Belfast High School students meet university challenge

They were among more than 100 A-Level students from 30 schools across Northern Ireland.

They had to answer several rounds of tough questions set by the university’s School of Mathematics and Physics.

Congratulating the students on their achievement, the Employement and Learning Minister Stephen Farry said: “It is refreshing to be here today to witness so many young people enjoying the challenges set by the mathematicians at Queen’s University.

“They have shown tremendous ability during the various rounds of the competition.

“Maths and other STEM subjects have a fundamental role to play in many sectors of the economy. My department works closely with employers in engineering, manufacturing, financial services and ICT, to name but a few, who repeatedly tell us how central maths is to their business.

“Sectors such as these are likely to be key to the future growth of the Northern Ireland economy. They have the potential to provide quality career opportunities and so it is vital that our young people equip themselves with the right skills now, to be able to take advantage of these opportunities in the future.”

The organiser of the competition, Dr Daniel Dundas from the School of Mathematics and Physics, added: “The ability of students taking part in the competition every year always impresses us. In the first few years we were worried that the questions were too difficult but that notion quickly disappeared when some teams started scoring full marks.

“This is a real credit to the students and their schools but it means it’s more of a challenge to set the questions.”