The Australian Maths Trust (AMT) and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) have signed a partnership agreement that will support the continued growth and development of student engagement with computer science in Australia.
As part of the agreement, AMT’s Informatics (Computer Science) Olympiad selection school and training programs will be hosted at the UNSW Kensington campus for the next three (3) years. UNSW is providing the program with accommodation, computer labs, teaching rooms and print services through the partnership.
Another key element of the program will help AMT expand its Informatics program to support the identification and training of young Australian women to participate in the European Girls’ Olympiad in Informatics (EGOI).
The arrangement was developed between AMT and UNSW School of Computer Science and Engineering (Faculty of Engineering).
“Mathematics is an enabling discipline for Computer Science, and proficiency in Mathematics will be encouraged by this partnership. In particular, CSE is pleased to support female student engagement in Computer Science through this partnership with AMT” says Professor Arcot Sowmya, Acting Head of School at UNSW School of Computer Science and Engineering.
“Our Women in Engineering Mentoring Program has been growing in leaps and bounds, and this partnership will support our efforts in this space”.
AMT CEO Nathan Ford says the deal is a fantastic opportunity to grow interest in mathematics and informatics, which are key pathways for engineering and other STEM industries.
“Through this partnership, our students will have access to world-class facilities and resources to enhance their training. UNSW’s support gives us great operational certainty and allows us to plan for ongoing improvements to the program. We are particularly excited that this partnership will help us start building our EGOI initiative,” he said.
The AMT Maths and Informatics high performance and Olympiad programs are supported by the Department of Industry, Science and Resources through the Science Competition: Mathematics and Informatics Olympiads grant opportunity. The programs also receive support from Optiver, the Trust’s National Sponsor of the Australian Informatics and Mathematical Olympiad Programs.
The informatics high performance program involves a 12-month annual cycle culminating in the selection of the Australian team to attend the International Olympiad in Informatics each year.