丘成桐生平介绍

“我生平立志只做好两件事情。第一，作出一等的数学研究，千古留名；第二，为中国数学教育服务，帮助中国成为数学强国。”
                                                                          ----丘成桐

丘成桐（Shing-Tung Yau），原籍广东省蕉岭县，1949年出生于广东汕头，同年随父母移居香港，美籍华人，国际知名数学家，菲尔兹奖首位华人得主，美国国家科学院院士、美国艺术与科学院院士、台湾中央研究院院士、中国科学院外籍院士、香港科学院名誉院士。现任香港中文大学博文讲座教授兼数学科学研究所所长、哈佛大学 William Casper Graustein 讲座教授、清华大学丘成桐数学科学中心主任、北京雁栖湖应用数学研究院院长。

1969 年毕业于香港中文大学崇基学院数学系；1971年获得加州大学伯克利分校数学博士（师从陈省身）；1974-1987年任斯坦福大学、普林斯顿高等研究院、加州大学圣地亚哥分校数学教授；1987年起任哈佛大学讲座教授；1993年被选为美国国家科学院院士；1994年成为台湾中央研究院院士和中国科学院外籍院士，同年出任香港中文大学数学科学研究所所长；2003年出任香港中文大学博文讲座教授；2013年起任哈佛大学物理系教授。

丘成桐囊括了维布伦几何奖（1981）、菲尔兹奖（1982）、麦克阿瑟奖（1985）、克拉福德奖（1994）、美国国家科学奖（1997）、沃尔夫数学奖（2010）、马塞尔·格罗斯曼奖（2018）等奖项。他是第一位获得国际数学界最高奖项菲尔兹奖的华人，也是继陈省身后第二位获得沃 尔夫数学奖的华人。

丘成桐证明了卡拉比猜想、正质量猜想等，是几何分析学科的奠基人，以他的名字命名的卡拉比-丘流形，是物理学中弦理论的基本概念，对微分几何和数学物理的发展做出了重要贡献。

丘成桐曾被国际数学大师唐纳森（Singer Donaldson）誉为“近 1/4 世纪里最有影响的数学家”。国际数学大师、阿贝尔奖获得者辛格说：“即使在哈佛，丘成桐一个人就是一个数学系！”

1. 科研成就： 丘成桐是公认的当代最具影响力的数学家之一。他的工作深刻变革并极大扩 展了偏微分方程在微分几何中的作用，影响遍及拓扑学、代数几何、表示理论、广义相 对论等众多数学和物理领域。

   • 解决Calabi猜想， 即一紧Kahler流形的第一陈类≤0时，任一陈类的代表必有一Kahler度量使得其Ricci式等于此陈类代表。这在代数几何中有重要的应用。

   • 与萧荫堂合作证明单连通Kahler流形若有非正截面曲率时必双全纯等价于复欧氏空间， 并给Frankel猜想一个解析的证明。

   • 在各种Ricci曲率条件下估计紧黎曼流形上Laplace算子的第一与第二特征值。

   • 1976年解决关于凯勒－爱因斯坦度量存在性的卡拉比猜想，其结果被应用在超弦理论中，对统一场论有重要影响。第一陈类为零的紧致凯勒流形称为卡拉比－丘流形，在数学与弦论中都很重要。作为应用，丘成桐还证明了塞梵利猜想，发现Miyaoka－丘不等式。丘成桐对c1 > 0 情形的凯勒－爱因斯坦度量存在性也作出了重要的贡献，猜想了它与代数几何中几何不变量理论意义下的稳定性的关系。这激发了Donaldson 关于数量曲率与稳定性等一系列的重要工作。

   • 与郑绍远合作证明实与复的Monge-Ampère 方程解的存在性，并证明高维闵科夫斯基问题，拟凸域的凯勒－爱因斯坦度量存在性问题。

   • 丘成桐开创了将极小曲面方法应用于几何与拓扑研究的先河。通过对极小曲面在时空中行为的深刻分析，1978年他与R.舍恩合作解决了爱因斯坦广义相对论中的正质量猜想。

   • 丘成桐与Karen Uhlenbeck 合作证明了任意紧致凯勒流形上稳定丛的Hermitian-Einstein 度量的存在性，推广了Donaldson 关于射影代数曲面，以及Narasimhan 和Seshadri 关于代数曲线的结果。

   • 丘成桐与Meeks 合作解决了三维流形极小曲面一个著名的问题，即一条极值约当曲线的极小圆盘的Plateau 问题的Douglas 解，当边界曲线是一个凸边界的子集，那么它在三维空间中是嵌入的。他们接着证明这些嵌入极小曲面在有限群作用下是等变的。他们的工作与Thurston 的工作相结合，可以推出著名的史密斯猜想。

   • 丘成桐与连文豪、刘克峰合作证明了弦论学家提出的著名的镜对称猜想。这些公式给出了用对应的镜像流形上的Picard-Fuchs 方程表示的一大类卡拉比－丘流形上有理曲线数目的显式表达。

   • 丘成桐与刘克峰、孙晓峰合作证明曲线模空间上各种几何度量的等价性，被国际学术界命名为刘孙丘度量。

   • 1984年与Uhlenbeck合作解决在紧Kahler流形上稳定的全纯向量丛与Yang-Mills-Hermite度量是一一对应的猜想，并得出陈氏的一个不等式。

   • 丘成桐正研究的镜流形，是Calabi-丘流形的一特殊情形，与理论物理的弦理论有密切关系，引起数学界的广泛注意等等。

2. 教育贡献： 除数学领域外，丘成桐在物理学和工程学上都有非常重要的影响，他也因此被聘为哈佛大学物理学的终身教授，成为哈佛大学有史以来兼任数学系教授和物理系教授的唯一一人。丘成桐教授在工程学的各个分支做出了很重要的贡献，这些学科包括控制论、图论（应用到社会科学）、数据分析、人工智能和三维图像处理，丘成桐在这些方面已经发表了几十篇重要的论文，多次被工程学大会邀请做重要演讲和大会报告。但是，丘成桐对于人类的贡献远远不止于在科研方面的成就，他对于教育界的亲历亲为同样值得大书特书。在2005年，丘成桐就明确指出，“如果不重视基础教育，以目前的本科教育模式，国内不可能培养出一流人才。”在之后的时间中，丘成桐对于国内学术界的问题，高中包括本科教育的问题，发表了大量一针见血的观点和看法。同时，他也利用自己在华人中的影响力，开始创办大量与科学教育有关的活动，并在这些活动中担任重要的角色。

   • 关心中国数学事业：丘成桐对中国的数学事业一直非常关心。从1984年起，他先后招收了十几名来自中国的博士研究生，要为中国培养微分几何方面的人才。他的做法是，不仅要教给学生一些特殊的技巧，更重要的是教会他们如何领会数学的精辟之处。

     丘成桐教授是第一位荣获菲尔兹奖的华裔人士。他热心于帮助发展中国的数学事业。自1979年以来多次到中国科学院进行高质量的讲学。由科学出版社出版了专著《微分几何》，内容主要是他的研究结果。他还直接指导培养中国的数学博士生，至今已有10余人，成绩显著。1994年6月8日当选为首批中国科学院外籍院士。

     虽然丘成桐是在香港长大的，但他出生于中国大陆，深受中国传统文化的影响，并坚信帮助中国推动数学发展是自己的责任。在二十世纪七十年代中国对外开放后，丘成桐受到中国著名数学家华罗庚的邀请，于1979年访问中国。

     为了帮助发展中国数学，丘成桐想尽了各种办法，与他钻研数学问题颇为相似。他培养来自中国的留学生，建立数学研究所与研究中心，组织各种层次的会议，发起各种人才培养计划，并募集大量资金。

   • 建立研究所和研究中心：丘成桐建立的第一个数学研究所是 1993 年成立的香港中文大学数学研究所。第二个是 1996 年建立的北京晨兴数学中心。中心建立与运作的大部分经费都是丘成桐从香港晨兴基金会筹得的。第三个是建立于 2002年的浙江大学数学科学中心。第四个2009年建立的清华大学数学研究中心。

     丘成桐是这三大研究机构的主任，经常例行工作视察、作报告、指导学生、组织学术会议与暑期学校等。除了这三个研究中心，丘对于台湾理论科学中心的建立以及台湾数学的发展作出了重要的贡献。1997年，他受台湾新竹清华大学校长刘炯朗邀请，作为讲席教授访问一年。多年后，他建议已是台湾国家科学委员会主席的刘炯朗建立理论科学中心。该中心于1998年正式成立，他担任理论科学中心顾问委员会主任，直至2005年。

   • 发起国际华人数学家大会：为了增进华人数学家的交流与合作。丘成桐发起组织国际华人数学家大会。会议每三年一届。除了邀请报告外，还邀请几位非华裔数学家作晨兴讲座。每次大会的焦点是颁发晨兴数学奖、陈省身奖。第一届大会于 1998年12月12-18日在北京晨兴数学中心召开。来自世界各地400多人与会，会议受到了华人数学家们热烈的反响与支持。此次会议也是在中国举行的第一次重要数学国际会议。第二届大会于2001年在台湾召开，第三届大会2004年在香港举行，第四届大会2007年在浙江大学举行，第五届大会于2010 年在清华大学举行。第六届大会于2013年在台湾大学举行。从第三届大会开始正式设立面向大学生，硕士与博士生的新世界数学奖。

   • 设立基金会和奖项：2003年9月15日，丘成桐在蕉岭设立“丘成桐奖教奖学基金”，每年捐资1万元人民币作为蕉岭中学高考奖学金。为了激发中学生对于数学研究的兴趣和创造力，培养和发现年轻的数学天才，2004年，丘成桐首先在香港成立了面向香港中学生的两年一届的“恒隆数学奖”。

