5 HS students off to Amsterdam for 2011 Int'l Math Olympiad

Five high school students from the Philippines are off to Amsterdam, The Netherlands on July 12 to compete in the upcoming 52nd International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO).

Kenneth T. Co of Philippine Science High School – Main Campus, Vance Eldric Go of Saint Jude Catholic School, Russelle Guadalupe of Valenzuela City Science High School, Carmela Antoinette S. Lao of Saint Jude Catholic School and Henry Jefferson C. Morco of Chiang Kai Shek College form the Philippine contingent to the Amsterdam IMO in the hope to bring medals for the Philippines.

The Philippine team will be led by Dr. Julius Basilla and Glenn Ong, both from the Mathematical Society of the Philippines (MSP).

Last year’s Philippine campaign to the 51st IMO held at Astana, Kazakhstan yielded a silver medal, courtesy of Lao, and two honourable mentions from Morco and Zheng Rong Wu of Zamboanga Chong Hua High School.

Lao is the first Filipina to win a silver medal in the IMO and only the second Filipino to cup such prestigious award.

The Philippines has been on a roll in netting medals from the IMO since 2008 as it yearly gets at least a bronze medal from the hardest math competition in the world.

Dr. Filma G. Brawner, director of the Department of Science and Technology – Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI), expressed optimism that the Philippine squad to the 2011 IMO will return to the country victorious.

“Victory, not only in terms of getting medals or honourable mentions at the prestigious mathematics competition, but more importantly, in opening doors for our students to challenge and prove to themselves that they are at par with, if not better than, their colleagues abroad,” she said.

Brawner noted that it is the hope as well of DOST-SEI that the students will go into science careers after the competition.

“It is our hope that this experience will inspire you venture into science careers and be part of the dynamic Philippine science community in the future,” she said.

The five were selected from over 3,851 aspiring high school students nationwide who participated in the Philippine Mathematical Olympiad (PMO). The top 20 finalists of the PMO were further winnowed down to five after undergoing rigorous training through the Mathematical Olympiad Science Camp (MOSC), a month long summer training program held at the Ateneo de Manila University and the University of the Philippines – Diliman.

The PMO and the selection of the Philippine delegation to the IMO are jointly undertaken by the MSP and DOST-SEI. (30)

SOURCE: sei.dost.gov.ph

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