From 28 July to 3 August 2019, a team of four NTU students participated in the International Mathematics Competition (IMC) for University Students, led by Team Leader Dr Fedor Duzhin. Congratulations to the winners!
First Prize: Shi Luozi
Third Prize: Camille Mau, Tang Xiaowei
Honourable Mention: Dong Yunxing
The IMC is an annual competition targeted at students around the world excelling in mathematics. Our students travelled to Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, for this year’s IMC. Competition was fierce, with 360 students from 115 universities around the world taking part. At least a third of these students were former participants of the International Mathematical Olympiad.
The competition is held over two days, with students given five hours to attempt five extremely difficult questions each day. Solving just one question is enough to earn a competitor an Honourable Mention!
Questions come from various topics including real and complex analysis, abstract algebra, probability, and geometry. “The competition is against yourself, not others. What you aim for is to do the best you can, and to learn how to improve. Everyone is very friendly, with a lot of respect for each other,” said Camille Mau, one of the members of the NTU team.
Apart from being a competition, however, the IMC is also a social event that allows top undergraduate mathematicians around the world to interact and socialize. Our students made good use of this opportunity to make friends with mathematics students from many different cultures.
The organisers of this year’s IMC also organised field trips to two tourist attractions in Bulgaria, Rila Monastery and the town of Melnik. “Rila impressed me with its history and architectural style. It gave me a real appreciation for the long history of the Orthodox church,” said Dong Yunxing.
All in all, our students had an enriching and enjoyable experience at the competition. We wish them all the best in their future studies!