Nat'l Mathematical Olympiad team leaves tomorrow

A five-member Bangladesh National Mathematical Team will leave the country tomorrow to compete in the 51st International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) to be held at Astana in Kazakhstan.
The team members are Tarik Adnan Moon of Kustia Govt College, Pranon Rahman Khan of Sylhet MC College, Kazi Hasan Jubayer of Khulna Public College, Nafiza Anzuman of Sylhet Govt Women College and Haque Mumammad Isfaq of Bangladesh Agriculture University College.
Coach Prof Mahbub Majumder will lead the team, said noted academician Prof Jamilur Reza Chowdhury, also the president of the Bangladesh Mathematical Olympiad Committee (BMOC), at a press conference held at a city hotel yesterday.
Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman, its Deputy Editor Anisul Haque, noted academician Dr Muhammad Zafar Iqbal and Dutch-Banagla Bank Managing Director Yasin Ali, among others, were present at the press conference.
Prof Jamilur said the international competition kicked off yesterday but the formal inauguration would be held on Tuesday. The competition would conclude on July 14.
A total of 536 competitors from 105 countries are expected to participate in this year's competition.
In the competition, the participants will have to solve six new and basic mathematical problems for which they will be awarded with Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal on the basis of their merit and performance.
The first IMO was held in Romania in 1959 and Bangladesh became its member in 2004, and has been participating in the competition since 2005.
Two Bangladeshi participants were awarded with Bronze Medal in the last year's competition hosted by Germany in Berlin.
BMOC in cooperation with the Dutch-Bangla Bank launched countrywide mathematical festival (Gonit Utsab) in December last year to select the national team members. A total of 15,000 pre-university level students participated in the competition, and finally five were selected.