Fund supports mathematics education at Yunnan University

The third Xiao Wencan Mathematical Education Fund awards ceremony was held on July 14 at Yunnan University, or YNU – located in Kunming, capital of Southwest China's Yunnan province.

Award-winning teachers and students pose for a group photo. [Photo/ynu.edu.cn]

The man whose distinguished career in maths inspired the awards – Xiao Wencan – graduated from Guizhou Provincial Normal School in 1916 and taught at Yunnan University.

He retired from YNU in 1958 and passed away in 1963, having made outstanding contributions to the field of mathematics research and education in China during his lifetime.

In 2021, initiated by his family, the Xiao Wencan Mathematical Education Fund was established at Yunnan University through donations.

The fund aims to encourage outstanding scholars and students from the School of Mathematics and Statistics at Yunnan University to engage in mathematical research.

Currently, the fund awards one Mathematics Chair Professor Award every two years, with a prize of 200,000 yuan ($27,520). It also awards one Outstanding Mathematics Teacher Award every two years, with a prize of 100,000 yuan.

Additionally, the fund awards two Mathematics Outstanding Teacher Awards annually, each receiving 50,000 yuan. It also grants maths scholarships to eight students each year, with each scholarship worth 20,000 yuan.