     2005年，为了支持香港学校的通识教育，让学生和大众感受中华文化的博大精深，丘成桐拿出200万港币在母校香港中文大学设立了“丘镇英基金”，基金利息作为香港中文大学中文系、历史系和哲学系邀请国际知名的文学、史学及哲学大师访港，以及学生交流的经费。

     2007年，丘成桐先生成立“丘镇英基金”，纪念父亲对崇基书院的贡献和对自己的培养，同时更为继承父亲“融合中国和西方文化”的愿望，支持和邀请世界顶尖级数学家来华举办讲座和从事学术研究。

     2007年7月26日，由丘成桐个人捐资成立、以他父亲的名字命名的中科院晨兴数学中心丘镇英基金会，种子基金为100万元人民币，主要用于邀请杰出的数学家来晨兴作研究、演讲等。

     2008年，丘成桐中学数学奖正式成立。

     2010年，丘成桐大学生数学竞赛正式设立。

     2013年，丘成桐中学科学奖正式设立。

     2015年3月，丘成桐数学科学中心在清华大学揭牌成立。

     2015年10月11日，丘成桐在梅州市蕉岭县联谊，并和蕉岭县商定在蕉岭成立丘成桐奖教奖学基金。

     2018年5月，清华大学增设“丘成桐数学英才班”；2018年12月22日，卡拉比-丘理论发展40年国际会议在广东梅州市蕉岭县举行。

     2021年1月，经教育部批准，清华大学将推出“丘成桐数学科学领军人才培养计划”，每年面向全球招收百名优秀中学生。

丘成桐中学科学奖主办方介绍

2009年12月，清华大学成立数学科学中心（简称“数学中心”），聘请国际著名数学大师丘成桐先生担任中心主任。作为支持清华大学发展数学学科的重大战略举措，教育部于2014年底正式批准依托清华大学成立丘成桐数学科学中心。在丘成桐先生的带领下，经过十二年建设，数学中心在高端人才引进、杰出数学人才培养、高水平研究和数学学科建设方面取得了跨越式发展，已成为具有重要国际影响力的科研中心。

中心秉承“国际性、开放性、学术性”的建设定位，以开放活跃的学术氛围，吸引了一大批杰出数学顶尖人才，并开始为国家输送优秀青年学者。建成以纯粹数学为核心的“五大领域”和“三个交叉研究方向”的综合性学科布局。

数学中心以高水平人才引进、造就新一代世界领先数学家为根本任务。2021年，成功引进2018年菲尔兹奖得主 Caucher Birkar，担任中心教授。截至目前，数学中心共有全职在校教师和科研人员105人，其中教师70人（正教授20人、副教授10人、助理教授40人），在站博士后35人。

围绕人才引进与培养的根本任务，数学中心不断探索和创新数学人才发掘培养模式，建立并形成了包括“丘成桐中学科学奖”“丘成桐大学生数学竞赛”“新世界数学奖”和“ICCM数学奖”，“四大数学家冠名讲座”“大师论坛”“世界华人数学家联盟”和“世界华人数学家大会”等系列人才发掘和交流平台，并先后与美国哈佛大学、斯坦福大学及英国牛津大学等国内外 30 余所高校和科研机构建立了良好的合作关系。每年超过 300 位数学家及相关领域专家学者来中心工作、访学和交流。许多重要的国际学术会议在中心和和“清华三亚国际数学论坛”会议基地召开，众多院士，诺贝尔奖、沃尔夫奖、菲尔兹奖得主等来中心访问、交流和演讲。”

丘成桐中学科学奖理念

    "What can I know? What ought I to do? What can I hope?"
                                                    ---- Immanuel Kant

从与主办方包括丘成桐先生本人的沟通中我们了解到，丘成桐中学科学奖的创办初衷在于改善目前国内教育领域的重要问题。对于学贯中西文理古今的丘先生而言，中国的高中教育存在着大量的弊端和不足，这些问题对于中国乃至整个民族都会带来深远的影响。下面，我们将分别对丘成桐奖如何解决这一系列问题展开叙述。

1. 创新思维：对于传统的国内教育而言，流水线式的体系已经完全定型，而对于这种教育体系的弊端我们不再赘述。丘成桐奖的初衷就是针对国内传统教育体系的不足，借助科研的形式，鼓励更多的中学生去想一些自己从前不敢想的问题，真正意义上构思一些更宏大的问题。在丘成桐奖的比赛中，我们看到大量的课题内容是在学校中无法学习和接触到的，这对于开阔学生的眼界和启发学生进行创新性的思考非常重要。

   我们从以往的案例中发现，国内绝大多数的高中生对于科研的过程和情况毫无了解，或者仅仅局限在学校中实验报告的阶段。很多参赛的学生在比赛前熟悉填鸭式的教学形式，而对于如何发现问题、解决问题、完善问题这一系列流程毫无概念。于是可能会出现一种现象，即学生会要求老师给出具体课题，课题实现过程，甚至结果乃至论文这一系列的内容，这是极其违背比赛初衷的。因此我们建议，学生在这个比赛过程中应该主导整个科研课题的进展，老师更多的是发挥辅助性的作用，凭借老师多年的经验和专业知识帮助学生学会并掌握科研的精神和流程。这才是丘成桐科学奖的理念，鼓励学生能在参与比赛的过程中学习如何用科学的方法去研究问题，这对于学生今后的发展影响巨大。

2. 合作精神：传统的国内教育过分强调学生个体竞争，类似“多一分挤掉千人”的言论在体制内的高中学校层出不穷，这种现象很容易引发“唯分数论”，学生习惯单打独斗从而慢慢成为精致利己主义者。然而科研课题并非是一个人就能完成的，往往需要团队的配合与努力，才能成就好的结果。所以丘成桐奖是鼓励团队协作的。我们从历年的结果来看，团队参赛者往往也有着非常好的成绩，比如2021年总决赛物理科目的十个奖项中有八个是以小组合作的形式取得的。

   此外，在学生之后的学习生涯或科研活动中，也很少会有单打独斗的情况。比如在硕士、博士阶段，往往提到的是某某教授领衔的科研组，而不再是单独的个人。所以参与丘成桐奖的话，在选择了实验较多、任务较重的项目时，应该充分考虑组队的形式，这对于保证科研质量及进度有很大帮助。同时，最重要的一点，学生在这个过程可以明白如何与他人合作共赢，包括其他组员、指导老师，乃至其他可以帮助到项目的人。

3. 开阔眼界：丘成桐奖是全球性的，面向全球中学生。不管是身处教育资源发达的一线城市的学生，还是教育资源稍微欠缺的学生和家庭而言，丘成桐奖提供了一个任由全球中学生同等竞争的舞台。这里竞争对手可能是蛰伏于小城市的高手，也可能是在顶级寄宿美高的人外人。于是在这个比赛中，所要学习的不仅仅是自身的课题，也需要参赛者更多地关注了解同侪的思想、能力与关注点。多样性是所有生物发展生存的前提，美国大学也致力于追求并且不断强调多样性。丘成桐奖正是向处在思想活跃阶段的高中学生提供了了解多元社会的平台。

4. 去标准化：纵观中国教育发展史，明清时期科举制度把注重技巧的八股文放在了教育的首位，失去了创新力。科举制度之后，全国范围内推崇新式西学，期间走得也是一路坎坷。新中国成立后，创立了以共产主义思想为指导的，民族的、科学的、大众的新教育，中国教育形成了一套自己的标准。然而，标准化通常也是抹杀创新力的罪魁祸首之一。循规蹈矩容易引发复制，而忽视了创造。因此丘成桐奖的介绍中专门提到了“打破标准答案的束缚”，鼓励条条大路通罗马般的创新。去标准化也就成了学生在整个比赛中需要时刻考虑的一点。具体来说，需要学生放弃标准答案的产生，而更多地关注于过程，并在过程中通过逻辑科学的论证方法，得出有意义的结论。

丘成桐中学科学奖发展历程

2008年，丘成桐中学数学奖设立。

2013年，丘成桐中学物理奖启动。同时，清华大学将丘成桐中学科学奖纳入自主招生体系，支持各相关院系对优秀获奖学生进行考核，成绩合格的学生将获得推荐参加清华大学自主招生的资格，有机会享受在高考录取中最高降至一本线录取的优惠政策。

2016年，生物奖、化学奖启动，并设立跨学科综合奖项，科学金奖。同时，复旦大学将丘成桐中学科学奖的获奖选手纳入自主招生计划。

2017年，计算机奖启动。

2018年，设立经济金融建模奖。

2018年，经教育部审批通过，清华大学正式招收“丘成桐数学英才班”学生。通过丘成桐中学科学奖选拔出来的优秀中学生，作为“丘成桐数学英才班”招生的重要生源和后备力量，择优选入英才班，按照“领跑者、国际化、重基础、尊个性”的培养模式，接受个性化的培养模式。

