Damascus, June 29 (SANA)A Syrian team has been named among the world’s top 11 teams in the 2026 International Mathematical Modeling Challenge (IMMC), an international competition that tests secondary school students’ ability to apply mathematics and data analysis to real-world problems.

The 12th edition of the competition, organized online by the United States and Hong Kong, China, was held from Feb. 23 to April 27 and drew participants from 37 countries. A total of 67 teams advanced to the international judging stage, according to Syria’s Excellence and Creativity Agency.

The Syrian team comprised students from the Agency’s National Center for Distinguished Students: Bishara Nashed from Latakia, Ali Moalla from Homs, Karam Halloum from Latakia and Suleiman Ibrahim from Homs. The team was coached by Salman Daher.

This year’s challenge focused on developing mathematical models for wildlife conservation and protected area management, using Namibia’s Etosha National Park as a case study.

The Excellence and Creativity Agency said the team has received an official invitation to attend the IMMC Global Conference and Awards Ceremony, scheduled for Aug. 5–8.

The International Mathematical Modeling Challenge is one of the world’s leading mathematics competitions for secondary school students, encouraging participants to apply mathematics, statistics and data analysis to solve practical, real-world problems.