The award ceremony of the 16th S.-T. Yau College Student Mathematics Contest was recently held at the Mong Man Wai Concert Hall of Tsinghua University.

The ceremony was attended by Tsinghua University Vice President Wang Hongwei; Fields Medalist Shing-Tung Yau, the general chairman of the competition, Director of the Yau Mathematical Sciences Center at Tsinghua University, and Dean of the Qiuzhen College; Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and President of the Chinese Mathematical Society Xi Nanhua; Fields Medalist and Tsinghua University Professor Caucher Birkar; Fellow of the Royal Society and Tsinghua University Professor Vladimir Markovic; and, Member of CAS and Fudan University Professor Li Jun.

Wang Hongwei, Shing-Tung Yau, and Xi Nanhua present an award to Li Fanyi.

Wang Hongwei stated that world-class mathematics education is a core element in cultivating innovative talent and serves as a fundamental pillar for building a leading country in science and technology. Tsinghua University will continue to deepen reforms in mathematics education, strengthen fundamental research, promote interdisciplinary innovation, and contribute Chinese wisdom to the global development of mathematics.

Xi Nanhua highlighted the international growth of the contest as a testament to its unique academic appeal. He hopes that the event will continue to play an important role in nurturing outstanding talent for the development of mathematics in China.

Shing-Tung Yau encouraged the students to build a solid foundation, pursue broad and deep knowledge, and have the courage to break disciplinary boundaries and seek conceptual innovation. He hopes that students maintain unwavering perseverance, continue exploring the path of academia, and contribute to the rise of mathematics in China.

This year’s contest was co-hosted by the Yau Mathematical Sciences Center at Tsinghua University and the Shanghai Institute for Mathematics and Interdisciplinary Sciences. Over 3,000 students from more than 500 universities registered for the individual contests, and 62 teams signed up for the team competition.

Students from Tsinghua University, Peking University, the University of Science and Technology of China, Zhejiang University, and other institutions won a total of 68 major awards. Tsinghua University and Peking University jointly received the team gold award. The Tsinghua team won a total of 30 awards, with 27 of them claimed by students from Qiuzhen College.

Li Fanyi, a 2022 undergraduate student from Qiuzhen College, received the Gold Medal in the Individual Overall Award—the "Shing-Tung Yau Award"—as well as the Gold Medal in the Individual Award—the "Wei-Liang Chow Award".

Li Xuanyou, a 2021 undergraduate student, won the Silver Medal in the Individual All-Around Award and the Gold Medal in the Individual Award—the "Shiing-Shen Chern Award".

This year marked the first time the competition was open to undergraduate students worldwide. Nikita Zolin from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology won the Bronze Medal in the Individual Award—the "Pao-Lu Hsu Award".

Over 300 people attended the ceremony, including 33 competition judges, finalists, and faculty and student representatives from more than ten universities.

Editor: Li Han