On 25 February 2023, the University of Luxembourg organised the second edition of the Math Day, a mathematical competition followed by a workshop for high-school students. The event gathered around 70 pupils on Belval campus during a day full of challenges and exchanges in mathematics.

After an introduction by Prof. Antonella Perucca from the Department of Mathematics who initiated the project, high-school students participated in a two-hour competition consisting of exercises that involved various aspects of mathematical reasoning. The exercises (which are now available on the Math Day website) were adapted according to the high-school level of the students: Junior, Intermediate and Senior.

During the afternoon, divided into small groups, the pupils had the opportunity to find out about the competition's solutions and exchange with mathematicians in an interactive way. Róbert Freud, former professor within the Department of Algebra and Number Theory at Eötvös Loránd University and internationally renowned for his contribution to mathematical Olympiads shared his passion with high-school students.

Then, the winners were announced and rewarded.

Junior category

• Houxun Chen, Gold 2023
• Anna Fragao, Silver 2023
• Milán Gáspár, Bronze 2023 

Intermediate category

• Antonia Ottaviani, Gold 2023
• Kinji Yoshida, Gold 2023
• Emma Galik, Bronze 2023
• Charleen Krebber, Bronze 2023 

Senior category

• Michèle Voncken, Gold 2023
• Louise Bernier, Silver 2023
• Steve Mendeleev, Silver 2023

Students really enjoyed this day: “I really like doing the exercises as it was not pure calculation but more about logic. I also enjoyed understanding the answers and explanations from the professors”, comments Antonia from the Ecole Européenne Mamer. “It was really great, my favourite part was the workshops as we had the chance to learn new things and exchange with mathematicians”, says Michèle from the Lycée Nic-Biever. “The small size of the group during the afternoon was perfect thus we could really participate and meet new people”, adds Charleen from the Lycée Michel Rodange.

To conclude the event, Prof. Antonella Perucca thanked all the participants and stakeholders and already invited the students to join two oncoming events: Data Science Summer School (17-19 July 2023) and MathTime (4-6 September 2023).

More information: https://math.uni.lu/mathday