MSI students test their skills at the Simon Marais Mathematics Competition
On 9 October 2021, ANU students eagerly participated in the 5th annual Simon Marais Mathematics Competition (SMMC).
MSI staff Po Lam Yung, Griff Ware, Agnes Boskovitz, Cale Rankin and PhD student Wenqi Zhang facilitated the organisation of the ANU cohort which saw 40 students compete against students form 53 universities across the world. 16 of these students entered as individuals, and 24 entered as a pair. The competition aims to encourage creative mathematical problem-solving among undergraduate students, identify talented students across the world, forge links between academics, and promote healthy competition among students as well as between universities.
“This competition used to be limited to students from universities in the Asia-Pacific region,” explains Po Lam. “For the first time this year, a "West Division" was introduced, and we included students from Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the UK and South Africa. This year we also saw many more ANU entries as pairs. Many pairs had heaps of fun - the social element in collaborative problem solving seemed to offer a distinctively enjoyable experience for most pairs.”
Further information about the SMMC can be found on the Simon Marais Mathematics Competition website.