OTTAWA, Ontario -- Four students earn top honours and eighteen students are provincial champions in the FOURTH Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge (COMC). The COMC is the organized and administered by the Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS) in collaboration with the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing (University of Waterloo). Nearly 5000 students from all across Canada wrote the Fourth Open on November 24, 1999. Students had to solve 12 questions during the two and one-half hour time limit.

"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. Peter Crippin, 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 5, 2000".

Prize Winners: The top four winners in the 4^th Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge are:

David Arthur, Upper Canada College, Toronto, Ontario; Yufang Hao, East York Collegiate Institute, Toronto, Ontario; Ilyia Kaushansky, Newtonbrook Secondary School, North York, Ontario; David Pritchard, Woburn Collegiate Institute, Scarborough, Ontario.

For outstanding performance in the COMC, the top contestant in a region is selected as a Provincial Champion. The 1999 Open Provincial Champions are:

Shannon Long, Western Canada High School, Calgary, Alberta; Paul Cheng, West Vancouver Secondary School, West Vancouver, British Columbia; Vaughn Climenhaga, Steinbach Regional Secondary School, Steinbach, Manitoba; David Goodman, Kelvin High School, Winnipeg, Manitoba; Rita Monson, Fredericton High School, Fredericton, New Brunswick; Matthew Edwards, Beaconsfield High School, St. John's, Newfoundland; Sarah Barkow, Queen Elizabeth High School, Halifax, Nova Scotia; Jeremy Nicholl, Horton District High School, Wolfville, Nova Scotia; Stephen Fung, Turner Fenton Secondary School, Brampton, Ontario Central; Rongchao Chen, Loyalist Collegiate and Vocational School, Kingston, Ontario East; David Arthur, Upper Canada College, Toronto, Ontario Metro; Lino Demasi, St. Ignatius High School, Thunder Bay, Ontario North; Jennifer Vaughan Waterloo Collegiate Institute, Ontario West; Zhehui Zhong, Vincent Massey Secondary School, Windsor, Ontario West; Won Jun Bae, Marianopolis College, Montréal, Québec; Simona Topor Pop, Dawson College, Montréal, Québec; Bryan Armstrong, Marion M. Graham Collegiate Institute, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; Jonathan Lee, Holy Cross High School, Saskatoon, 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. Daryl Tingley, University of New Brunswick (Fredericton), and Chair of the CMS Mathematical Competitions Committee. "Students with excellent problem solving skills are vital if Canada is to be competitive in a global economy."

Almost 100 of the top students from the 1999 Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge will be invited to write the 2000 Canadian Mathematical Olympiad (CMO). The CMO is Canada's premier mathematics competition organized and administered by the Canadian Mathematical Society. "These top students will be busy honing their problem solving skills as they prepare for the 2000 CMO and try to be one of six students who will be chosen to represent Canada at the 2000 International Mathematical Olympiad in Korea in July", said Dr. Graham Wright, Executive Director, Canadian Mathematical Society. "These valuable enrichment activities are possible because of the many school, college and university teachers who assist on a voluntary basis".

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

or

Dr. Daryl Tingley
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
University of New Brunswick (Fredericton)
(506) 453-4768

Mr. Peter Crippin
Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing
University of Waterloo
(519)888-4567, ext 3480