University of Wollongong hosts annual ‘Mathalon’
Record 270 students from 40 schools in UAE compete in solving maths problems
Dubai: The annual ‘Mathalon’ challenge hosted by University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) saw a record number of students — 270 from 40 schools — from across the UAE competing in a gruelling marathon to solve complex maths problems.
Teams of Grade 11 and Grade 12 students took on challenging mathematical problems, testing the team’s skills in a range of subject areas, including functions, probability, trigonometry, logarithms and basic geometry.
GEMS World Academy (Team 2) won the senior category and another team (Team 1) from the same school grabbed the second place, with Delhi Private School in third place.
Jumeira Baccalaureate School won the ‘Junior Math Concept’ category, with Al Ain Junior School taking the second place.
Dr Zeenath Khan, assistant professor at UOWD and founder of Mathalon, said: “This contest was founded 12 years ago as a means of encouraging students to take an interest in maths and to make the subject fun. It began as a simple intra-class contest and has since grown into a prestigious inter-school competition, attracting schools from across the UAE. We are very proud of the difference this competition has made in our community, enabling students to pursue studies and careers in this area of interest.”
Dr Tembine, IEEE Next Einstein Fellow at New York University, delivered the keynote address at the opening ceremony and Teacher’s Forum, and enthralled the students and coaches with an interesting presentation on ‘Mathematics and Social Impact’, highlighting the various branches of mathematics and how it impacts our daily lives.
Dr Muna Amr, Associate Professor, spoke about the impact of practising math skills on neurons and how good teaching practices can create such healthy practices in students. She also presented UOWD’s brand new programme, the Master of Educational Studies, a programme designed for individuals who wish to take on high-level and strategic responsibilities in education.
After the competition, the students and teachers participated in a fun, team-building exercise with the Dubai Drums group.
The event, sponsored by Lock & Stock, concluded with the prize giving ceremony, with the top three winning teams receiving scholarships of 50 per cent, 30 per cent and 20 per cent respectively for undergraduate degrees at UOWD.