总体来说，丘成桐奖从传统的数学、物理开始，不断加入更多的科目，其中部分属于传统学科，同时，组委会也与时俱进，对社会发展的重要学科也不断进行了囊括。

丘成桐中学科学奖顾问委员会

丘成桐中生科学奖顾问委员会组成如下：

• 丘成桐（主席）， 哈佛大学教授，丘成桐数学科学中心主任

• Ralph Cohen， 斯坦福大学理学院副院长、数学系教授

• Elias James Corey， 哈佛大学教授、美国科学院院士、诺贝尔化学奖得主

• Vijay Kuchroo， 哈佛大学医学院教授

• Henry Pinkham， 哥伦比亚大学文理学院院长、哥伦比亚大学数学系教授

• Wilfried Schmid， 哈佛大学数学系教授

• Richard M. Schoen， 斯坦福大学教授（荣退）、加州大学欧文分校教授、美国国家科学院院士、美国艺术和科学院院士

• Bik-Kwoon Tye， 康奈尔大学分子生物学教授

• Junying Yuan， 哈佛大学医学院教授、美国艺术和科学院院士

• Robert Zimmer， 芝加哥大学校长、美国艺术和科学院院士

• 董欣年， 杜克大学教授、美国科学院院士

• 金 力， 复旦大学副校长、生命科学学院学术委员会主任、中国科学院院士

• 李 骏， 斯坦福大学数学系教授

• 潘云鹤， 中国工程院常务副院长、中国工程院院士

• 王小凡， 杜克大学教授

• 王贻芳， 中国科学院高能物理研究所所长

• 肖 杰， 清华大学丘成桐数学科学中心副主任、数学系教授

• 薛其坤， 清华大学副校长、中国科学院院士

• 杨 乐， 中国科学院院士

• 姚期智， 图灵奖得主、清华大学交叉信息研究院院长、教授，中国科学院院士、美国科学院院士

• 杨祖佑， 加州大学圣巴巴拉分校校长、机械工程系教授，美国国家工程院院士

• 朱熹平， 中山大学副校长、数学与计算科学学院院长

丘成桐中学科学奖备赛重点

丘成桐中学科学奖以论文和科研的质量作为初赛评选标准，在半决赛以及决赛中加入答辩的环节。所以在整体准备过程中，学生应以比赛的形式为依据，评审标准为参照，进行备赛活动的安排。我们这里可以将这个比赛过程分为四个部分，每一部分都有相应的备赛重点，参赛学生详加留意意。

1. 课题选取：在丘成桐奖的比赛中，课题的选择非常重要。一个课题的优劣程度，直接决定了该参赛作品能走得多远。具体选题的情况，我们根据科目不同，将在第[chapter:subana]章进行详细的分析。学生应在参赛前，认真思考以及确认课题的情况。

   在确认课题的情况时，学生应与指导老师认真沟通，从以下几个角度出发来确认课题。

   第一，可行性。在课题的选择时，首先要确保的是该课题的可行性。比如该课题的理论部分以高中生的学术水平是否可以掌握，该课题中涉及的实验部分是否可以实施（实验设备、场所等），该课题是否可以在规定时间内完成。这些问题最大程度上决定了该课题是否适合。

   第二，创新性。一般来讲，可以将创新性区分为理论创新和应用创新。理论创新指的是高中生对某一个理论上的内容上进行扩展和延申，得出一些新颖的结论。应用创新指的是将一个已有的理论在某一个新的场景下进行实践。而应用创新往往伴随着大量实验内容验证，否则会有纸上谈兵之嫌。

   第三，社会意义。丘成桐奖的大量作品都具有广泛的社会意义。比如说，有很多参赛作品会和近两年热门的新冠疫情这一社会现象结合，提出针对疫情某一个方面的实际问题的解决方案。这一点会使得学生的参赛作品增色不少。

2. 科研流程：在选取完课题之后，学生应该结合自身情况，认真安排科研的时间与自己其他方面的学习。对于大部分参赛学生而言，丘成桐奖的准备往往伴随着课业、标化考试、竞赛等大量活动，如何合理地安排好这些不同方面的活动对于学生而言至关重要。如果学生在6月份决定参赛的话，我们希望学生可以保证在提交论文之前，能够保证每天2-3小时的时间来进行科研，梳理科研流程。这不仅可以确保学生在科研学习的过程中收获满满，同时也是在一定程度上对参赛作品的质量予以保证。

3. 论文写作：在完成科研活动的过程中，学生应该对自己在这个过程中的所作所为进行详细地记录，并在科研尾声完成相关的科研论文。这里，论文需要保证满足以下要求：第一， 学术诚信。学生首先需要确保在论文中满足学术诚信的要求，包括数据的真实性，课题研究的独立性等等。第二，逻辑与完整性。学生在完成写作的过程中，需要保证论文可以完整、有逻辑地呈现整个科研过程。第三，专业性。需要确保论文的专业性，包括格式正确、结构完整、书写规范等等。这些因素都会在初赛的评选中起到重要的作用。

4. 演讲答辩：在入围半决赛后，学生需要针对自己的论文制作演示文稿，参加线下的现场答辩。在制作演示文稿的过程中，学生需要认真地进行制作和准备，同时进行反复的演练和准备评委可能问到的问题。这一部分，我们将在后续章节进行更详细的解释。

丘成桐中学科学奖赛区划分

1. 中国内地赛区

   报名范围：中国内地各大中学的在校学生（仅限高中生）。

   报名网址： www.yau-awards.com

   1、数学奖：

   （1）北部赛区：北京/河北/天津/山西/内蒙古/新疆/黑龙江/吉林/辽宁/湖北/河南/陕西/宁夏/甘肃/青海

   （2）南部赛区：广东/广西/海南/四川/湖南/贵州/云南/西藏/重庆/福建/江西/安徽/澳门

   （3）东部赛区：浙江/江苏/山东/上海

   2、物理奖、化学奖、生物奖、计算机奖、经济金融建模奖：

   （1）北部赛区：北京/河北/天津/山西/山东/内蒙古/新疆/黑龙江/吉林/辽宁/河南/陕西/宁夏/甘肃/青海。

   （2）南部赛区：浙江/江苏/上海/广东/广西/海南/四川/湖南/湖北/贵州/云南/西藏/重庆/福建/江西/安徽。

2. 海外赛区（亚洲赛区）

   报名范围：除中国内地外，港澳台地区及亚洲其他国家的中学生。

   报名网址：https://yauaward-asia.hk

3. 海外赛区（北美赛区）

   报名范围：除亚洲国家外，其他海外国家的中学生。

   报名网址：http://www.yau-science-awards.org/

丘成桐中学科学奖评审流程

内地赛区

1. 4月15日－7月31日：网上注册报名。以团队的形式报名参赛（1-3名成员）；报名网址：www.yau-awards.com；截止时间：7月31日24:00

2. 8月1日－9月15日： 提交/更新论文。报名成功后，8月1日起即可提交论文；截止时间：9月15日24:00； 期间论文可进行更新。

3. 9月16日－11月6日：分赛区评审。分初筛、函评、桌评、分赛区决赛四个阶段。各赛区评选出入围全国总决赛的名单。

4. 11月7日－11月13日：论文公示。入围全国总决赛的研究报告在网上进行公示。

5. 12月10-11日：全国总决赛暨颁奖典礼。总决赛以英文答辩的形式举行，由国际评审委员会主持；总决赛及颁奖典礼地点：清华大学。

6. 12月11日（周日）：科学论坛。通识报告，地点：清华大学。

亚洲赛区

1. 3月：开放注册 " 以团队的形式报名参赛（1-3名成员，来自同一所学校）报名地址：https://yauaward-asia.hk

2. 6月30日： 报名、研究大纲提交 截止时间：6月30日

3. 6-7月： 大纲进行初审

4. 7月： 初审结果公布，入围名单揭晓 具体时间以邮件为准

5. 8月31日： 提交完整研究报告,截止时间：8月31日

6. 9月： 研究报告的审阅及评估

7. 9月中下旬： 评估结果公布

8. 10月下旬： 答辩及结果公布(生物、化学、计算机)

9. 10月下旬： 答辩及结果公布(经济金融建模、物理、数学)，颁奖典礼

10. 11月下旬： 科学讲座

北美赛区

1. 5月18日-6月30日：网上注册报名。以团队形式报名参赛（1-3人名成员，来自同一学校）报名网址：http://www.yau-science-awards.org/ , 截止时间：美东时间6月30日24：:00

2. 7月1日-9月5日：提交/更新论文。报名成功后，从7月1日起即可提交论文，截止时间美东时间9月5日24:00，期间论文可进行更新。

3. 9月6日－10月18日：审查论文。

4. 10月25日-11月20日：北美赛区各学科答辩。

5. 11月20日上午10：00（周日）:美国赛区颁奖典礼。

6. 12月10日-12月11日：总决赛暨颁奖典礼。入围总决赛的论文在网上进行公布，确定入围总决赛的最终名单。总决赛以英文答辩的形式举行，由国际评审委员会主持；总决赛及颁奖典礼地点：清华大学。

7. 12月11日（周日）：科学论坛。公开演讲，地址：清华大学。

丘成桐中学科学奖奖项设置

数学、物理、化学、生物、计算机奖、经济金融建模奖均设置金奖一个、银奖一个、铜奖三个、优胜奖五个，奖金分别为金奖15万元；银奖10万元；铜奖6万元；优胜奖3万元，并为获奖团队颁发奖杯和证书。另设置跨学科奖项——科学金奖一个，奖金15万元。

每年奖项的实际授予数量由国际评审委员会参照以上奖项设置，以本年度参赛作品质量和学生答辩表现的综合评判协商确定。

2025 届新增：入围奖（Finalist Award）自第十八届（2025 年）起，组委会在优胜奖之下增设「入围奖」一档，授予通过分赛区评审晋级全国总决赛但未获得金、银、铜、优胜奖的优秀团队，证书及奖杯由组委会颁发。2025 届共评出入围奖 26 项（数学 5、物理 5、化学 3、生物 3、计算机 4、经济金融建模 5；另含特别评定项目若干）。该改动使得能从总决赛环节脱颖而出的优秀团队数量从此前每届约 60 个跃升至 87 个，进一步扩大了获奖覆盖面，也使入围总决赛本身成为可被认可的学术荣誉。

