“Logical thinking and open-mindedness not only help students solve problems in mathematics but in real life as well,” said the dignitaries during the inaugural ceremony of the three-day Mathematics Problem Solving Camp held at the IIT Bhubaneswar today.
The camp was inaugurated by Prithiviraj Harichandan, Minister of Law, Works, Excise, Government of Odisha and Dr. Mukesh Mahaling, Minister of Electronics & Information Technology, Health and Family Welfare, Parliamentary Affairs, Government of Odisha, in the presence of Prof. Shreepad Karmalkar, Director, IIT Bhubaneswar.
The residential camp is being organised by the Institute for Undergraduate Students in association with the Madhava Mathematics Competition, Dhuriapada Anka Foundation (Bhubaneswar), Institute of Mathematics and Applications (Bhubaneswar), Indian National Young Academy of Science (New Delhi) and IIT Bhubaneswar Research and Entrepreneurship Park.The objective of the camp is to identify, nurture and prepare a pool of brilliant mathematicians who shall take the lead in the scientific and education landscape of our country when Odisha will be completing her 100 years of Swatantrya in 2036. The special focus is on government-run colleges in rural areas and socially, economically and educationally backward districts of Odisha and to assist them for taking up and excelling in higher education.
Speaking on the occasion, Hon’ble Minister Shri Prithiviraj Harichandan stressed on the importance of logical analysis and open-mindedness in solving the problems of life as they do in the case of solving problems of mathematics. He also appreciated the initiative to provide a platform for young mathematicians of the State to harness their knowledge and skills under the guidance of experts.
In his address, Minister Dr. Mukesh Mahaling lauded the efforts of the organisers for organising the programme for the students from rural Odisha. He also urged institutes like IIT, NISER and the Institute of Mathematics and Applications to conduct such programmes for school students, which can nurture the mathematics skills of the children of the State from a very young age.
Prof. Shreepad Karmalkar handled a session on ‘Problem-Solving’, wherein he showed examples of how general discipline independent strategies help solve a variety of real-life problems. The mindset that one needs specialized knowledge from a certain area to solve problems is what prevents people from solving problems, he said. The discipline-independent strategies include logical reasoning, trial and error, reformulation of the problem statement, analysis and analogy. The analysis involves three steps: separation of the whole into parts, understanding of the parts in isolation, and combining the understanding of the parts so obtained to understand the whole. The analytical approach includes the strategies of representation/modelling, divide and conquer, and logical reasoning. He also mentioned that communication, collaboration and critical thinking are the three skills necessary for success in real life.
In the beginning, Dr Tarakanta Nayak, Associate Professor, at IIT Bhubaneswar and Coordinator of the camp provided the introduction to the programme and highlighted the objectives of the camp. Shri Smruti Ranjan Sahoo, Assistant Professor, BJB Autonomous College, Bhubaneswar proposed a vote of thanks.
Above 40 selected students from 18 districts of Odisha are participating in this camp.
A team of some enthusiastic professors from NISER, IIT Bhubaneswar and various colleges of Odisha, under the Math-Odisha100 initiative, have been working on the improvement of Mathematics education at the undergraduate level by conducting several programs in the last few years.
