Competition. Drives. Innovation. 

During the Cold War, the Space Race (1960’s) between the United States and the Soviet Union drove innovations in science and mathematical education. Both superpowers invested heavily in educational programs aimed at training scientists, engineers, and mathematicians to support their respective space programs. The byproduct of this competition had far-reaching impacts within the education industry which are still appreciated to this day, such as the advancements and prevalence of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S.T.E.M.) education, the development of new teaching methods and materials, and the increased number of equal employment opportunities. 

In the same spirit of innovation and advancing frontiers, the School of Mathematical Sciences organised a school-level, 3Min Thesis Competition. The objective of the competition was to provide a platform to empower participants to better present their passions to experienced members of academia and broaden the reach of the participants’ research and impacts. 

Chaired by Deputy Dean (Research and Sustainability) Dr. Huey Tyng Cheong and judged by a panel consisting of Dean Prof. Chee Kit Ho, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jason Ng, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Katta Ramesh, Assoc. Prof. Jane K. L. Teh and Dr. Guo Chuan Hao, the challenge posed to postgraduate research students was to present their thesis projects under three minutes using only one static slide.

Participants W.M.A. Wan Ruzali, Indranil Ghosh and Jourdan D'orville, were judged on several criteria; their ability to effectively explain their advanced thesis in rudimentary terms and how creatively they utilised the space of only one static slide to convey their ideas. After much deliberation, Jourdan D'orville was decided as the winner and will proceed to represent the School of Mathematical Sciences in the upcoming university-wide competition, Sunway University 3Min Thesis Competition, held during Sunway University’s Research Engagement Week. 

Jourdan’s project explores the preservation and counting of monochromatic Schur triples in modular arithmetic, focusing on r-colourings. Building on classical Ramsey theory, the study investigates modular generalizations of Schur triples, aiming to address gaps in understanding their existence and frequency across multiple colours and moduli in combinatorics and number theory. 

The School of Mathematical Science is proud to have received the level of dedication from the participants, judges and organisers. This event would not be possible without your contributions. Once again, congratulations Jourdan D'orville! 

Associate Professor Dr Jason Ng Wei Jian
School of Mathematical Sciences
Email: [email protected]