丘成桐中学科学奖获奖意义

“作为国际上最具权威、影响较大的中学生科学竞赛之一，丘成桐中学科学奖得到清华、复旦、浙大、上海财经、香港中文、哈佛、斯坦福等大学的专家支持，吸引广大海内外中学、中学教师、中学生及学生家长的关注和积极参与，汇聚了一批国际顶尖科学家关注并担任评 审委员，发掘了一批对基础科学有兴趣、有天赋的优秀中学生。

截至目前，累计超过2000余所中学、1万余支队伍参加丘成桐中学科学奖，覆盖国内30余个省市自治区和北美、新加坡等多个海外地区，共计401个学生团队、750余人获奖。超过半数获奖青年学生先后进入清华、北大、哈佛、MIT、耶鲁、普林斯顿等中外知名大学就读，其中不乏进入理想大学后依然坚持学术研究的科研人才。”

除去官方的介绍外，我们对大量获奖学生的录取去向做了调研，丘成桐奖在他们的升学过程中确实发挥了极大的作用。学生本身实力比较强的情况下，又在丘成桐奖中斩获奖牌，这对于海内外的高校申请来说都是锦上添花。大部分学生凭此如愿地进入清华、牛津、斯坦福、卡内基梅隆等顶级名校。丘成桐奖参赛门槛较低，对国人也有着很高的友好性，是非常适合致力于申请英美顶级学校 offer的学生参赛的。

丘成桐中学科学奖注意事项

数学

物理

化学

生物

计算机

经济金融建模

再生元国际科学与工程大奖赛(ISEF)

简介： 再生元国际科学与工程大奖赛(ISEF)是美国科学与公众社团的一项计划，是世界上最大的高中STEM竞赛。它成立于1950年，为世界著名的年轻科学家提供了一个全球舞台，让他们分享他们杰出的STEM研究，并角逐超过500万美元的奖项、奖品和奖学金。

赛制： 全球规模最大、级别最高的面向9-12年级的青少年科技竞赛。每年全球有数以万 计的学生参加比赛，通过前期的附加赛筛选，最终只有大约1800名学生有权晋级参加每年5月举行的国际科学与工程大奖赛。

开放式：涵盖了机器人和智能机器、计算生物与生物信息学、工程力学（机械工程）、数学、地球和环境科学等包含21个不同类别的竞赛。1–3名成员组队，选定研究方向进行科研课题的探索（学生的项目不能超过12 月的持续性研究），最终到全球大赛的舞台上进行项目展演。

参赛路径&适合学生： 美国地区的学生：包括在美高就读的中国学生，可以联系美国当地的Affiliated Fair 或学校报名。附属竞赛一般由当地赛（校赛）、地区赛、州赛组成。

中国国内就读的学生可以通过“中国青少年科技创新大赛”、“英才计划”、“明天小小科 学家”三个途径参加附属赛，从而获得晋级 ISEF 的资格。

针对在中国就读于外籍人士子女学校的学生，可以通过 Sichuan Science Fair 进行报名。

适合学生：全球中学生；对科研项目感兴趣，有耐心有能力坚持半年科研项目致力于申请海外名校的学生。

奖项： Grand Awards：在21个类别中，每个类别分出第一、二、三、四名奖项。奖金分别为6,000美元，1,500美元，1,000美元和500美元。

再综合所有学科类别中的第一名获奖者，评选ISEF大赛的第一名，将获得75,000美元的奖金，接下来的第二和第三名选手将各获得50,000美元的奖金。

Special Award 专项奖：由大学、科技企业、学会等机构设置的专门奖项。

认可度： 世界上最大的高中STEM竞赛，美国大学认可度最高。数以万计的学生中，最终只有大约1800人进入到ISEF的决赛。

考核形态： 经过各个地区附属赛后晋级到5月份ISEF全球大赛，完成项目展示以及答辩；1-3人组队参赛，21个学科分类，包含几乎所有学科。

考核内容： 在前期的附属赛中，考察学生完整的科研流程以及对课题的研究深度，与丘奖一样，注重课题的创新性以及研究的完整性。决赛阶段考核学生的英文答辩能力，如何向世界展示自己的项目赢取奖项。

备赛差异： 注重科研课题的选择。前期附属赛/地区赛中需要参赛者能够针对一个科研课题进行完整的研究，相对灵活，注重作品创新性；晋级决赛后，备赛主要以英文答辩为主，需要注重英文的表达以及项目的阐述。备赛周期建议不低于6个月。

知识储备： 扎实的学科基础知识，标准的科研流程。

再生元科学天才奖(STS)

简介： Regeneration Science Talent Search(Regeneration STS)再生元科学天才奖始于1942年，是美国最负盛名的科学竞赛，为高中生提供了与专业科学家国家级评审团交流自己原创性研究的机会。大部分校友对科学做出了非凡的贡献，并获得了大量世界上最杰出的科学和数学荣誉，包括12项诺贝尔奖、11项国家科学奖章和两种领域内的奖牌。

该比赛面向美国本土及居住在海外的美国中学生（12年级），以提交论文报告的形式完成竞赛，涵盖动物科学，行为和社会科学，生物化学等17个学科分类。每年，来自美国各地的1800多名高中学生接受了开展独立科学、数学或工程研究的挑战，并完成了 Regeneration 科学人才搜索项目。

赛制： 参赛者提交书面的研究报告进行申请，最终300名进入半决赛，40名进入决赛，最终评选top 10 奖项。

参赛路径&适合学生： 仅适合两种学生：美高12年级/美籍学生13周岁以上；直接官网递交申请。

奖项： "DIGITAL BADGES：在Student Initiative学生首创性和the Research Report 研究报告两方面评定获奖者。

SCHOLAR AWARDS：共300名学生，每位获得2,000美金的奖金，奖在春季末颁发

SCHOOL AWARDS：在科学、数学或者工程教育以及在支持学生研究方面突出的学校，每个学校2,000美金的奖金

Finalist Awards： 共40位学生，按名次颁发奖金，并可以免费到美国首府华盛顿参与个人展示。

First Place Award 第一名：250,000美金，

Second Place Award 第二名：175,000美金，

Third Place Award 第三名：150,000美金，

Fourth Place Award 第四名：100,000美金，

Fifth Place Award 第五名：90,000美金，

Sixth Place Award 第六名：80,000美金，

Seventh Place Award 第七名：70,000美金，

Eighth Place Award 第八名：60,000美金，

Ninth Place Award 第九名：50,000美金，

Tenth Place Award 第十名：40,000美金，

Remaining Thirty Finalists剩余30名：分别25,000美金"。

认可度： 每年，来自美国各地近2000名高中学生接受了开展独立科学、数学或工程研究的挑战，并完成了Regeneration科学人才搜索项目。校友们对科学做出了非凡的贡献，并获得了世界上最杰出的科学和数学荣誉，其中包括13项诺贝尔奖。

考核形态： 仅限个人研究项目；16个学科分类，包括社科、工程数理化等，参赛选手必须选择一个参加比赛。

考核内容： 个人研究项目，拒绝团队项目。需要学生提交完成的研究报告以及个人信息表进行申请，考察学生在科研课题中的综合能力，如选题、研究、实验、写作、时间管理等各方面综合能力。

备赛差异： 从备赛角度出来，与ISEF备赛区别不大，需要参赛者选择参赛的领域，制定好研究课题，完成课题研究即可。备赛周期建议不低于6个月。

知识储备： 扎实的学科基础知识，标准的科研流程。

美国高中数学建模竞赛(HiMCM)

简介： 美国高中数学建模竞赛（High School Mathematical Contest in Modeling，简称HiMCM）是美国的一个非营利机构——美国数学及其应用联合会（COMAP）主办的一项国际性的数学竞赛活动。HiMCM竞赛始于1999年，近年来在世界范围内迅速流行，成为全球高中生的一项重要赛事。这项竞赛是在美国大学生数学建模竞赛取得成功的背景下，借鉴了大学生数学建模竞赛的模式，结合中学生的特点进行设计的。HiMCM以团队合作的形式进行，目的是为了提高参赛高中生的在团队中的解决问题能力和写作技巧。

赛制： 命题式；HiMCM参赛队伍至多由四人组成，在13/14天赛季时间内根据官网公布的题目进行择一完成论文提交即可。

参赛路径&适合学生： 适合学生："全球高中生共同参赛，角逐全球奖项。想要申请美国名校，数学基础较好，对数学的应用感兴趣，希望能提高数学应用能力 ，未来专业方向为数学类、物理类、工程类、计算机类、商科"。

奖项： "特等奖（Outstanding Winner）：获奖队伍数量不超过队伍总数的1

决赛入围奖（Finalist）：获奖队伍数量不超过队伍总数的7

一等奖（Meritorious）：获奖队伍数量约占队伍总数的12

二等奖（Honorable Mentioned）：获奖队伍数量约占队伍总数的31

参与奖（Successful Participate）：成功完成建模论文的队伍"

认可度： 每年吸引来自全球20多个国家和地区近1000支队伍参加，获得特等奖的同学多数被MIT，斯坦福大学全奖录取，获得其他获奖者也备受常春藤大学联盟青睐。

考核形态： 在限定13/14天比赛时间内容，根据组委会发布的题目，选择其中一道完成一篇论文进行参赛；注重团队协作。

考核内容： 建模比赛一般都包括三大块工作：数学模型的建立，计算机编程处理数据以及论文的创作，因此在考核内容上更注重参赛者的团队合作能力、数学应用能力、问题解决能力和论文写作能力。

