DPS Modern Indian School wins Carnegie Mellon Qatar Pi Day competition

340 students from 85 schools in Qatar compete in annual mathematics competition

The team from DPS Modern Indian School in Doha won the top prize for 2024 Pi Day Mathematics Competition at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q). The second place team was from DPS Monarch International School, with Mesaieed International School and Doha British School rounding out the top four.

The CMU-Q Pi Day Mathematics Competition is an annual event that challenges the mathematical skills of high school students in Qatar. This year, 340 students from 85 schools in Qatar participated. Prizes were sponsored by Abu Issa Holding, a strategic partner of CMU-Q.

Michael Trick, dean of CMU-Q, emphasized the importance of a strong mathematical foundation: “Developing a strong understanding of mathematics in high school is fundamental to so many fields in higher education. Congratulations to each student for taking up this challenge, and I hope all of them continue to explore math.”

The preliminary round of the competition took place in February, with students competing in teams of four. 

Zelealem Yilma, associate teaching professor of mathematics, is the chief organizer of the event: “The competition challenges students to apply knowledge, creativity and teamwork in a way that’s a little different from their regular mathematical studies. Year after year, I am so pleased to see so many students test their skills this way.” 

The final round took place the week of March 14 (3/14), which is affectionately known as Pi Day in math circles. Pi represents the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, an irrational number rounded to 3.14. Pi Day is embraced by mathematicians and educators worldwide as an opportunity to celebrate and encourage learning in mathematics.