Latest news with #MathOlympiad
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Israel achieves historic best at International Mathematical Olympiad, securing 6th place globally
This marks a historic milestone for the Israeli mathematics team at the 66th IMO, an event founded in 1959. The Israeli contingent competed against 639 students, demonstrating unprecedented success. Israel's National Mathematics Team has achieved its most successful result in the country's history of participation in the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), bringing home a remarkable six medals from the prestigious global competition held this year in Australia. All six team members earned medals, including four gold, one silver, and one bronze, propelling Israel to an impressive 6th place among 110 participating countries worldwide. This marks a historic milestone for the Israeli mathematics team at the 66th IMO, an event founded in 1959. The Israeli contingent competed against 639 students, demonstrating unprecedented success. 12th grader Raz Dvora, a Rehovot resident and a 12th grader at De Shalit High School, 12th grader Eithan Grinzaid from Petah Tikva and a student at Ehad Ha'Am High School, 11th grader Shahar Blumentzvaig from Modi'in, a student at Atid Los Science High School, and Rehovot resident Yotam Nudnik, an 11th grader at De Shalit High School, all took home gold medals from the Math Olympiad. Nadav Dan Tamari, a 12th grader from Ramat Gan and a student at Ohel Shem High School took home the silver medal, and 12th grader Ariel Doron, a resident of Ramat Hasharon studying at Kfar Hayarok, took home the bronze medal. The preparation of Israel's national science teams for international Olympiads is spearheaded by the Israel's Education Ministry and the Maimonides Fund's Future Scientists Center. The team were trained at the Weizmann Institute of Science The mathematics team underwent rigorous training at the Weizmann Institute of Science, under the leadership of Academic Director Dr. Dmitry Novikov and Head Coach Lev Radzivilovsky. The delegation was led by Dr. Dan Carmon, supported by trainers Daniel Kaner, Giora Shvidler, and Ronel Lakker. Education Minister Yoav Kisch, praised the students' achievements: "Within one week, Israel's students reminded the world — and ourselves — what's possible when an education system believes in excellence and nurtures it consistently.' He noted that following the recent victory in chemistry, the mathematics team "set a new benchmark with four gold medals and a record-breaking ranking — an achievement unmatched since Israel began participating in the Olympiad.' Kisch attributed these results to "not only extraordinary students... but a clear educational vision, a strong partnership between the Education Ministry, the Future Scientists Center, and the Weizmann Institute, and above all, a deep commitment to giving our students the tools to break boundaries.' He concluded, "This is not just a week of success — rather the forward movement of an entire system.' Yarom Ariav, Chairman of the Maimonides Fund's Future Scientists Center, described the accomplishment as "an historic and inspiring achievement that places Israel at the forefront on the stage of global mathematics.' He congratulated the team and their trainers for instilling a sense of national pride and affirmed the center's commitment to continue working with the Education Ministry and academic institutions to provide advanced tools and opportunities for Israel's future generation. Prof. Alon Chen, President of the Weizmann Institute of Science, lauded the team's accomplishment as "truly outstanding," calling it "a testament to the talent, hard work, and learning spirit of our youth, and to the tremendous potential they hold.' He expressed pride in the Weizmann Institute's role in the team's scientific training, viewing the nurturing of tomorrow's scientific leadership as both a privilege and a mission. Prof. Chen emphasized that such achievements "go far beyond medals — they are milestones pointing to a future where Israel continues to lead, innovate, and shape the global stage.' 'I felt immense pride and a great honor to represent the State of Israel at the International Mathematical Olympiad, especially during this period we are in. I had the opportunity to meet and connect with people from all over the world who, just like me, love mathematics,' Gold medalist Eithan Ginzaid told the Jerusalem Post. 'Participating in the Olympiad, competing against students from 110 countries, and winning a gold medal are experiences I will never forget. For many years, I dedicated myself fully to reach this exciting moment!' Solve the daily Crossword
Gizmodo
21-07-2025
- Business
- Gizmodo
Google and OpenAI Chatbots Claim Gold at International Math Olympiad
Artificial intelligence models developed by Google's DeepMind team and OpenAI have a new accolade they can add to their list of achievements: they have defeated some high schoolers in math. Both companies have claimed to achieve a gold medal at this year's International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), one of the toughest competitions for high school students looking to prove their mathematical prowess. The Olympiad invites top students from across the world to participate in an exam that requires them to solve a number of complex, multi-step math problems. The students take two four-and-a-half-hour exams across two days, tasked with solving a total of six questions in total with point values assigned for completing different parts of the problems. Models from DeepMind and OpenAI both solved five out of the six answers perfectly, scoring a total of 35 out of 42 possible points, which was enough for gold. A total of 67 human participants of the 630 taking part also took home the honor of gold. There's one little tidbit that doesn't really have anything to do with the results, just the behavior of the companies. DeepMind was invited to participate in the IMO and announced its gold on Monday in a blog post, following the organization's release of the official results for student participants. According to OpenAI didn't actually enter the IMO. Instead, it took the problems, which are made public so others can take a crack at solving them, and tackled them on their own. OpenAI announced it had a gold-level performance, which can't actually be verified by the IMO because it didn't participate. Also, the company announced its score over the weekend instead of waiting for Monday (when the official scores are posted) against the wishes of the IMO, which asked for companies not to steal the spotlight from students. The models used to solve these problems participated in the exam the same way the students did. They were given 4.5 hours for each exam and were not allowed to use any external tools or access the internet. Notably, it seems both companies used general-purpose AI rather than specialized models, which previously fared much better than the do-it-all models. A noteworthy fact about these companies' claims to the top spot: Neither model that achieved gold (or, you know, a self-administered gold) is publicly available. In fact, public models did a pretty terrible job at the task. Researchers ran the questions through Gemini 2.5 Pro, Grok-4, and OpenAI o4, and none of them were able to score higher than 13 points, which is short of the 19 needed to take home a bronze medal. There is still plenty of skepticism about the results, and the fact that publicly available models did so poorly suggests there's a gap in the tools that we have access to and what a more finely-tuned model can do, which rightfully should result in questions as to why those smarter models can't be scaled or made widely available. But there are still two important takeaways here: Lab models are getting better at reasoning problems, and OpenAI is run by a bunch of lames who couldn't wait to steal glory from some teenagers.