备赛差异： 在备赛过程中，需要选好队友，确认好各自的分工，之后注重在自己负责的部分进行深耕，多了解往届作品所使用的模型以及论文的表达方式，不需要了解完整的科研流程；备赛周期建议不低于3个月。

知识储备： 需要参赛者有着较高的英语水平，但是对于知识的针对性不强，学习一些常见的模型就可以，如AHP、熵值法、模拟退火、灰色预测、主成分分析、插值、聚类等等，提前学习一些软件，Matlab，亿图，visio，Word，Excel等等。

A Biography of Shing-Tung Yau

"I have resolved to do well only two things in my life. First, to produce first-rate mathematical research that will be remembered for the ages; second, to serve mathematics education in China and help China become a mathematical power."
                                                                          ---- Shing-Tung Yau

Shing-Tung Yau, whose ancestral home is Jiaoling County, Guangdong, was born in Shantou, Guangdong, in 1949 and moved with his parents to Hong Kong that same year. A Chinese American, he is an internationally renowned mathematician and the first ethnic-Chinese recipient of the Fields Medal. He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Academia Sinica (Taiwan), a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and an honorary fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences. He currently serves as Wei Lun Professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and director of its Institute of Mathematical Sciences, the William Casper Graustein Professor at Harvard University, director of the Yau Mathematical Sciences Center at Tsinghua University, and director of the Beijing Yanqi Lake Institute for Applied Mathematics.

He graduated from the Department of Mathematics of Chung Chi College, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, in 1969; received his Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1971 (under Shiing-Shen Chern); held professorships in mathematics at Stanford University, the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, and the University of California, San Diego, from 1974 to 1987; became a chair professor at Harvard in 1987; was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in 1993; became a member of the Academia Sinica and a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1994, the same year he became director of the Institute of Mathematical Sciences at the Chinese University of Hong Kong; was appointed Wei Lun Professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2003; and has been a professor in Harvard's physics department since 2013.

Yau's honors include the Veblen Prize in Geometry (1981), the Fields Medal (1982), the MacArthur Fellowship (1985), the Crafoord Prize (1994), the U.S. National Medal of Science (1997), the Wolf Prize in Mathematics (2010), and the Marcel Grossmann Award (2018). He was the first person of Chinese descent to win the Fields Medal, mathematics' highest international honor, and, after Shiing-Shen Chern, the second to win the Wolf Prize.

Yau proved the Calabi conjecture and the positive mass conjecture, among others, and is the founder of the field of geometric analysis. The Calabi–Yau manifolds that bear his name are a fundamental concept in the string theory of physics, and his work has made important contributions to differential geometry and mathematical physics.

The great mathematician Simon Donaldson once called Yau "the most influential mathematician of the past quarter-century." The mathematician and Abel Prize laureate Isadore Singer said: "Even at Harvard, Yau is a mathematics department all by himself."

1. Research achievements: Yau is widely regarded as one of the most influential mathematicians of our time. His work has profoundly transformed and greatly expanded the role of partial differential equations in differential geometry, with influence reaching across topology, algebraic geometry, representation theory, general relativity, and many other areas of mathematics and physics.

   • He solved the Calabi conjecture: on a compact Kähler manifold whose first Chern class is ≤ 0, every representative of the Chern class admits a Kähler metric whose Ricci form equals that representative. This has important applications in algebraic geometry.

   • With Yum-Tong Siu he proved that a simply connected Kähler manifold with non-positive sectional curvature is biholomorphic to complex Euclidean space, giving an analytic proof of the Frankel conjecture.

   • He estimated the first and second eigenvalues of the Laplace operator on compact Riemannian manifolds under various Ricci-curvature conditions.

   • In 1976 he settled the Calabi conjecture on the existence of Kähler–Einstein metrics; the result has been applied in superstring theory and bears importantly on unified field theory. A compact Kähler manifold with vanishing first Chern class is called a Calabi–Yau manifold and is central to both mathematics and string theory. As applications Yau also proved the Severi conjecture and discovered the Miyaoka–Yau inequality. He made important contributions to the existence of Kähler–Einstein metrics in the c1 > 0 case and conjectured its relationship to stability in the sense of geometric invariant theory in algebraic geometry — a conjecture that inspired a series of important works by Donaldson on scalar curvature and stability.

   • With Shiu-Yuen Cheng he proved the existence of solutions to the real and complex Monge–Ampère equations and resolved the higher-dimensional Minkowski problem and the existence of Kähler–Einstein metrics on pseudoconvex domains.

   • Yau pioneered the use of minimal-surface methods in geometry and topology. Through a deep analysis of the behavior of minimal surfaces in spacetime, in 1978 he and R. Schoen resolved the positive mass conjecture of Einstein's general relativity.

   • With Karen Uhlenbeck he proved the existence of Hermitian–Einstein metrics on stable bundles over any compact Kähler manifold, generalizing Donaldson's result for projective algebraic surfaces and the Narasimhan–Seshadri result for algebraic curves.

   • With Meeks he solved a famous problem about minimal surfaces in three-manifolds: the Douglas solution of the Plateau problem for the minimal disk of an extremal Jordan curve is embedded in three-space when the boundary curve is a subset of a convex boundary. They then proved that these embedded minimal surfaces are equivariant under the action of finite groups; combined with Thurston's work, this implies the celebrated Smith conjecture.

   • With Bong Lian and Kefeng Liu, Yau proved the famous mirror-symmetry conjecture posed by string theorists. These formulas give explicit expressions for the number of rational curves on a large class of Calabi–Yau manifolds in terms of the Picard–Fuchs equations on the corresponding mirror manifolds.

   • With Kefeng Liu and Xiaofeng Sun he proved the equivalence of various geometric metrics on the moduli space of curves; the international community named these the Liu–Sun–Yau metrics.

   • In 1984, with Uhlenbeck, he resolved the conjecture that stable holomorphic vector bundles over a compact Kähler manifold are in one-to-one correspondence with Yang–Mills–Hermitian metrics, and derived an inequality of Chern's.

   • Yau's ongoing study of mirror manifolds — a special case of Calabi–Yau manifolds — is closely tied to string theory in theoretical physics and has attracted wide attention in the mathematical community.

2. Contributions to education: Beyond mathematics, Yau has had a major influence in physics and engineering; he was accordingly appointed a tenured professor of physics at Harvard, becoming the only person in Harvard's history to hold professorships in both the mathematics and physics departments. He has made important contributions across many branches of engineering — control theory, graph theory (applied to the social sciences), data analysis, artificial intelligence, and three-dimensional image processing — publishing dozens of important papers and being invited many times to give keynote and plenary addresses at engineering conferences. Yet his contribution to humanity goes far beyond research. His hands-on devotion to education is equally worth recounting. As early as 2005 he stated plainly that "without attention to fundamental education, China cannot, under the current model of undergraduate education, cultivate first-rate talent." In the years since, he has voiced many incisive views on the problems of Chinese academia and of high-school and undergraduate education, and has used his influence among the Chinese community to found a great many activities related to science education, playing a leading role in them.

   • Caring for mathematics in China: Yau has long been deeply concerned with the cause of mathematics in China. Since 1984 he has taken on more than a dozen doctoral students from China, intent on training talent in differential geometry. His approach is not merely to teach special techniques but, more importantly, to teach students how to grasp the essence of mathematics.

     As the first ethnic-Chinese Fields Medalist, Yau has worked enthusiastically to develop mathematics in China. Since 1979 he has given many high-quality lectures at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Science Press published his monograph Differential Geometry, drawn largely from his own research. He has directly supervised more than ten Chinese doctoral students with notable results, and on 8 June 1994 he was elected one of the first foreign members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

     Although Yau grew up in Hong Kong, he was born on the mainland, was deeply shaped by traditional Chinese culture, and firmly believes it is his duty to help advance mathematics in China. After China opened to the outside world in the 1970s, Yau, at the invitation of the famous mathematician Hua Luogeng, visited China in 1979.

     To help develop Chinese mathematics, Yau has tried every means — much as he tackles a mathematical problem. He trains students from China, establishes mathematical institutes and centers, organizes conferences at every level, launches talent-development programs, and raises substantial funds.

   • Founding institutes and research centers: The first institute Yau established was the Institute of Mathematical Sciences at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, founded in 1993. The second was the Morningside Center of Mathematics in Beijing, founded in 1996, most of whose operating funds Yau raised from the Morningside Foundation in Hong Kong. The third was the Center of Mathematical Sciences at Zhejiang University, founded in 2002. The fourth was the Mathematical Sciences Center at Tsinghua University, founded in 2009.

     Yau directs these three major institutions, regularly inspecting their work, giving lectures, mentoring students, and organizing academic conferences and summer schools. Beyond them, he made important contributions to the founding of the National Center for Theoretical Sciences in Taiwan and to the development of mathematics there. In 1997, at the invitation of Liu Chung-Laung, president of National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan, he visited for a year as a chair professor. Years later he suggested to Liu — by then chairman of Taiwan's National Science Council — that a center for theoretical sciences be established. The center was formally founded in 1998, and Yau served as chairman of its advisory committee until 2005.

