadian Mathematical Society. "These valuable enrichment activities are possible because of the many teachers in the schools and universities who assist on a voluntary basis".

For more information, contact:

Dr. Graham P. Wright
Executive Director
Canadian Mathematical Society
(613) 562-5702

Mr. Ronald Dunkley
Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing
Waterloo University
(519) 885-1211, ext 2247

Dr. Patrick Stewart
Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Computing Science
Dalhousie University
(902) 494-8855