The School Mathematics Championship (CMAT, because its acronymn in Spanish) has already turned 13 years. During this period, it has motivated and bringing together thousands of students from all over Chile around mathematics. The result of its growth is that this year it was headquartered in nine regions.
This growth is due to the silent but fundamental work of those who are behind the competition. They are those who make everything works. For this reason, CMAT recognized this year María Inés Rivera, secretary of the direction of Universidad de Chile Center for Mathematical Modeling, and Óscar Mori, in charge of Publications and Warehouse of the Department of Mathematical Engineering.
Both are involved in organizing the championship from the first day.
“I started the school championship when it started with Mr. Jaime San Martín, Mr. Rafael Labarca, and Cecilia Marín,” recalls María Inés. She is in charge of the activity’s logistics: management of rooms and parking lots, preparation of certificates, coordination of meetings and even getting the director’s sign for the 800 diplomas given each year. It’s a work that could not be done without order and attention to detail.
Óscar Mori, meanwhile, generates the material used by CMAT coordinators. The order is key in his job: printing, collating and organizing the tests used by elementary and high school students in the different stages of the contest. “I use to develop this work from April to November each year and since the beginning of the championship,” says Mori.
They feel pride and happiness every time they see a former competitor walking down the Beauchef campus. The championship has become a source of talents for engineering and teaching in mathematics.
“It’s a wonderful thing they did with CMAT, because it’s focused on low-income students who cannot have a private teacher, a pre-university teacher, or the resources to encourage them to study mathematics. It’s a beautiful work. It gives children a motivation to move forward,” says María Inés.
Óscar also thinks about the projections the contest opens to participants: “The championship is important, because it is an activity aimed at students of primary and secondary education, which seeks to encourage interest in mathematics to train future teachers or engineers, who will develop applications for daily life in the future”.
And both are grateful their work has been recognized.
“I am very proud to participate in this team,” says CMM’s secretary.
Mori also responds motivated: “On behalf of myself and the Department of Mathematical Engineering, I am very grateful for making us participate to collaborate with a grain of sand in this project that serves to the education of our schoolchildren.”