   • Launching the International Congress of Chinese Mathematicians: To deepen exchange and cooperation among Chinese mathematicians, Yau founded and organized the International Congress of Chinese Mathematicians, held once every three years. In addition to invited talks, several non-Chinese mathematicians are invited to give Morningside Lectures. The focus of each congress is the presentation of the Morningside Medal of Mathematics and the Chern Prize. The first congress was held at the Morningside Center in Beijing on 12–18 December 1998, with more than 400 attendees from around the world; it drew an enthusiastic response and was the first major international mathematics conference held in China. The second was held in Taiwan in 2001, the third in Hong Kong in 2004, the fourth at Zhejiang University in 2007, the fifth at Tsinghua University in 2010, and the sixth at National Taiwan University in 2013. From the third congress onward, the New World Mathematics Awards, aimed at undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students, were formally established.

   • Establishing foundations and prizes: On 15 September 2003 Yau established the "Yau Education and Scholarship Foundation" in Jiaoling, donating 10,000 yuan a year as a college-entrance scholarship for Jiaoling Middle School. To spark high-school students' interest and creativity in mathematics and to discover and nurture young mathematical talent, in 2004 he first founded in Hong Kong the biennial "Hang Lung Mathematics Awards" for Hong Kong high-school students.

     In 2005, to support general education in Hong Kong's schools and let students and the public sense the depth of Chinese culture, Yau gave HK$2 million to his alma mater, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, to set up the "Chin Ying Yau Fund," whose interest funds invitations to internationally renowned masters of literature, history, and philosophy and supports student exchange in the university's Chinese, History, and Philosophy departments.

     In 2007 Yau established the "Chin Ying Yau Fund" in memory of his father's contribution to Chung Chi College and his father's nurturing of him, and to carry on his father's wish to "blend Chinese and Western culture," supporting and inviting top mathematicians worldwide to lecture and conduct research in China.

     On 26 July 2007 the Chin Ying Yau Foundation, named for his father and personally endowed by Yau at the Morningside Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was established with seed funding of 1 million yuan, used mainly to invite distinguished mathematicians to do research and give lectures at Morningside.

     In 2008 the S.T. Yau High School Mathematics Award was formally established.

     In 2010 the S.T. Yau College Mathematics Competition was formally established.

     In 2013 the S.T. Yau High School Science Award was formally established.

     In March 2015 the Yau Mathematical Sciences Center was inaugurated at Tsinghua University.

     On 11 October 2015 Yau met with friends in Jiaoling County, Meizhou, and agreed to establish a Yau education and scholarship foundation there.

     In May 2018 Tsinghua University added the "Yau Mathematics Elite Class"; on 22 December 2018 an international conference marking forty years of Calabi–Yau theory was held in Jiaoling County, Meizhou, Guangdong.

     In January 2021, with the approval of the Ministry of Education, Tsinghua University launched the "Yau Mathematical Sciences Leading-Talent Program," admitting one hundred outstanding high-school students worldwide each year.

The Organizers

In December 2009 Tsinghua University established the Mathematical Sciences Center (the "Math Center"), inviting the internationally renowned mathematician Shing-Tung Yau to serve as director. As a major strategic move to support the development of mathematics at Tsinghua, the Ministry of Education formally approved the establishment of the Yau Mathematical Sciences Center based at Tsinghua at the end of 2014. Under Yau's leadership, after twelve years of development the Center has made leap-forward progress in recruiting top talent, training outstanding mathematicians, conducting high-level research, and building up the discipline, becoming a research center of significant international influence.

Guided by the principles of being "international, open, and academic," the Center has, through an open and lively academic atmosphere, attracted a large group of outstanding top mathematicians and begun to supply the country with excellent young scholars. It has built a comprehensive disciplinary layout of "five major fields" and "three interdisciplinary directions" centered on pure mathematics.

The Center takes the recruitment of high-level talent and the making of a new generation of world-leading mathematicians as its fundamental task. In 2021 it successfully recruited 2018 Fields Medalist Caucher Birkar as a professor. To date the Center has 105 full-time faculty and research staff, including 70 faculty members (20 full professors, 10 associate professors, and 40 assistant professors) and 35 postdoctoral fellows.

Around this fundamental task of recruiting and training talent, the Center has continually explored and innovated in models for discovering and cultivating mathematical talent. It has built a series of talent-discovery and exchange platforms — including the S.T. Yau High School Science Award, the S.T. Yau College Mathematics Competition, the New World Mathematics Awards, the ICCM Mathematics Award, the four endowed mathematician lecture series, the Masters' Forum, the Alliance of Chinese Mathematicians, and the International Congress of Chinese Mathematicians — and has established good cooperative relationships with more than 30 universities and research institutions at home and abroad, including Harvard, Stanford, and Oxford. Each year more than 300 mathematicians and experts in related fields come to the Center to work, visit, and exchange ideas. Many important international academic conferences are held at the Center and at the "Tsinghua Sanya International Mathematics Forum" conference base, and numerous academicians and laureates of the Nobel, Wolf, and Fields prizes visit, exchange ideas, and lecture there.

The Philosophy of the Award

    "What can I know? What ought I to do? What can I hope?"
                                                    ---- Immanuel Kant

From our communication with the organizers, including Mr. Yau himself, we learned that the Award was founded to address pressing problems in domestic education. To a man as steeped in both Chinese and Western, both the humanities and the sciences, as Mr. Yau, China's high-school education has a great many shortcomings and deficiencies — problems whose effects reach far, for China and indeed for the whole nation. Below we discuss, one by one, how the Yau Award seeks to address them.

1. Original thinking: In traditional domestic education the assembly-line system has been thoroughly fixed in place; we need not belabor its drawbacks. The Award was founded precisely to address them, using the form of research to encourage more high-school students to think about questions they once dared not, and to genuinely conceive of grander problems. In the competition we see a great many topics that cannot be learned or encountered in school, which is vital for broadening students' horizons and prompting innovative thought.

   From past cases we have found that the overwhelming majority of domestic high-school students have no understanding of the research process — or are confined to the level of a school lab report. Many entrants, accustomed before the competition to spoon-fed instruction, have no concept of how to identify a problem, solve it, and refine it. A phenomenon can then arise in which students ask their teachers to hand them a specific topic, the steps to carry it out, even the results and the paper — which utterly violates the spirit of the contest. We therefore advise that during the competition the student should drive the progress of the research, with the teacher playing a more supporting role, drawing on years of experience and expertise to help the student learn and master the spirit and process of research. This is the philosophy of the Yau Award: to encourage students, in the course of competing, to learn how to investigate problems by scientific methods — something that will profoundly shape their future development.

2. The spirit of collaboration: Traditional domestic education overstresses individual competition among students; remarks like "one more point squeezes out a thousand people" abound in schools within the system, easily breeding a "scores above all" mentality in which students grow used to fighting alone and gradually become refined egoists. Yet a research project can rarely be completed by one person; it usually takes the cooperation and effort of a team to achieve a good result. The Yau Award therefore encourages teamwork. The results over the years bear this out: team entrants often achieve excellent results — for instance, of the ten physics prizes at the 2021 grand final, eight were won by teams.

   Moreover, in students' later study or research, working entirely alone is rare. At the master's and doctoral levels, for example, one speaks of "the research group led by Professor So-and-so," not of a lone individual. So when entering the Award — especially when choosing a project that involves a lot of experiment and a heavy workload — one should give full consideration to forming a team, which greatly helps ensure both the quality and the pace of the research. And, most important, in this process students come to understand how to cooperate for mutual benefit — with teammates, with advisors, and with anyone else who can help the project.

3. Broadening horizons: The Yau Award is global, open to high-school students everywhere. Whether a student comes from a first-tier city rich in educational resources or from a family with fewer, the Award offers a stage on which all the world's high-school students compete on equal terms. Here a rival might be a hidden talent in a small town or a standout at a top American boarding school. In this competition, then, what one learns is not only one's own topic but also, increasingly, the ideas, abilities, and concerns of one's peers. Diversity is the precondition for the survival and growth of all living things, and American universities are devoted to pursuing and continually emphasizing it. The Yau Award gives high-school students, at an intellectually vibrant stage, a platform for understanding a pluralistic society.

4. De-standardization: Across the history of Chinese education, the imperial examination system of the Ming and Qing placed the technique-obsessed "eight-legged essay" at the head of education and lost its creative force. After the examination system, the country embraced new Western learning, a path that was likewise far from smooth. After the founding of the People's Republic, a new education — national, scientific, and popular, guided by communist thought — was created, and Chinese education formed a set of its own standards. Yet standardization is often one of the chief culprits in stifling creativity: following the rules invites copying and neglects creation. For this reason the Award's own description specifically mentions "breaking free from the constraints of standard answers," encouraging the all-roads-lead-to-Rome kind of innovation. De-standardization thus becomes something students must keep in mind throughout the competition. Concretely, students should abandon the production of standard answers and focus more on the process, drawing meaningful conclusions through logical, scientific reasoning along the way.

How the Award Has Grown

In 2008 the S.T. Yau High School Mathematics Award was established.

In 2013 the S.T. Yau High School Physics Award was launched. At the same time, Tsinghua University incorporated the Award into its independent-admissions system, supporting its relevant departments in assessing outstanding winners; qualified students gained recommendation to take part in Tsinghua's independent admissions, with a chance to enjoy the preferential policy of admission at as low as the first-tier cutoff in the college entrance examination.

In 2016 the Biology and Chemistry Awards were launched, along with an interdisciplinary prize — the Science Gold Award. At the same time, Fudan University incorporated Yau Award winners into its independent-admissions plan.

In 2017 the Computer Science Award was launched.

In 2018 the Economics & Financial Modeling Award was established.

In 2018, with the approval of the Ministry of Education, Tsinghua University began formally admitting students to its "Yau Mathematics Elite Class." Outstanding high-school students selected through the Award serve as an important source and reserve for the Elite Class; the best are admitted and trained under an individualized model guided by the principles of "front-runners, internationalization, strong fundamentals, and respect for individuality."

