Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science (LKC FES) students won third prize and consolation prizes at the final round of the Olimpiad Matematik Universiti Malaysia (OMUM) 2024 competition, held on 8 June 2024 at Universiti Putra Malaysia.

Under the guidance of LKC FES academic Mr Loh Wing Son and CFS academic Ms Kong Jee Kim, Chong Ren Hao, a third-prize winner from the Bachelor of Science (Honours) Actuarial Science programme, received a cash prize of RM400, a trophy, and a certificate of merit. Consolation prize winners Pang Shi Jie and Low Lik How, both from the Bachelor of Science (Honours) Applied Mathematics with Computing programme, were awarded a cash prize of RM100 and a certificate of achievement each. The prize-giving ceremony took place on 5 July 2024.

The competition sought to provide undergraduate students from both public and private universities in Malaysia with the opportunity to participate in the national Mathematics Olympiad tournament. Its goals were to foster and enhance creative mathematical problem-solving skills among Malaysian university students and to identify and nurture potential mathematicians and scientists.

In addition to the students from LKC FES, participants from the Centre for Foundation Studies (CFS) also reached the final round of the competition.

Reflecting on their achievements, the winners remarked, “STEM represents not only Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics but also serves as a structural support for growth, much like a mechanical support for a plant. Our experience in this Olympiad Maths competition will serve as a foundation for future academic and professional endeavours. Participating in OMUM 2024 allowed us to engage in a national-level Olympiad, where we encountered new ideas and mathematical perspectives through problem-solving. Furthermore, the competition honed our ability to tackle complex and demanding mathematical problems and provided us with valuable exposure by interacting with diverse individuals from various backgrounds.”

The Universiti Malaysia Mathematics Olympiad (OMUM), organised by the Institute for Mathematical Research (INSPEM) at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), was first held in 2022. It aims to challenge undergraduate students with high-level math problems to test their mathematical prowess.