
Young outstanding mathematical minds will meet in Wrocław!
Is mathematics still the queen of sciences? This question will certainly be answered in the affirmative by young and talented mathematics enthusiasts from all over Poland, who will turn out in large numbers at the University of Wrocław for the 9th Congress of Young Mathematicians.
On 10 September, the 9th Congress of Young Mathematicians – a national conference for mathematically talented secondary school students – will begin at the University of Wrocław.
Congresses of Young Mathematicians have been held since 2004 in various Polish cities. They are co-organised by all major mathematics faculties at Polish universities. Traditionally, since the first edition, the Congress has been held under the patronage of the Spouse of the President of the Republic of Poland.
The host of this year’s 9th edition of the congress is the University of Wrocław. This time the honourary committee includes the Minister of Science and Higher Education, the Mayor of Wrocław, the Marshall of the Lower Silesian Voivodship, the Governor of the Lower Silesian Voivodship, the President of the Polish Mathematical Society and the Rector of the University of Wrocław. The congress is sponsored by the mathematics departments of Polish universities, the University of Wrocław, as well as the mBank Foundation and the Marshal’s Office of the Lower Silesian Voivodship.
The congress will be attended by almost 300 mathematical talents from secondary schools all over Poland invited on the basis of recommendations from the school superintendents and the Main Committee of the Mathematical Olympiad. At the congress they will listen to lectures by eminent mathematicians, take part in mathematical games, give short lectures and visit Hydropolis.
They will be accompanied by more than twenty teachers from all over Poland, as well as volunteers, mainly students from the University of Wrocław and students of university classes from high schools in Wrocław.
Hugo Steinhaus, founder of the Lviv mathematical school and, after World War II, founder of the Wrocław scientific community, used to say that his greatest mathematical discovery was … Stefan Banach – the greatest Polish mathematician. Thus, although the lectures of the Congress of Young Mathematicians will be understandable to non-specialists, and the vast majority of participants have not yet come of age, it cannot be ruled out that the effect of the congress will be more significant than that of many professional conferences: the ignition of mathematical passion may result in brilliant theorems or inventions in the future, and the forging of secondary school friendships may turn into cooperation between eminent scholars years later.
Lectures will be given by scholars known not only for their scientific achievements, but also for their talents as popularisers. The speakers will include Krzysztof Ciesielski and Zdzisław Pogoda – authors of many excellent books popularising mathematics on which several generations of students have been brought up.
The titles of some of the lectures sound intriguing:
- O klasyfikacji: od wielościanów do klasyfikacji wszechświatów,
- Domino, skarby Azteków i koło podbiegunowe,
- Rach, ciach, czyli jak możemy wymienić się tajemnicą.
Detailed information can be found on the congress website.