Tianyue Zheng finds mathematics difficult but that’s why the Smiths Hill High School student loves the subject so much.
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The year 12 student more commonly referred to as Ellen Zheng is also a quite talented mathematician.
In fact she is the only NSW student chosen in Australia’s team of four to compete in the 2018 European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO).
The seventh annual EGMO will be held in Florence, Italy from Monday, April 9 to 15.
There are 36 official European countries taking part in 2018, with Australia one of 16 guest countries attending.
The 52 countries participating this year is a new record for EGMO, which only had 19 participant nations when it started in 2012.
Ellen can’t wait to head to Italy for the first time and test her skills against her international competitors.
“It should be fun. I’m really looking forward to it,” she said.
The 17-year-old spoke to the Mercury before heading to Sydney on Friday night for the formal announcement of the Australian team.
The four-member squad, which also features two Victorian and one Gold Coast student, are set to jet off to Italy on Saturday, April 7.
They will be in Florence for about week, but their competition will be held over two days.
“We will have to answer three problems on each day. It should be interesting,” Ellen said.
Ellen was selected after completing a series of examination papers last year. She also attended two training camps in Melbourne and Sydney this year.
“I really enjoy this type of mathematics and would encourage other students to take it up. It is quite different to what people might think,” she said.
Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
