Math Team Canada 2014 chosen for International Mathematical Olympiad

Canada’s top math students selected for International Mathematical Olympiad

OTTAWA — The Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS) is pleased to announce the selection of Math Team Canada 2014 – a team of top Canadian high school students. Six members of the team will travel to Cape Town, South Africa to compete in the 55th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) from July 3-13.

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 55th IMO, Math Team Canada 2014 expects to be competing against the world’s best students from over 100 countries. Canada has brought home a total of 25 gold, 46 silver and 77 bronze medals since first competing in 1981.

TEAM BIOGRAPHY

The members of this year’s team are:

• Michael Chow, Albert Campbell Collegiate Institute (Toronto, ON)
• Rong Xin Du, Marc Garneau C.I. (Toronto, ON)
• Caleb Ji, The Bear Creek School (Redmond, WA)
• Antonio Molina Lovett, École Sainte-Anne (Fredericton, NB)
• Qi Qi, Burnaby North Secondary School (Burnaby, BC) (text modified 16/09/14)
• ZhuoQun (Alex) Song, Phillips Exeter Academy (Exeter, NH)
• Kevin Sun, Naperville Central High School (Exeter, NH)
• Alexander Whatley, North Houston School of Science and Mathematics (Houston,TX)
• Yang Rui Zhou, University Hill S.S., (Vancouver, BC)

Students studying in Canada and Canadian students studying abroad were carefully selected based on their performance in a series of national CMS math competitions as well as select international competitions. The adult leaders of Math Team Canada 2014 are:

• Team Leader, Dr. David Arthur, gold medal winner as a Canadian contestant in IMO 2000;
• Deputy Leader, Dr. Dorette Pronk, leader or deputy leader of successful Canadian IMO teams in 2001, 2005, 2009 and 2011; and
• Deputy Observer, Matthew Brennan, gold medal winner as a Canadian contestant in IMO 2012.

The members of Math Team Canada 2014, along with their leaders, will travel to the Banff International Research Station (BIRS) in Banff, Alberta, to participate in a two-week-long intensive training camp. This camp gives the students a chance to practice Olympiad level problems under the guidance of some of Canada’s best IMO trainers and former medal recipients.

“It will be hard for Math Team Canada 2014 to top the high rankings reached by our country in the most recent IMO’s. For example, in the last three years each of the members of Canadian IMO teams has been a medal winner, achieving a total of 18 medals, 6 gold, 5 silver and 7 bronze, out of 18 possible medals. Nevertheless Math Team Canada 2014, with Alex Song (a winner of gold medals for Canada in 2011, 2012 and 2013) and with two more IMO 2013 medal winners among its members, is as strong as any of our previous teams,” said Felix Recio, Chair of the CMS IMO Committee. “I feel confident that the current string of outstanding performances by Canada in the IMO will be continued by the members of our excellent Math Team Canada 2014,”

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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.