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Hopping about math

Author: Communications

Posted on Mar 21, 2016

Category: UNB Saint John

UNB Saint John’s Department of Mathematical Sciences and the Promise Partnership recently hosted the 2016 Canadian Math Kangaroo Contest.

“The purpose of this competition is to introduce students from grade 1 to grade 12 to math challenges in a fun and enjoyable way, thus inspiring their further interest and advancement in mathematics,” says Dr. M.H. Hamdan, the New Brunswick Math Kangaroo Regional Coordinator.

Founded in 1991 in France, the Mathematical Kangaroo was based on an Australian model of a national competition. Its purpose was to provide students with cross-cultural math fun and knowledge.

Math Kangaroo first came to Canada in 2001 and was hosted at a school in Ottawa. As of 2016 it is hosted in 34 locations across Canada.

Math Kangaroo New Brunswick was first hosted in 2015. In that competition, 95 students participated and more 25% of them won national medals. This year, there are more than 100 registrants from all school grades.

“Competitions such as this one, build upon our youth’s interest in math,” says Dr. Robert MacKinnon, Vice-President (Saint John). “It’s important to encourage this natural skill as much as we possibly can.”

The 2016 Canadian Math Kangaroo Contest was held Sunday, March 20, 2016 at the UNB Saint John campus in the Ganong Hall Lecture Theatre.