About IMSO 2025
Background of IMSO
One of the world's top 2 international math and science competition for elementary and middle school students not older than 13 years of age before October 5, 2025.
Prestigious competition involving many of the world’s top 10 ranking math Olympiad countries such as China, Singapore and Vietnam and Korea.
USA conspicuous by its absence.
Value of IMSO
The USA has a very strong high school math Olympiad training program, where students participate in the American Math Competition and American Invitational Math Examination (AIME) to gain qualification for the USA Math Olympian (USAMO), from which the national team is chosen.
This structured contest math ecosystem unfortunately does not extend to the elementary and early middle school age group, which is unfortunate because many precocious talents start to develop high level math skills during this time that may atrophy without proper development.
The IMSO provides us with an opportunity to organize qualifying competitions and build training programs around it. The training programs provide students with the opportunity to keep learning and developing their advanced math skills. The competitions provide them with feedback on their mathematical development and can be used as a benchmark against other peers. The drive to improve ones results over time serves as a strong motivational factor for students to pursue math seriously.
Media Highlights
Classic Title
Read the full article here: https://news3lv.com/news/local/las-vegas-students-win-medals-at-international-math-and-science-olympiad-in-hanoi
Read the full article here: https://www.lvcdn.com/news/vegas/20191206/27394.html
English Translation of Original Article (Las Vegas Chinese Daily News)
IMSO 2019 – 16th International Mathematics and Science Olympiad
Las Vegas Students Achieve Outstanding Results
Source: Las Vegas Chinese Daily News | Reporter: Staff Reporter | Date: December 9, 2019
The U.S. student team representing Las Vegas participated in the 16th International Mathematics and Science Olympiad for Primary School (IMSO 2019) and achieved remarkable results.
Founded by the Indonesian Ministry of Education in 2003, the IMSO was hosted this year (2019) by the Hanoi Department of Education in Vietnam. With support from the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training and the Hanoi People’s Committee, the competition was held in Hanoi from November 26 to December 1. A total of 352 participants from 24 countries around the world took part. The opening ceremony was held at the Hanoi International Convention Center, and was personally officiated by Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Huu Do, Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Hoang Trung Hai, and Director of the Hanoi Department of Education Chu Xuan Dung.
The objectives of the competition are as follows:
-
To provide a platform for international exchange in Mathematics and Science
-
To foster interest and talent in Mathematics and Science among students around the world
-
To discover the potential of gifted students in Mathematics and Science globally
The USA Mathematics Team for IMSO 2019, representing Las Vegas, was formed by six students under the age of 13, selected by Mr. Magnus Tong of Harvard University. Local Las Vegas coach Hikmet Erdogan from RootSTEM assisted in training and led the team. After three months of preparation, the team participated in the 16th edition of IMSO held in Hanoi, Vietnam.
This marked the first time the United States sent a Mathematics team only (no Science participants) to the competition.
The competition covered content and knowledge from both Mathematics and Science curricula.
The test papers were divided into Mathematics and Science sections, covering corresponding subject knowledge.
Participants were required to independently complete short-answer, open-ended, and exploratory questions in Mathematics. For Science, they were tested on Theory I, Theory II, and Experimental tasks.
All questions were presented in English, and participants were required to answer in English as well.
Outstanding Results from the Las Vegas Student Team:
-
Gold Medalist: Chris Bao – Hyde Park
-
Silver Medalist: Shenlone Wu (吳顯龍) – Currently studying at UNLV; already a university student at a young age
-
Silver Medalist: Parth Joshi – Coral Academy
-
Bronze Medalist: Vanita Indrakumar – Hyde Park
-
Participant: Brandon Lee – Meadows
-
Participant: Sanjeev Chundu – Hyde Park
The Las Vegas student representatives not only brought pride to the United States but also earned the honor for Las Vegas to host the next IMSO in 2020.
The 2020 IMSO Goodwill Ambassador is Dr. Ming-Wei Wu, father of silver medalist Shenlone Wu (吳顯龍). Dr. Wu is a well-known local surgeon. His wife, Dr. Julie Wu (吳劉鴛鴛), is also a renowned local internal medicine physician.
For more details, please refer to Page A14 of this newspaper.
Far right: Silver medalist Shenlone Wu with his father, Dr. Ming-Wei Wu
Group photo of the award recipients
Group photo of U.S. and Taiwan student teams
Las Vegas student delegation with coach (far right)
Las Vegas student team with silver medalist Shenlone Wu in the center
U.S. team photo under the IMSO 2019 signage
Alumni Highlights:
Christopher Bao
Christopher Bao, a student at the Davidson Academy, earned the Gold Award in the 2025 United States of America Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO)—one of the most selective and prestigious math competitions in the nation. His performance placed him in the top 6% of all qualifiers, demonstrating exceptional mastery in mathematical proof writing and advanced problem-solving.
Christopher was a Gold Medalist representing Team USA in Mathematics at the 2019 International Mathematics and Science Olympiad (IMSO) in Hanoi. His continued excellence in mathematics reflects the powerful impact of early Olympiad training and the pursuit of deep mathematical understanding from a young age.
Read the full article: https://www.davidsonacademy.unr.edu/news/davidson-student-wins-gold-in-prestigious-national-math-olympiad/
Shenlone Wu
“I am Shenlone Wu, a 17-year-old postgraduate with a BS in Mathematics from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. I have studied mathematics since I was a child and am currently pursuing research in mathematics while teaching other prospective mathematicians. I am now working toward a Master’s degree in Mathematics at New York University.”
— as shared on LinkedIn
Shenlone was a Silver Medalist at IMSO 2019 in Hanoi, Vietnam, representing Team USA. His continued pursuit of excellence in mathematics exemplifies the impact that early international competition exposure can have on a student's academic journey.
Vanita Indrakumar
Vanita Indrakumar represented Team USA in Mathematics at the 2019 IMSO in Hanoi, where she earned a Bronze Medal. Since then, she has broadened her passion for STEM and now excels in Science as well. A student at Ed W. Clark High School (Class of 2028), Vanita was recognized nationally at the 2023 Science Olympiad, placing 4th in Green Generation and 7th in Write It Do It. With a growing interest in biomimicry, she aspires to become a biotechnologist. Her journey reflects how early engagement in international competitions can spark a lifelong love of learning across disciplines.
Parth Joshi
Parth Joshi represented Team USA at the 2019 International Mathematics and Science Olympiad (IMSO) in Hanoi, earning a Silver Medal in Mathematics. Since then, he has continued to thrive academically and has been named a 2024 National Merit Scholar, awarded a prestigious $2,500 scholarship by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. A student at Ed W. Clark High School (Class of 2028) in Las Vegas, Parth is passionate about Physics and aspires to pursue a career in the field. His academic journey demonstrates how early participation in international competitions can pave the way for future achievement and recognition.