7th Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge champions announced

Ottawa, ON — February 12, 2003 — Six students earned top honours and 19 students were provincial champions in the 7th Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge.

The Challenge is organized and administered by the Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS) in collaboration with the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing (University of Waterloo). Almost 6,000 students from across Canada participated in the 7th Challenge on November 27, 2002. Students had to solve 12 questions during the two-and-a-half hour time limit.

“The Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge is designed to motivate students who have done enrichment study beyond their regular classroom work and who are looking for a mathematics enrichment challenge,” says Peter Crippin, University of Waterloo, and chair of the CMS COMC Committee. “In addition, the Open acts as a qualifying paper for the 2003 Canadian Mathematical Olympiad which will be written on March 26.”

The top six winners in the 7th Open are: Olena Bormashenko, Don Mills Collegiate Institute, Don Mills, ON; Ralph, Furmaniak, A.B. Lucas Secondary School, London, ON; John Sun, Vincent Massey Secondary School, Windsor, ON; Nan Yang, Birchmount Park Secondary School, Scarborough, ON; Dongbo Yu, Don Mills Collegiate Institute, Don Mills, ON; Zhongying Zho, Vincent Massey Secondary School, Windsor, ON.

Approximately 75 of the top students from the 2002 Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge are being invited to write the 2003 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 2003 CMO and try to be one of six students who will be chosen to represent Canada at the 2003 International Mathematical Olympiad in Tokyo, Japan in July,” says Dr Graham Wright, Executive Director, Canadian Mathematical Society.