In sum, the Yau Award began with the traditional subjects of mathematics and physics and has continually added more — some traditional disciplines, while the organizing committee, keeping pace with the times, has also steadily taken in subjects important to social development.

The Advisory Committee

The Advisory Committee of the S.T. Yau High School Science Award is composed as follows:

• Shing-Tung Yau (chair), professor at Harvard University and director of the Yau Mathematical Sciences Center

• Ralph Cohen, associate dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences and professor of mathematics at Stanford University

• Elias James Corey, professor at Harvard University, member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and Nobel laureate in chemistry

• Vijay Kuchroo, professor at Harvard Medical School

• Henry Pinkham, dean of arts and sciences and professor of mathematics at Columbia University

• Wilfried Schmid, professor of mathematics at Harvard University

• Richard M. Schoen, professor emeritus at Stanford University and professor at the University of California, Irvine; member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

• Bik-Kwoon Tye, professor of molecular biology at Cornell University

• Junying Yuan, professor at Harvard Medical School and member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

• Robert Zimmer, president of the University of Chicago and member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

• Xinnian Dong, professor at Duke University and member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences

• Li Jin, vice president of Fudan University, chair of the academic committee of the School of Life Sciences, and member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences

• Jun Li, professor of mathematics at Stanford University

• Pan Yunhe, executive vice president and member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering

• Xiaofan Wang, professor at Duke University

• Wang Yifang, director of the Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

• Xiao Jie, deputy director of the Yau Mathematical Sciences Center and professor of mathematics at Tsinghua University

• Xue Qikun, vice president of Tsinghua University and member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences

• Yang Le, member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences

• Andrew Chi-Chih Yao, Turing Award laureate, dean and professor of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Information Sciences at Tsinghua University, member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences

• Henry T. Yang, chancellor of the University of California, Santa Barbara, professor of mechanical engineering, and member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering

• Zhu Xiping, vice president of Sun Yat-sen University and dean of the School of Mathematics and Computational Science

What to Focus on When Preparing

The Award uses the quality of the paper and the research as the criterion for the preliminary round, adding a defense in the semi-final and final rounds. Throughout preparation, then, students should arrange their work according to the form of the competition and with reference to the judging criteria. We can divide the process into four parts, each with its own preparation priorities, which entrants should heed carefully.

1. Choosing a topic: In the Yau Award the choice of topic is crucial. How good a topic is directly determines how far the entry can go. We analyze topic selection in detail, by subject, in Chapter 2. Students should think carefully and confirm their topic before entering.

   In confirming a topic, students should communicate carefully with their advisor and consider it from several angles.

   First, feasibility. In choosing a topic the first thing to ensure is feasibility — for instance, whether the theoretical part can be mastered at a high-school level, whether the experimental part can actually be carried out (equipment, venue, and so on), and whether the topic can be completed within the allotted time. These questions largely determine whether a topic is suitable.

   Second, originality. Originality can generally be divided into theoretical and applied. Theoretical originality means a high-school student extends or deepens some theoretical content and reaches a novel conclusion. Applied originality means putting an existing theory into practice in a new setting; applied originality usually comes with a great deal of experimental verification, lest it be mere armchair theorizing.

   Third, social significance. A great many Yau Award entries carry broad social significance. For example, many entries connect with the much-discussed COVID-19 pandemic of recent years, proposing solutions to some practical aspect of the epidemic. This adds considerable luster to an entry.

2. The research process: Having chosen a topic, students should, in light of their own circumstances, carefully balance the time for research against their other studies. For most entrants, preparing for the Yau Award coincides with coursework, standardized tests, other competitions, and a host of activities; arranging these various commitments sensibly is vital. If a student decides to enter in June, we hope they can guarantee two to three hours a day for research, sorting out the research process, before submitting the paper. This not only ensures a rich learning experience but also, to a degree, safeguards the quality of the entry.

3. Writing the paper: In the course of the research, students should keep a detailed record of what they do, and complete the research paper toward the end. The paper must meet the following requirements. First, academic integrity: the student must satisfy the requirements of academic integrity, including the authenticity of the data and the independence of the research. Second, logic and completeness: the writing must present the entire research process completely and logically. Third, professionalism: the paper must be professional — correctly formatted, structurally complete, properly written, and so on. All of these factors play an important role in the preliminary round.

4. Presentation and defense: Once shortlisted for the semi-final, students must prepare a presentation on their paper and take part in an on-site defense. In preparing the slides, students should work carefully and rehearse repeatedly, anticipating questions the judges might ask. We explain this part in more detail in a later chapter.

Regional Divisions

1. Mainland China region

   Eligibility: students currently enrolled at major secondary schools in mainland China (high-school students only).

   Registration site: www.yau-awards.com

   1. Mathematics Award:

   (1) Northern region: Beijing / Hebei / Tianjin / Shanxi / Inner Mongolia / Xinjiang / Heilongjiang / Jilin / Liaoning / Hubei / Henan / Shaanxi / Ningxia / Gansu / Qinghai

   (2) Southern region: Guangdong / Guangxi / Hainan / Sichuan / Hunan / Guizhou / Yunnan / Tibet / Chongqing / Fujian / Jiangxi / Anhui / Macau

   (3) Eastern region: Zhejiang / Jiangsu / Shandong / Shanghai

   2. Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Computer Science, and Economics & Financial Modeling Awards:

   (1) Northern region: Beijing / Hebei / Tianjin / Shanxi / Shandong / Inner Mongolia / Xinjiang / Heilongjiang / Jilin / Liaoning / Henan / Shaanxi / Ningxia / Gansu / Qinghai.

   (2) Southern region: Zhejiang / Jiangsu / Shanghai / Guangdong / Guangxi / Hainan / Sichuan / Hunan / Hubei / Guizhou / Yunnan / Tibet / Chongqing / Fujian / Jiangxi / Anhui.

2. Overseas region (Asia)

   Eligibility: high-school students outside mainland China — in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and other Asian countries.

   Registration site: https://yauaward-asia.hk

3. Overseas region (North America)

   Eligibility: high-school students in overseas countries other than those in Asia.

   Registration site: http://www.yau-science-awards.org/

The Review Process

Mainland China region

1. 15 April – 31 July: online registration. Enter as a team (1–3 members); registration site: www.yau-awards.com; deadline: 24:00 on 31 July.

2. 1 August – 15 September: submit / update the paper. Once registered, papers may be submitted from 1 August; deadline: 24:00 on 15 September; the paper may be updated during this period.

3. 16 September – 6 November: regional review. Conducted in four stages — initial screening, mail review, desk review, and the regional final. Each region selects the list of teams advancing to the national grand final.

4. 7 November – 13 November: public posting of papers. The research reports of teams shortlisted for the national grand final are posted online.

5. 10–11 December: national grand final and award ceremony. The grand final is held in the form of an English-language defense, chaired by the international review committee; the grand final and ceremony are held at Tsinghua University.

6. 11 December (Sunday): science forum. A general-interest talk, held at Tsinghua University.

Asia region

1. March: registration opens. Enter as a team (1–3 members from the same school). Registration site: https://yauaward-asia.hk

2. 30 June: registration and research-outline submission deadline: 30 June.

3. June–July: initial review of outlines.

4. July: initial-review results announced and the shortlist revealed; exact timing per email.

5. 31 August: submit the full research report; deadline: 31 August.

6. September: review and evaluation of the research reports.

7. Mid-to-late September: evaluation results announced.

8. Late October: defense and results (biology, chemistry, computer science).

9. Late October: defense and results (economics & financial modeling, physics, mathematics), with the award ceremony.

10. Late November: science lecture.

North America region

1. 18 May – 30 June: online registration. Enter as a team (1–3 members from the same school). Registration site: http://www.yau-science-awards.org/; deadline: 24:00 ET on 30 June.

2. 1 July – 5 September: submit / update the paper. Once registered, papers may be submitted from 1 July; deadline: 24:00 ET on 5 September; the paper may be updated during this period.

3. 6 September – 18 October: paper review.

4. 25 October – 20 November: subject defenses for the North America region.

5. 10:00 a.m. on 20 November (Sunday): North America region award ceremony.

6. 10–11 December: grand final and award ceremony. Papers shortlisted for the grand final are posted online and the final shortlist is confirmed. The grand final is held in the form of an English-language defense, chaired by the international review committee; the grand final and ceremony are held at Tsinghua University.

7. 11 December (Sunday): science forum. A public talk, held at Tsinghua University.

Prize Structure

The Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Computer Science, and Economics & Financial Modeling Awards each offer one Gold, one Silver, three Bronze, and five Merit prizes, with cash awards of 150,000 yuan (Gold), 100,000 yuan (Silver), 60,000 yuan (Bronze), and 30,000 yuan (Merit), along with a trophy and certificate for each winning team. In addition there is one interdisciplinary prize — the Science Gold Award — worth 150,000 yuan.

The actual number of prizes awarded each year is determined by the international review committee, in consultation, with reference to the above structure and on the basis of an overall judgment of that year's entry quality and the students' performance in the defense.

New in 2025: the Finalist Award. Beginning with the eighteenth edition (2025), the organizing committee added a "Finalist Award" tier below the Merit Award, conferred on outstanding teams that advanced through the regional review to the national grand final but did not win a Gold, Silver, Bronze, or Merit prize; certificates and trophies are awarded by the committee. In 2025 a total of 26 Finalist Awards were given (mathematics 5, physics 5, chemistry 3, biology 3, computer science 4, economics & financial modeling 5; plus a number of specially designated projects). This change raised the number of outstanding teams emerging from the grand final from roughly 60 per edition to 87, further broadening the reach of the awards and making reaching the grand final itself a recognized academic honor.

