TV spotlight on maths whizzkid

TV spotlight on maths whizzkid

Article from The York Press - October 12, 2007

By HAYDN LEWIS.

A TEENAGE maths sensation and former York College student will feature in a BBC documentary on Sunday.

Eighteen-year-old Daniel Lightwing is one of a group of exceptionally gifted young mathematicians taking part in Beautiful Young Minds, on BBC2, at 9pm.

Daniel, of Warthill, near York, gained a place to read maths at Trinity College, Cambridge, when he was 16, but was asked to defer his entry until he was 18.

The documentary tells the story of some of the brightest mathematical brains of a generation.
Each year, exceptionally gifted teenagers from over 90 countries compete for medals at the Inter-national Mathematical Olympiad. The film follows a group of brilliant teen-agers as they battle it out to become the chosen six selected to represent the UK.

Daniel, who was 17 at the time of filming, has been diagnosed with Aspergers' Syndrome, a form of autism that affects the way a person communicates and relates to others. But he recognises that "it's good to be different".

Apart from mathematics, the most important thing in Daniel's life is his wife, Zhu Yan.
The couple met when Daniel spent three months travelling around China - during which time he taught himself Mandarin to fluency.

In the programme, Daniel is desperate to win a medal at the Olympiad and we follow his progress as he gears up for the competition and brings Zhu Yan back from China to his family home in York with the intention of marrying her. As the competition draws closer, minds and emotions are pushed to the limit.

It follows his attempts to represent the UK at the Olympiad, where he won a bronze medal while competing against the best in the world. There were 12 countries taking part in the contest, and each of them put forward six mathematicians.

As The Press reported at the time, Daniel spent a year training with the UK maths squad, teaching English in China and travelling.

He was then selected for the UK team at the main International Mathematics Olympiad, in Slovenia.

His mum, Carolyn, a maths teacher, said: "He's always been very exceptional at maths, and the fact it's been recognised to this point now is really fantastic."

© Copyright 2001-2009 Newsquest Media Group

The original article can be found here:

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/1755315.tv_spotlight_on_maths_whizzkid/

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a follow-up to my recent posts. Other articles I have posted about Daniel Lightwing can be found here:
http://thewonderfulworldofautism.blogspot.com/2010/01/documentary-beautiful-young-minds.html
http://thewonderfulworldofautism.blogspot.com/2010/01/autistic-genius-finds-true-love.html

Robert Mann BA (Hons)