The Citizen
18-06-2025
- Science
- The Citizen
SA pupils grab first place at Pan African Mathematics Olympiad
Members of South Africa's team also claimed claimed top individual medals at the maths olympiad. South Africa's team of six pupils impressed at the Pan African Mathematics Olympiad (PAMO) this year. The event was hosted by the Mathematical Association of Botswana at the University of Botswana. The South African team claimed top individual medals and the overall first-place. This year's competition focused on testing the young minds across six problems. These included algebra, geometry, number theory and combinatorics. SA bags gold, silver and bronze at maths olympiad Countries were ranked by the combined scores of their six contestants. South Africa claimed first place, followed by Tunisia and Côte d'Ivoire. Team South Africa excelled with three gold medalists. They were Erik Senekal (Grade 11, Hoërskool Menlopark), James Prins (Grade 12, South African College High School) and Noah Greenblatt (Grade 11, King David High School). Silver medals were claimed by Olivia Castleden (Grade 9, Somerset College) and Ruth Trimble (Grade 11, Pinelands High School), while WanRu Zhou (Grade 11, Parklands College) took home bonze. In the Girls' Division of the Math Olympiad, Ruth Trimble earned gold. Olivia Castleden took silver and WanRu Zhou got bronze. Prof Seithuthi Moshokoa, Executive Director of the South African Mathematics Foundation, said: 'I am very proud of Team South Africa's achievements. Their dedication, resilience and innovative thinking exemplify our mission to nurture mathematical talent and empower our educators and learners.' ALSO READ: Not adding up: More than 400 schools don't teach Mathematics How it works The award ceremony on 17 June was opened by Professor Karam Aloui, the Associate Professor of Mathematics at the University of Tunis EI Manar and Executive Secretary of the PAMO committee. 'Our aim is to challenge creativity and rigorous reasoning in equal measure,' Prof Aloui said. Wise words from the winning team Three members of the South African team shared encouraging advice to students who want to take part in the Mathematics Olympiad. Olivia Castleden: 'To people who want to participate in the maths olympiad, I suggest that they just go for it. By just writing the first round, they have already gained valuable experience, even if they don't progress to the next round.' Erik Senekal: 'Always see an opportunity to learn – approach each problem as a chance to discover something new. Write the math olympiad not just to compete, but also to learn and grow through the process.' Noah Greenblatt: 'Curiosity can be very powerful. I encourage young learners to explore ideas and concepts in which they show interest to the fullest extent. Enjoying this exploration is not only fulfilling but can also strengthen creativity and problem-solving ability. Additionally, there is truly no substitute for hard work when it comes to improvement.'
Zawya
12-03-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Tutify Champions Mathematical Excellence With SEAMO X 2025
SINGAPORE - Media OutReach Newswire - 12 March 2025 - Tutify Education has proudly supported the global mathematical community through its involvement in the prestigious SEAMO X 2025 competition, held earlier this year. The event began with 30,000 students in the preliminary round and concluded with 1,318 finalists from 22 countries competing in the final round which was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 17 to 20 January 2025. It successfully brought together young minds passionate about mathematics, celebrating their talent and dedication on an international stage. The competition commenced on Saturday morning, with participants engaging in an intense examination designed to test their mathematical prowess. Following the exam, participants were invited to enjoy a cultural tour of the host city, allowing them to unwind and explore the local sights. The event culminated on Sunday evening with a grand gala dinner and awards ceremony, where Coach Leo, a Director of both SEAMO and Tutify Education, personally handed out awards to the top performers, recognising their exceptional achievements in the field of mathematics. SEAMO X 2025 also welcomed distinguished VIP guests, including Ms. Rukmalee Premarathne, Director of Education, Ministry of Education, Sri Lanka, Mr. Elbek Saidov, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Malaysia and several ministers from other countries The competition was organised by Coach Leo with the aim of fostering the exchange of mathematical knowledge across borders, strengthening global cohesion, and assessing Singapore's standing on the world stage of mathematics. Through SEAMO, Tutify Education continues its commitment to supporting initiatives that provide students with opportunities to excel and grow in their academic journeys. Tutify Education is a leading provider of math enrichment in Singapore, offering comprehensive programs designed to nurture and develop students' mathematical abilities. With a strong focus on Math Olympiad training, and specialised PSLE math tuition, Tutify is committed to helping students excel in their academic pursuits. Through tailored mathematics tuition and expert guidance, Tutify aims to build a solid foundation for students while preparing them for competitive challenges and examinations, fostering a passion for mathematics that lasts a lifetime. Looking ahead, the SEAMO X series will continue with SEAMO 2025 (Round 1) taking place in Singapore in August 2025, followed by the global round, SEAMO X 2026 (Round 2), hosted overseas in January next year. Plans for SEAMO X 2026 are already underway, ensuring the competition's continued growth on the international stage. For more information, please visit Hashtag: #Tutify The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Tutify
