In a situation typical of those showcased in the critically acclaimed film X+Y released around Australia today, the top performing high school mathematics and informatics students from around Australia have travelled to Macquarie University in Sydney to participate in Selection Schools from 5 to 17 April.
These Schools teach a variety of advanced problem-solving techniques and places are highly prized. At the end of each School, teams will be selected to represent Australia at this year’s International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) and International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO).
Directed by a BAFTA award winning director and with an all star cast, X+Y is set against the background of the IMO and follows the journey of a student who, like his Australian counterparts, fights for a place on the UK team to represent his country in the IMO. It gives a rare insight into what is an intense and life-changing experience for these brilliant young people.
The Schools are the culmination of an extensive training and selection process. Four students will be selected for the IOI team, and six for the IMO. The successful Olympians will be officially announced and presented with their Australian team blazers at a special ceremony in Parliament House, Canberra, on 15 June.
There is great excitement and anticipation about Australia’s chances this year. In 2014 in a first for Australia, lMO team member, Alex Gunning, achieved a perfect score and a gold medal, tying for first place globally.
In Informatics, the top performer in the 2014 Australian team was 16-year-old Ishraq Huda, who was one of only three in the world to attain a perfect score, Australia’s first IOI perfect score and best individual ranking result, sharing first place with two other students. Australia also scored a second gold medal, with Oliver Fisher achieving our second best ever result, placing 5th in the world.
Both Alex and Ishraq will be attending the Selection Schools, vying for places on this year’s teams.
The IMO and IOI are part of the UNESCO-sanctioned International Science and Mathematics Olympiads, annual worldwide competitions for exceptionally talented secondary school students from more than 100 countries. They are the premier international competitions for students of pre-university level and represent the pinnacle of high school achievement in each discipline.
This will be the 27th IOI, which is the second largest and most recently established of the Olympiads. The IMO is the largest and the oldest, now in its 56th year.
The Olympiads are hosted by a different country each year and this year the IMO will be held in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on 4 – 16 July and the IOI will take place in Amaty, Kazakhstan on 19 – 26 July.
The Australian Mathematics Trust runs the training and selection for the Mathematics and Informatics Olympiad Programs. The Trust’s best-known activity is the annual Australian Mathematics Competition sponsored by the Commonwealth Bank which, together with other competitions, leads to the more talented students participating in these programs.
The Trust’s Executive Director, Mike Clapper, said, “As in the film X+Y, which the Trust has been very pleased to support and promote, these exceptional young people immerse themselves in the love and study of mathematics to achieve to the best of their ability and contribute the fruits of their talent and hard work to the advancement of society. They need to be applauded, treasured and encouraged.”
The AMT is under the trusteeship of the University of Canberra. The Australian Mathematics and Science Olympiads are supported by the Australian Government Department of Education through the Mathematics and Science Participation Program.
These Schools teach a variety of advanced problem-solving techniques and places are highly prized. At the end of each School, teams will be selected to represent Australia at this year’s International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) and International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO).
Directed by a BAFTA award winning director and with an all star cast, X+Y is set against the background of the IMO and follows the journey of a student who, like his Australian counterparts, fights for a place on the UK team to represent his country in the IMO. It gives a rare insight into what is an intense and life-changing experience for these brilliant young people.
The Schools are the culmination of an extensive training and selection process. Four students will be selected for the IOI team, and six for the IMO. The successful Olympians will be officially announced and presented with their Australian team blazers at a special ceremony in Parliament House, Canberra, on 15 June.
There is great excitement and anticipation about Australia’s chances this year. In 2014 in a first for Australia, lMO team member, Alex Gunning, achieved a perfect score and a gold medal, tying for first place globally.
In Informatics, the top performer in the 2014 Australian team was 16-year-old Ishraq Huda, who was one of only three in the world to attain a perfect score, Australia’s first IOI perfect score and best individual ranking result, sharing first place with two other students. Australia also scored a second gold medal, with Oliver Fisher achieving our second best ever result, placing 5th in the world.
Both Alex and Ishraq will be attending the Selection Schools, vying for places on this year’s teams.
The IMO and IOI are part of the UNESCO-sanctioned International Science and Mathematics Olympiads, annual worldwide competitions for exceptionally talented secondary school students from more than 100 countries. They are the premier international competitions for students of pre-university level and represent the pinnacle of high school achievement in each discipline.
This will be the 27th IOI, which is the second largest and most recently established of the Olympiads. The IMO is the largest and the oldest, now in its 56th year.
The Olympiads are hosted by a different country each year and this year the IMO will be held in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on 4 – 16 July and the IOI will take place in Amaty, Kazakhstan on 19 – 26 July.
The Australian Mathematics Trust runs the training and selection for the Mathematics and Informatics Olympiad Programs. The Trust’s best-known activity is the annual Australian Mathematics Competition sponsored by the Commonwealth Bank which, together with other competitions, leads to the more talented students participating in these programs.
The Trust’s Executive Director, Mike Clapper, said, “As in the film X+Y, which the Trust has been very pleased to support and promote, these exceptional young people immerse themselves in the love and study of mathematics to achieve to the best of their ability and contribute the fruits of their talent and hard work to the advancement of society. They need to be applauded, treasured and encouraged.”
The AMT is under the trusteeship of the University of Canberra. The Australian Mathematics and Science Olympiads are supported by the Australian Government Department of Education through the Mathematics and Science Participation Program.
