Mathematics, Technology and the Future

From Beaufort to a global competition involving millions of students.

Beaufort Secondary College student Sam Gregg, recently competed in the Bebras Computational Thinking Challenge, an international problem-solving competition involving around 3 million students from about 60 countries. The Bebras challenge took place after school, with Sam working through complex problems well past 7:00 pm, demonstrating impressive dedication and perseverance.

Sam will now go on to compete in the AMT Computational and Algorithmic Thinking Competition, run by the Australian Mathematics Trust. Computational and algorithmic thinking are now part of the mathematics curriculum, including VCE secondary mathematics. These skills underpin many of the technologies shaping industries today.

In rural areas such as farming:

• Drones and image recognition are used to monitor sheep and cattle, where aerial images can automatically count livestock, locate animals across large paddocks and detect unusual behaviour that may indicate illness, lambing or animals separated from the mob.

• Satellite and drone imaging is used to identify crop stress early, helping farmers respond to drought stress, pests or nutrient issues sooner.

• GPS-guided tractors and seeders plant crops in precisely spaced rows, reducing overlap, saving fuel and improving yields.

• Artificial intelligence and robotic weed control, including technologies that identify weeds and target them with lasers or precise spraying, are implemented to reduce herbicide use.

• Smart irrigation systems that use soil sensors, rainfall data and weather forecasts assist with deciding when and how much to water crops.

These same mathematical ideas are also helping address major global challenges, including climate modelling to predict extreme weather, disease modelling to understand how illnesses spread, and energy optimisation to improve renewable energy systems.

 Competitions such as Bebras and CAT encourage students to develop the logical thinking and problem-solving skills that underpin these technologies.

If your child has an interest in mathematics, computing or problem solving, please contact Ms Walker to learn more about future opportunities. It is exciting to see students from Beaufort engaging with ideas that are shaping the future of technology, agriculture and global problem solving.