EDMONTON STUDENT RECEIVES TOP NATIONAL MATH AWARD

Mariya Sardarli Awarded the Sun Life Financial Cup

Jacques Hurtubise, Mariya Sardarli
and Robin Rankine

OTTAWA, Ontario — The Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS) and Sun Life Financial jointly presented Mariya Sardarli with the Sun Life Financial Cup at the CMS Summer Meeting in Edmonton, Alberta. The award recognizes the first prize standing in the Sun Life Financial Canadian Mathematical Olympiad (CMO), Canada's premier national mathematics competition for high school students.

"The CMO is a very demanding advanced competition requiring substantial rigor, discipline and skill from the very best math students across Canada" said Jacques Hurtubise, President of the CMS. "Mariya's first place result is a really notable accomplishment and an indication of her incredible knowledge and talent."

"Mathematics is at the heart of Sun Life Financial's business and, in fact, of every business in the world - it is increasingly more valuable in today's workplace and will be even more essential in the workplace of tomorrow," noted Robin Rankine, Financial Centre Manager, Sun Life Financial, in his opening remarks at the awards ceremony. "There is no doubt that students like Mariya who compete in CMS national competitions will be the leaders in the boardrooms of Canada's leading companies in the near future."

Mariya is currently a Grade 11 student at Strathcona High School (Edmonton, AB) and will be attending Princeton University in the fall to study mathematics. She has been participating in mathematics competitions since Grade 7. In addition to her CMO win, she received a perfect score in the 2010 Sun Life Financial Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge (COMC) and was a member of this year's 'Math Team Canada 2011' competing in the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) from July 16-24 in Amsterdam.

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About the Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS)

The CMS is the national mathematics organization whose goal is to promote the advancement, discovery, learning, and application of mathematics. The Society's activities cover the whole spectrum of mathematics including: scientific meetings, research publications, and the promotion of excellence in mathematics education at all levels. The CMS annually sponsors mathematics awards and prizes that recognize outstanding achievements.