Three medals for Barbados in STEM Olympiads 2024

Barbados won three medals- gold, silver, and bronze- in STEM Olympiads 2024, which was held in a virtual format from January 17-21. In the second edition of the competition, individuals and teams competed in the Computer Coding Olympiad and the Math. 

This year’s competition sponsors were CIBC, Peloton International, Emera Caribbean, TAG Software, and Trident Insurance. 

Teams achieved medals

It is to be noted that Team Psi-Kicks of Cave Hill Campus, consisting of the University of the West Indies, clinched the ‘Gold’ medal for Barbados in Level III of the Math Olympiad. The participating students are mentioned below. 

– Simeon Green

– Tyreke Jones

– Ian Francis

The Kolij Robotics Club team of Harrison College students copped the silver medal in Level II of the Robotics Olympiad with their Plant Care Robot. The team consisted of the students such as

– Tykairi Sargeant

– Maliqua Cherubin

– Jovani Gittens

– Nathan Sargeant

Further, Random Walk, a team of Queen’s College students, earned the bronze medal in Level II of the Math Olympiad. The students were as follows 

– Nalani Chassang

– Aian Deane- Warner

While expressing the joy and happiness of winning a gold medal, Green stated, “It was an unbelievable experience for me, which I believe every young Caribbean student should experience.”

Continuing his statement, he added, “Preparations for the Math Olympiad exposed me to new concepts that I would need for my university degree and for my future endeavours beyond academia. I have grown immensely, not only in my understanding of certain mathematical concepts but in how I can apply them in real-world situations.”

Additional information on competition

As per sources, a total of 131 students from 11 Caribbean countries registered for the 2024 Olympiads. The teams had to go through the preliminary rounds, and only 39 teams (83 students) were selected for finals. 

Notably, there were 47 finalists in the Math Olympiad, 14 in the Robotic Olympiad and 22 in the Computer Coding Olympiad. Interestingly, the teams who won the medals (gold, silver and bronze) were awarded cash prizes of US $500, US $400, US $300 and US $200, respectively. 

Moreover, the closing ceremony concluded on January 21, revealing that Barbados enlisted on the fourth number in the medal count, following Jamaica, which won eight medals. 

Antigua and Barbuda secured a spot with six medals, Belize with four, Saint Lucia earned two medals, and one medal was won by Grenada, Guyana, St Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago each.