Summary
Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q) hosted its 10th annual Pi Day Mathematics Competition, welcoming teams from a record-breaking 97 schools across the country. Led by associate teaching professor Zelealem Yilma, the competition is CMU-Q's largest outreach event, promoting creative problem solving and collaboration. Run in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and sponsored by the Alfardan Group's Tariqi scholarship, the event awarded top spots in both Independent and Private school divisions. The story highlights the role of mathematics across CMU-Q's undergraduate offerings.
DOHA, Qatar – Ten years after the first Pi Day Mathematics Competition at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q), the university hosted a record-breaking preliminary round that included teams from 97 schools in Qatar. This is the highest number of participating schools in the decade that CMU-Q has hosted the competition. CMU-Q is a Qatar Foundation partner university.
Around the world, mathematicians, scholars, teachers and students embrace March 14 as Pi Day, an opportunity to celebrate and encourage learning in mathematics. Pi is the symbol π, which represents the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, or approximately 3.14.
Zelealem Yilma is an associate teaching professor of mathematics and one of the original organizers of Pi Day. He has led the organizing team for the last decade.
“Over the years, we have made small changes to make the competition more inclusive and sustainable—providing Arabic language question sets and eco-friendly e-certificates, for example—but at its core this event remains the same. The Pi Day Math Competition celebrates creative problem solving, mathematical skills, and teamwork and collaboration. I am so proud to see that a decade later, the students of Qatar continue to rise to the challenge.”
Pi Day continues to be the largest outreach event at CMU-Q, drawing hundreds of students each year. The competition is held in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, which encourages participation from government schools. The Alfardan Group continues its support as a prize sponsor through the Tariqi scholarship program.
The top four teams from each division were:
- Independent Schools Division: Al Wukair Secondary School, Hassan Ibn Thabit Secondary School, Qatar Sciences and Technology Secondary School for Boys, and Tariq Bin Ziyad Secondary School for Boys.
- Private Schools Division: Birla Public School, Doha British School, DPS Modern Indian School, and Parkhouse English School.
Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar offers undergraduate programs in five disciplines, all of which require proficiency in mathematics and quantitative reasoning: artificial intelligence, biological sciences, business administration, computer science and information systems. All students take required mathematics courses, and they also have the option to take advanced electives or to pursue a minor in mathematical sciences.
