IMO TEAM MEMBER RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS UK SCHOLARSHIP

OTTAWA, Ontario — Ottawa student James Rickards has received a Blyth Cambridge Commonwealth Trust Scholarship to attend the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom to study mathematics. The value of the scholarship is $150,000 over three years.

James is a grade 12 student at Colonel By Secondary School and a CMS member and is excited for the opportunity to study at the University of Cambridge.

"Cambridge is one of the top universities in the world, and it has a unique way of teaching,” says James. “I am able to completely focus on mathematics, and I will have a great set of mentors and peers."

The scholarship is the culmination of a long list of accomplishments in mathematics for James. By Grade 9, James was participating in math sessions at the University of Ottawa. In Grade 10 his article submission to the scholarly journal The American Mathematical Monthly was accepted for publication, and he placed second in the Sun Life Financial Canadian Mathematical Olympiad, Canada’s premier national advanced mathematics competition. In 2011 James was a member of Math Team Canada to the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), the world championship of mathematics, where he earned a silver medal.

"I feel that my results on math contests and my mathematical paper I had published set me apart from the other scholarship candidates," says James.

James is the third IMO Canadian team member in the past three years to receive a Blyth Scholarship to Cambridge. The 2010 scholarship was awarded to Chen Sun (London), and the 2011 scholarship to Hunter Spink (Calgary), who both participated in the IMO 3 times.

The Canadian IMO team members are selected and supported by the Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS). The CMS organizes intensive training activities to help the students prepare for the competition and covers travel, lodging and other related costs for the team.

About the Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS)

The CMS is the national mathematics organization whose goal is to promote the advancement, discovery, learning, and application of mathematics. The Society's activities cover the whole spectrum of mathematics including: scientific meetings, research publications, and the promotion of excellence in mathematics education at all levels. The CMS annually sponsors mathematics awards and prizes that recognize outstanding achievements.