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News 2023
International Mathematical Olympiad
Three students who represented Ireland at the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) were honoured at a special reception at UCC recently.
Fionn Kimber O’Shea, Emily Wolfe, and Owen Barron, took part in UCC's Maths Enrichment programme and were part of the Irish team who competed in Chiba, Japan last July.
Fionn is a fifth year student in the Christian Brothers College, Cork; Emily is a sixth year student in Bruce College, Cork and Owen is a third year student in Coláiste an Spioraid Naoimh, Cork.
The UCC Maths Enrichment programme is led by Dr Anca Mustata, with the support of Dr Kevin Hayes (Head of School) and Dr Tom Carroll (Head of Discipline – Mathematics), whose dedication enabled Fionn, Emily, and Owen to reach such a high level on the global mathematics stage.
Fionn, Emily and Owen competed against peers from around the world to solve challenging problems, with 618 participants from 112 countries and regions attending the Olympiad.
Fionn Kimber O'Shea received a bronze medal for three perfect solutions to problems 1, 4 and 5 in the competition. Fionn has been training with the UCC Mathematics Enrichment for three years and participated in three IMOs so far.
The 2023 competition was Emily Wolfe’s second IMO participation and her second Honourable Mention. Emily has also represented Ireland twice in the European Girls Mathematical Olympiad.
This was Owen Barron's first major international competition, and Owen was also one of the five youngest contestants in Ireland’s 36 years of IMO participation.
The success of these students is in no small part due to the dedication of staff from the School of Mathematical Sciences, who in partnership with the Irish Mathematical Trust offer extra-curricular activities for young students of all ages.
Many former IMO participants have gone on to have notable careers, from mathematics and science research prize winners to members of national parliaments (Cedric Villani) or mayors of capital city such as the mayor of Bucharest, Nicusor Dan.
The International Mathematical Olympiad is the World Championship Mathematics Competition for High School students. Running every year since 1959, it is the largest, oldest and the most prestigious scientific Olympiad in the world. Contestants from each country undergo a rigorous selection and training process in their home countries prior to participation in the international event.