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Seven schools in the province participated in this second version of the competition on computational mathematics.
With the aim of encouraging the learning of computational mathematics in school communities, the DSALT Group Project ‘Computational Mathematics for Desalination Processes’ (ACT 210087) of ANID, held the second version of its interschool championship.
Last Saturday, November 9, at the Innovation Building of the Concepción campus of the Universidad del Bío-Bío (UBB), the third session of the competition was held, corresponding to the grand final, with the following winners:
- First place: Almondale Lomas School, from Concepción
- Second place: Mozart Schule, from Concepción
- Third place: Colegio Santísima Trinidad, from San Pedro
The competition consisted of three sessions – which began on Saturday, October 19 – in which the competing teams, composed of third and fourth grade students, had to solve various problems in the free OCTAVE program, applying computational mathematics lessons taught by academics from the three universities that make up the DSALT Group Project: U. del Bío-Bío, U. de Concepción and U. Católica de la Santísima Concepción.
The other four schools that were also represented by pairs in the championship were: Colegio Almondale San Pedro de la Paz, Colegio Almondale Valle, Instituto Humanidades and The Wessex School.
“In the framework of the DSALT Ring project, we organized this event with the objective of bringing computational mathematics closer to schools, a discipline that is still little explored and known in the school environment”, commented the director of DSALT, Dr. Ricardo Oyarzúa Vargas, researcher at the Center for Mathematical Modeling of the University of Chile.
“Aware of this reality, we prepared two workshops where we gave the students key tools and concepts necessary for their participation in the final of the championship. During this final, the students solved all the proposed problems, some of them with surprising speed, which was very gratifying for us”, commented the also academic of the Mathematics Department of the UBB.
“I have a very good evaluation of this second version of the interscholastic championship of computational mathematics,” said the dean of the Faculty of Sciences of the UBB, Dr. Juan Bobenrieth Hochfärber.
“I think it is an activity that was needed because we do a mathematics olympiad, but this adds the computational part that develops other skills of young people, so I think it is a very good contribution from the DSALT Ring Project,” said the authority.
One of the members of the champion duo is Leonardo Salinas Fonseca of fourth grade, who explained that “we found out about the championship from a classmate who participated in the UBB Math Olympics and we were invited to this event and it has been quite good”.
“In the three days, the professor touched quite a few interesting topics that one learns later, as he talked a lot about the functionality that these subjects have in real life. It is good that a course or workshop of this kind is being given, as it will help the future innovation of the students themselves,” said Leonardo.
Aníbal Meehrson Bórquez from Santísima Trinidad participated this year for the second time. “It is a good experience, it is fun to participate in this championship and to learn how to use the program, it has its game”, he commented.
“In general terms, we evaluate this version of the championship as highly positive. We observed great enthusiasm and commitment on the part of the participants, who demonstrated a remarkable ability to apply the concepts learned. This response reaffirms the importance of initiatives such as this to foster interest in computational mathematics from an early age”, Dr. Oyarzúa commented .
“Looking ahead, our goal is to continue expanding the scope of this event. This year we added two more schools and, in future editions, we hope to incorporate even more establishments and enrich the activities, thus strengthening the relationship between the school community and the fascinating world of computational mathematics”, emphasized the also member of the Mathematical Engineering Research Center, CI²MA, of the UdeC.
By Iván R. Tobar Bocaz, journalist of the Center for Mathematical Modeling, Concepción.
Posted on Nov 14, 2024 in News
