MEDIA RELEASE — June 27, 2008

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Canadian Mathematical Society

MEDIA RELEASE

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June 27, 2008

Six of Canada's top minds in high school mathematics will be in training at Wilfrid Laurier University from June 27th in preparation for the 49th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), which will be held in Madrid, Spain, from July 10-22, 2008.

The Send-off Reception and an interactive demonstration will take place at the Fields Institute, 222 College Street, Toronto, on June 27th, starting at 11:00 am. The team will be attending a special IMO Training Seminar at Wilfrid Laurier University from June 27 to July 9.

Attending the Send-off Reception will be representatives from the Ontario Ministry of Education, the Spanish Consulate, sponsors from both the public and private sectors, the Fields Institute, Wilfrid Laurier University and the Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS).

"These six students have demonstrated the exceptional problem solving skills and creativity that is essential to compete against the very best at the international level," said Dr. Tom Salisbury, President of the Canadian Mathematical Society, the organization responsible for the selection and training of Canada's IMO team. "They represent the best of our students and will be excellent ambassadors for Canada."

The Canadian IMO team members - including four from Ontario and two from Alberta - were selected from among more than 200,000 students in grades 7-12 who participated in local, provincial and national mathematics contests. While in Madrid, they will be pitting their skills against more than 540 of the world's best math students from nearly 100 countries.

The 2008 Canadian IMO team consists of Yan (Cynthia) Li, Dr. Norman Bethune Collegiate Institute, Scarborough, Ontario; Alexander Remorov, William Lyon Mackenzie Collegiate Institute, North York, Ontario; Jonathan Schneider, University of Toronto Schools, Toronto, Ontario; XiaoLin (Danny) Shi, Sir Winston Churchill High School, Calgary, Alberta; Chen Sun, A.B. Lucas Secondary School, London, Ontario; and Chengyue (Jarno) Sun, Western Canada High School, Calgary, Alberta.

"Congratulations to these students. The IMO, as an institution, reminds us not only of the creativity of mathematics, but also of its internationalism. The Olympiad competitors will meet students from all over the world, some of whom will become their lifelong friends,” said Dr. Barbara Lee Keyfitz, Director of the Fields Institute. “We are thrilled to host the send-off at Fields.”

The 2008 Canadian IMO Team Leader is Dr. Felix Recio, Senior Lecturer, University of Toronto; the Deputy Team Leader is Mr. Yufei Zhao, a Canadian IMO gold medalist in 2005 and an undergraduate student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and the Deputy Leader Observer is Ms. Lindsey Shorser, a graduate student and lecturer, University of Toronto.

Since 1981, Canadian students have received a total of 16 gold, 35 silver, and 61 bronze medals at the IMO. Last year's team won one silver medal and three bronze in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Six area students will be joining the team for the first part of the training at Wilfrid Laurier University in hopes of becoming future math Olympians.