OTTAWA, Ontario — The Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS) is pleased to announce the results of the 2019 Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge (COMC). The COMC is supported by the Actuarial Profession, particularly the Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS) and the Society of Actuaries (SOA). More than 7,000 students wrote the Open on November 7, 2019. For the 2019 COMC, in partnership with the Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network (ASDAN – Beijing), more than 1000 high school students in China registered to write the competition.
The COMC is the initial qualifier for the Canadian Mathematical Olympiad (CMO), which will take place on March 12, 2020. Students can also qualify to write the CMO through a Repêchage competition which will take place between February 12 and 19, 2020. The COMC also provides opportunities for selection to the Canadian Team to the European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO). CMS-COMC Committee Chair, Dr. Robert Woodrow (Calgary) says:
The problems of the 2019 contest were well received by students, with the median grade rising to 32/80, a significant increase from last year. But the problems also challenged students—no one wrote a perfect paper. Marking the papers is always interesting, since students come up with very novel and creative solutions that the creators of the competition did not foresee. Congratulations to all who participated. We look forward to seeing some of the students write again next year.
The Society entered into a joint sponsorship agreement with the CAS and the SOA in 2017 which encompasses the CMS competition cycle, beginning with the COMC and ending with the International Mathematical Olympiad.
More than 360 high schools participated in the competition, which was marked electronically using Crowdmark again this year.
2019 COMC Winners
Canadian Students
| Gold | Edgar Wang, Marianopolis College, Westmount, QC |
| Silver | Thomas Guo, Phillips Exeter Academy, United States |
| Bronze | Tiger Che, SpringLight Education Institute, United States |
| Michael Li, Marc Garneau C.I., Toronto, ON | |
| Ethan Liu, University of Toronto Schools, Toronto, ON | |
| Honourable Mentions | Warren Er Bei, Sir William Osler Elementary School, Vancouver, BC |
| Andrew Dong, Centennial C. & V.I., Guelph, ON | |
| Tian-Hua Jiang, MEC Math Enrichment Centre, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON | |
| Tianqi Jiang, MEC Math Enrichment Centre, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON | |
| Evan Lu, Hon. Vincent Massey S. S. , Windsor, ON | |
| Eric Shen, University of Toronto Schools, Toronto, ON | |
| Hyeonjik Son, A.Y. Jackson S.S., North York, ON | |
| David Tang, University of Toronto Schools, Toronto, ON | |
| Jiangxu Wan, University Hill Secondary School, Vancouver, BC | |
| Boya Yang, Burnaby South Secondary, Burnaby, BC |
International Students
| Gold | Sanjana Das, BASIS Independent Silicon Valley, United States |
| Yike Tang, Jiangsu Tianyi High School, China | |
| Silver | Mason Fang, SpringLight Education Institute, United States |
| Gregory Pylypovych, Bergen County Academies, United States | |
| Bronze | Steven Raphael ICAE, United States |
| Honourable Mentions | Ralph Cao, SpringLight Education Institute, United States |
| Preston Fu, SpringLight Education Institute, United States | |
| Shucheng Li, Fudan International School, China | |
| Kevin You, SpringLight Education Institute, United States |
For more information on top scorers in each province and different grade levels, click here.
About the Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS)
Founded in 1945, the Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS) promotes the advancement, discovery, learning and application of mathematics. The CMS promotes mathematics through a rich array of activities including scientific meetings, publications, awards, prizes, grants, camps and competitions.
For more information on the COMC, please contact:
| Dr. Robert Woodrow Chair, CMS-COMC Committee Dept. Of Mathematics, University of Calgary Tel: (403) 220-6325 woodrow@ucalgary.ca | or | Sarah Watson Manager, Meeting & Events Canadian Mathematical Society Tel: (613) 733-2662 ext. 733 comc@cms.math.ca |