What Winning Means

"As one of the world's most authoritative and influential science competitions for high-school students, the S.T. Yau High School Science Award has won the support of experts from Tsinghua, Fudan, Zhejiang University, the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Harvard, Stanford, and other universities. It has drawn the attention and active participation of secondary schools, teachers, students, and parents at home and abroad, gathered a group of top international scientists to serve as judges, and discovered a body of outstanding high-school students with talent for and interest in the basic sciences.

To date, more than 2,000 secondary schools and over 10,000 teams have entered, spanning more than 30 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in China as well as overseas regions such as North America and Singapore; a total of 401 student teams and more than 750 individuals have been honored. More than half of the young winners have gone on to study at distinguished universities in China and abroad — Tsinghua, Peking University, Harvard, MIT, Yale, Princeton — and many continue to pursue research after reaching the university of their dreams."

Beyond the official account, we surveyed the admissions outcomes of a great many winners, and the Yau Award did indeed play a major role in their progress to higher education. For a student who is already strong and who wins a medal at the Yau Award, this is icing on the cake for applications at home and abroad. Most such students went on, as they had hoped, to top schools — Tsinghua, Oxford, Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, and the like. The Award has a relatively low barrier to entry and is very welcoming to Chinese students, making it well suited to those bent on winning offers from top schools in the U.S. and U.K.

Things to Note

Mathematics

Physics

Chemistry

Biology

Computer Science

Economics & Financial Modeling

Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF)

Overview: The Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) is a program of the Society for Science (U.S.) and the world's largest high-school STEM competition. Founded in 1950, it offers the world's renowned young scientists a global stage to share their outstanding STEM research and compete for more than US$5 million in awards, prizes, and scholarships.

Format: The world's largest and highest-level youth science and technology competition for grades 9–12. Each year tens of thousands of students worldwide take part; after screening through preliminary affiliated fairs, only about 1,800 students ultimately qualify to advance to the International Science and Engineering Fair held each May.

Open-ended: it covers 21 different categories — robotics and intelligent machines, computational biology and bioinformatics, engineering mechanics (mechanical engineering), mathematics, earth and environmental sciences, and more. Teams of 1–3 members choose a research direction and explore a research topic (a student's project may not exceed 12 months of continuous research), ultimately presenting it on the stage of the global fair.

Entry path & suitable students: Students in the United States — including Chinese students at U.S. high schools — can register through a local Affiliated Fair or their school. Affiliated competitions generally consist of a local fair (school fair), a regional fair, and a state fair.

Students studying in mainland China can take part in affiliated fairs through three channels — the "China Adolescents Science and Technology Innovation Contest," the "Talent Program," and "Tomorrow's Little Scientists" — to qualify for ISEF.

For students at schools for children of foreign nationals in China, registration is possible through the Sichuan Science Fair.

Suitable students: high-school students worldwide; those interested in research projects, with the patience and ability to sustain a six-month project, who are bent on applying to top overseas schools.

Awards: Grand Awards — in each of the 21 categories, first-, second-, third-, and fourth-place prizes are given, worth US$6,000, US$1,500, US$1,000, and US$500 respectively.

Among all the category winners, the overall ISEF first-place winner receives US$75,000, with the second- and third-place winners each receiving US$50,000.

Special Awards: special prizes set up by universities, technology companies, learned societies, and other organizations.

Recognition: The world's largest high-school STEM competition, with the highest recognition among U.S. universities. Of the tens of thousands of students, only about 1,800 reach the ISEF finals.

Assessment format: After advancing through regional affiliated fairs, finalists reach the global ISEF in May, where they complete a project presentation and defense; teams of 1–3 compete across 21 subject categories covering nearly every discipline.

What is assessed: In the earlier affiliated fairs, the complete research process and the depth of the topic are examined; like the Yau Award, ISEF emphasizes the originality of the topic and the completeness of the research. The final stage tests the student's English-language defense — how to present one's project to the world and win awards.

Differences in preparation: Emphasis on the choice of research topic. In the earlier affiliated/regional fairs, entrants must carry out a complete study of one research topic; this is relatively flexible and stresses originality. After advancing to the finals, preparation focuses mainly on the English-language defense, requiring attention to English expression and project presentation. A preparation period of no less than six months is recommended.

Knowledge required: A solid foundation in the subject and a standard research process.

Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS)

Overview: The Regeneron Science Talent Search (Regeneron STS), begun in 1942, is the most prestigious science competition in the United States, offering high-school students the chance to discuss their original research with a national panel of professional scientists. Many alumni have made extraordinary contributions to science and won a great many of the world's most distinguished science and mathematics honors, including 12 Nobel Prizes, 11 National Medals of Science, and two Fields Medals.

The competition is open to U.S. high-school students (grade 12) at home and abroad and is completed by submitting a paper report, covering 17 subject categories such as animal sciences, behavioral and social sciences, and biochemistry. Each year more than 1,800 high-school students from across the U.S. take up the challenge of conducting independent science, mathematics, or engineering research and complete the Regeneron Science Talent Search project.

Format: Entrants apply by submitting a written research report; ultimately 300 advance to the semi-finals, 40 to the finals, and the top 10 prizes are selected.

Entry path & suitable students: Suitable only for two kinds of students: U.S. high-school grade-12 students or U.S.-citizen students aged 13 or older; apply directly on the official website.

Awards: "Digital badges: winners are recognized in two areas, Student Initiative and the Research Report.

Scholar Awards: 300 students in all, each receiving US$2,000, awarded in late spring.

School Awards: US$2,000 to each school outstanding in science, mathematics, or engineering education and in supporting student research.

Finalist Awards: 40 students in all, with prizes awarded by rank, who may travel free to Washington, D.C., for a personal presentation.

First Place Award: US$250,000;

Second Place Award: US$175,000;

Third Place Award: US$150,000;

Fourth Place Award: US$100,000;

Fifth Place Award: US$90,000;

Sixth Place Award: US$80,000;

Seventh Place Award: US$70,000;

Eighth Place Award: US$60,000;

Ninth Place Award: US$50,000;

Tenth Place Award: US$40,000;

The remaining thirty finalists: US$25,000 each."

Recognition: Each year nearly 2,000 high-school students from across the U.S. take up the challenge of independent science, mathematics, or engineering research and complete the Regeneron Science Talent Search project. Alumni have made extraordinary contributions to science and won the world's most distinguished science and mathematics honors, including 13 Nobel Prizes.

Assessment format: Individual research projects only; 16 subject categories, including social sciences, engineering, mathematics, physics, and chemistry, of which entrants must choose one.

What is assessed: An individual research project — team projects are not accepted. Students submit a completed research report and a personal information form to apply; the comprehensive abilities shown in the project are examined — topic selection, research, experiment, writing, time management, and so on.

Differences in preparation: From a preparation standpoint, little differs from ISEF; entrants choose a field, set a research topic, and complete the study. A preparation period of no less than six months is recommended.

Knowledge required: A solid foundation in the subject and a standard research process.

High School Mathematical Contest in Modeling (HiMCM)

Overview: The High School Mathematical Contest in Modeling (HiMCM) is an international mathematics competition organized by COMAP (the Consortium for Mathematics and Its Applications), a U.S. non-profit. Begun in 1999, HiMCM has spread rapidly worldwide in recent years and become an important event for high-school students everywhere. Designed against the backdrop of the success of the collegiate Mathematical Contest in Modeling, it borrows that contest's model and adapts it to the characteristics of secondary-school students. HiMCM is conducted in the form of teamwork, with the aim of improving entrants' problem-solving and writing skills within a team.

Format: Set-problem; a HiMCM team has at most four members and, within a 13/14-day contest window, chooses one of the problems posted on the official site and submits a single paper.

Entry path & suitable students: Suitable students: "high-school students worldwide competing for global awards; those who wish to apply to top U.S. schools, have a good mathematical foundation, are interested in the application of mathematics, hope to improve their applied-mathematics ability, and intend to major in mathematics, physics, engineering, computer science, or business."

Awards: "Outstanding Winner: no more than 1% of all teams.

Finalist: no more than 7% of all teams.

Meritorious: about 12% of all teams.

Honorable Mention: about 31% of all teams.

Successful Participant: teams that successfully complete a modeling paper."

Recognition: Each year it attracts nearly 1,000 teams from more than 20 countries and regions worldwide. Most Outstanding Winner students are admitted to MIT or Stanford on full scholarships, and other winners are also much sought after by Ivy League universities.

Assessment format: Within the fixed 13/14-day contest window, entrants choose one of the problems released by the committee and complete a single paper; emphasis on teamwork.

What is assessed: A modeling contest generally involves three blocks of work — building the mathematical model, computer programming to process the data, and writing the paper — so the assessment focuses more on entrants' teamwork, applied-mathematics ability, problem-solving ability, and paper-writing ability.

Differences in preparation: In preparation, choose teammates, confirm each person's division of labor, then focus on cultivating one's own part; study the models used in past entries and the way the papers are written. There is no need to understand the complete research process. A preparation period of no less than three months is recommended.

Knowledge required: Entrants need a fairly high level of English, but the knowledge required is not highly specialized — learning some common models suffices, such as AHP, the entropy method, simulated annealing, grey prediction, principal component analysis, interpolation, and clustering — and learning some software in advance: MATLAB, Edraw, Visio, Word, Excel, and so on.