Leaving Certificate student Jonathan Peters used his time at the Mathematics Enrichment Programme to train for the prestigious competition. He was one of six selected to represent Ireland at what is often referred to as the Olympics of pre-university mathematics. Jonathan is a student of Presentation Brothers College, Cork. He performed exceptionally well in his Leaving Certificate examinations and hopes to study Maths Science at UCC.

Over 500 students took part in the 2012 event, spending two days immersed in complex maths problems.

“It is very encouraging to see that Jonathan’s hard work during his three years of participation in the Programme has paid off through his excellent result at the world’s most important mathematics competition for pre-university students” said Anca Mustata, a lecturer with the School of Mathematical Sciences.

Founded in 1987 by Dr Donal Hurley and Prof Finbarr Holland, the Programme has run continuously ever since. In true community spirit, staff from the School of Mathematical Sciences volunteer in tandem with UCC mathematics students to help nurture rising stars. Many of the participants go on to choose related courses in UCC as their next step in formulating a successful career.

Speaking on his time with the Programme, Jonathan said “The excitement that I get from maths, more than the thrill of problem-solving, is being shown the underlying principles at work. My enjoyment of Probability in school was greatly complemented by having all the combinatoric principles derived for me during the math enrichment classes. Knowing why the various formulas worked allowed me to enjoy it directly.”

“Getting the Honourable Mention was the kind of dream which seemed just out of reach. I seem to remember hopping up an down in a very immature way, much like I did when I first got the call that I had made the team.”

Another exciting development is Maths Circles, which aims to be the catalyst to sparking interest in maths at an even earlier age. It seeks to boost the problem-solving skills of students in the Junior Cycle. Having benefited from a NAIRTL grant in its inaugural year, it has been successfully run in twelve schools throughout the Cork region. A collaborative project between personnel from the Tyndall Institute, the UCC School of Mathematical Science, Douglas Community School, the Cork Maths Centre and Cork Institute of Technology, the organisers are now seeking sponsorship to further develop the initiative.

For queries on the UCC Maths Enrichment Programme, contact Anca Mustata at the School of Mathematical Sciences at: a.mustata@ucc.ie or on: (353) 21420 5852.

For queries on Maths Circles, contact David Goulding at: contact@mathscircles.ie