OTTAWA, Ontario -- Eight students earn top honours and eighteen students are provincial champions in the SIXTH 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). Over 4000 students from all across Canada participated in the sixth Open on November 28, 2001. Students had to solve 12 questions during the two and one-half hour time limit.

"The Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge is designed to motivate students who have done some enrichment study beyond their regular classroom work 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 2002 Canadian Mathematical Olympiad written on March 27, 2002"

Prize Winners: The top eight winners in the 6^th Open are:

Leonid Chindelevitch, Marianopolis College, Montreal, QC; Brian Choi, Markville Secondary School, Markham, ON; Tianyi Han, Woburn Collegiate Institute, Toronto, ON; Xiaoxuan Jin, Vincent Massey Secondary School, Windsor, ON; Henry Pan, East York Collegiate Institute, Toronto, ON; Wei Lung Tseng, Yale Secondary School, Abbotsford, BC; Samuel Wong, University Hill Secondary School, Vancouver, BC; Xin Zhang, Woburn Collegiate Institute, Toronto, ON.

For outstanding performance in the COMC, the top contestants in a region are selected as the Provincial Gold Medalist. The 2001 Open Provincial Gold Medalists are:

Robert Barrington Leigh, Old Scona Academic High School, Edmonton and Charles Li, Western Canada High School, Calgary, Alberta; Wei Lung Tseng, Yale Secondary School, Abbortsford and Samuel Wong, University Hill Secondary School, Vancouver, British Columbia; Michael Hirsh, St. John's-Ravenscourt School, Winnipeg, Manitoba; Yihao Shen, Saint John High School, Saint John, New Brunswick; Nithum Thain, Prince of Wales Collegiate Institute, St. John's, Newfoundland; Timothy Kusalik, Queen Elizabeth High School, Halifax, Nova Scotia; Brian Choi, Markville Secondary School, Markham, Ontario Central; Chris Francis, Moira Secondary School, Belleville, Ontario East; Tianyi Han, Woburn Collegiate Institute, Toronto and Henry Pan, East York Collegiate Institute, Toronto and Xin Zhang, Woburn Collegiate Institute, Toronto, Ontario Metro; Ryan Holm, St. Ignatius High School, Thunder Bay, Ontario North; Xiaoxuan Jin, Vincent Massey Secondary School, Windsor, Ontario West; Michael Gauthier, Charlottetown Rural High School, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; Leonid Chindelevitch, Marianopolis College, Montréal, Québec; Mark Maxson, Evan Hardy Collegiate Institute, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

"All the winners have done remarkably well on a very challenging competition and have 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 the 21^st Century."

Approximately 50 of the top students from the 2001 Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge were invited to write the 2002 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 2002 CMO and try to be one of six students who will be chosen to represent Canada at the 2002 International Mathematical Olympiad in Glasgow, Scotland in July", said Dr. Graham Wright, Executive Director, Canadian Mathematical Society. "These valuable enrichment activities are only possible because of the voluntary help received from many school, college and university teachers."

The 2001 results, questions and solutions are available at: http://cemc.uwaterloo.ca/contest_results/2001-2002contest_results.html

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

OR

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

OR

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