The event, which began early in the morning, included students accompanied by 70 teachers. The competitive test involved solving 20 mathematical challenges, spread across five university campus locations: two classrooms in Aulario III, the Auditorium, the Degrees Hall of the Paraninfo, and the Paraninfo itself.
This year saw a record number of participants, surpassing previous editions. "This experiment, which started back in 2015, is consolidating and is well-received. We are increasingly concerned with ensuring it meets quality standards," explained Enrique de Amo, the contest organizer. A new feature this year includes awards for each participating center to acknowledge their ongoing support for these extracurricular activities.
“"This experiment, which started back in 2015, is consolidating and is well-received. We are increasingly concerned with ensuring it meets quality standards. This year, we have only allowed up to 15 students per center to enroll. We also have the novelty that this year, in addition to prizes for fourth year and first and second year of bachillerato, there will be prizes per center to thank them for the involvement they show each year by allowing students to carry out these activities outside the normal curriculum."
After a short break, the activities moved to the UAL's Paraninfo for a conference titled ‘You Didn't Know You Could Learn So Much’, delivered by Eduardo Sáenz de Cabezón Irigaray. He is a titular professor at the University of La Rioja, presenter of the well-known television program Órbita Laika, and creator of the successful mathematics YouTube channel Derivando. Sáenz de Cabezón, a recent recipient of the prestigious CSIC–Fundación BBVA Award for Scientific Communication, shared his dynamic, engaging, and fascinating perspective on mathematics.
The IndalMat contest was originally established to help prepare students for the Spanish Mathematical Olympiad (OME). This edition holds particular significance as it is part of the preparation for the LXIII Spanish Mathematical Olympiad, the final phase of which will be hosted by the University of Almería from March 11 to 14, 2027. The event was organized by the Teaching Innovation Group ‘Synergy between University and Secondary School Teachers’.
