May 28, 2013
Math Team Canada 2013 chosen for International Mathematical Olympiad
Canada’s top math students selected for International Mathematical Olympiad
OTTAWA, Ontario — The Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS) is pleased to announce the selection of Math Team Canada 2013. This year, six students will travel to Santa Marta, Colombia and compete for Canada in the 54th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), from July 18-28.
BACKGROUND
The International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) is the world championship high school mathematics competition. The IMO began in 1959 in Romania with seven participating countries. This year, at the 54th IMO, Math Team Canada 2013 expects to be competing against the world’s best students from over 100 countries. Canada has brought home a total of 23 gold, 44 silver and 75 bronze medals since first competing in 1981.
The members of this year’s team are:
- Calvin Deng, North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (Cary, NC)
- Zhiyao (John) Ma, Interlake High School (Bellevue, WA)
- ZhuoQun Alex Song, Phillips Exeter Academy (Waterloo, ON resident)
- Daniel Spivak, Bayview Secondary School (Toronto, Ontario)
- Kevin Sun, Naperville Central High School (Naperville, IL)
- Alexander Whatley, North Houston Academy (Houston, TX)
The members of Math Team Canada were selected primarily based upon their scores on the Sun Life Financial Canadian Mathematical Olympiad (CMO) – Canada’s premiere national mathematics competition, organized each year by the CMS. Student scores from the Asian Pacific Mathematical Olympiad (APMO) and the United States of America Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO) were also taken into consideration.
“Students who are selected as part of Math Team Canada must demonstrate an exceptional level of mathematical skill,” said CMS President, Keith Taylor. “Last year, Math Team Canada placed fifth on the international stage. This year’s team has a lot of familiar faces and I am sure they will continue to represent Canada at the highest level.”
Math Team Canada, along with their coaches and trainers, will attend an intensive two week training camp at the Banff International Research Station (BIRS) in Banff, Alberta. Here, they will spend the majority of their time studying topics that are likely to come up on the IMO exam.
“Canada first started competing at the IMO in 1981 and we have consistently put forth teams who bring home medals,” said Robert Morewood, Chair of the CMS committee that selected this year’s IMO team. “The IMO is a lot like the Olympic Games – a great deal of training and dedication goes into preparing the students to answer Olympiad level questions.”
For more information, please contact:
|
Dr. Robert Morewood, Chair Chair, IMO Committee Canadian Mathematical Society 604-434-6284 RMorewood@oLc.ubc.ca |
or |
Jessica St-James Communications and Special Projects Officer Canadian Mathematical Society (613) 722-2662 ext. 728 commsp@cms.math.ca |
About the Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS)
The CMS is the main national organization whose goal is to promote and advance the 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 competitions that recognize outstanding student achievements.
