CMU-Q Faculty Craft Questions for World Math Team Championship

The mathematics faculty at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q) crafted the questions for the first World Math Team Championship held in Qatar. The WMTC 2024 was hosted by Qatar Foundation (QF), and included more than 800 math students from around the world.

The annual WMTC brings together talented young mathematicians from around the world to compete in a rigorous test of mathematical problem-solving skills. CMU-Q faculty have a long record of community outreach in the field of mathematics, including the annual Pi Day Mathematics Competition, the collaboration with QF Math Circle, the Integration Bee for university students and the Exploring Math lecture series. 

The mathematics faculty at CMU-Q includes Teaching Professor and Area Co-Head Hasan Demirkoparan and Associate Teaching Professors Layan El Hajj, Niraj Khare, Anthony Weston and Zelealem Yilma.

"This was the first time that the WMTC was held in Qatar, and we were honored that Qatar Foundation asked us to create the questions for competition," said Yilma, who has served several times as a coach for the WMTC competitors at Qatar Academy. "The WMTC provides a platform for young minds to showcase their talents. We hope the questions we developed offered a challenge and fostered a love of mathematics among the participants."

This year's competition, themed "Algebra and Balancing," honored the legacy of Islamic scholar Al-Khwarizmi, the Father of Algebra. The faculty members created questions that are tailored to students at junior, intermediate and advanced levels.

Math is a key curriculum component for each undergraduate program at CMU-Q. Many students continue their mathematical studies by opting for advanced courses or a minor in mathematical sciences.