Saudi girl wins bronze medal in Math Olympiad

A Saudi girl won a bronze medal in the European Girl’s Mathematical Olympiad 2012 conducted at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge University, in the UK. Abrar Al-Sheikh of the Saihat Girls Secondary School in the Eastern Province won the bronze medal on Monday having solved four complex problems in four and a half hours on each day of the two-day event. Sixteen European countries and three non-European countries participated in the Olympiad this year. Each participating country sent a team consisting of its strongest four female mathematicians of school age. The inspiration behind this competition is the Chinese Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad (CGMO) — now an international event. King Abdulaziz and his Companions for the Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba) and the Ministry of Education arranged for the participation of the Saudi team in the event. “Although our ambitions in the EGMO 2012 were far higher, the winning of a bronze medal is a splendid start for our students and we hope that greater accomplishments will follow,” General Supervisor of the Mawhiba’s Olympiad team Abdul Aziz Al-Harithy said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency yesterday. The other two non-European countries that participated in the Olympiad were the Untied States and Indonesia. “This achievement reflects the rapidly growing interest of Saudi girls in science and mathematics,” said Head of the Saudi delegation to the Olympiad Najla Al-Tuwaijri. She added that the Mawhiba selected the Olympiad from participants in several contests held over the past two years who were then intensively trained. The other student members of the team were Doha Al-Jeddawi and Amal Al-Sunaidi. As part of its efforts to prepare Saudi boys and girls for participation in international science talent programs, the Mawhiba selected 82 students in February. The students including girls, who were selected from 12 provinces in the Kingdom, will participate in international summer programs for gifted, talented and creative children conducted in various universities and other institutions abroad in 2012.