NAMSSN UI Chapter

What the ODE–Integration Bee is

The ODE–Integration Bee is a themed contest and training project that treats integrals and ordinary differential equations as an opportunity to explore deeper ideas, not just to perform mechanical steps. It encourages careful work, pattern recognition, and the habit of turning an integral into a structured problem that can be attacked in different ways.

• • Motivates students to practise beyond routine textbook exercises.
• • Connects integrals with ODE methods and special functions.
• • Builds a culture of friendly competition, collaboration, and curiosity.

Origins of the project

The ODE–Integration Bee was founded by Abdulhafeez Ayinde Abdulsalam while he was a student at the University of Ibadan. The idea was to give integrals more meaning and to bring contest-style excitement into ordinary coursework. From the very beginning, the project was organised in close collaboration with Segun Olofin Akerele, who served as one of the initial main organisers, together with a small group of committed supporters.

Since then, the project has grown beyond a single campus. Local editions and training events have been hosted or planned at different universities, all contributing to the same overall vision: take integrals seriously, connect them to differential equations and special functions, and make the experience welcoming to a broad range of students.

The international home of the project is the official website odeintbee.com, which keeps track of partner institutions, materials, and broader developments.

How our local edition works

The exact details can change from year to year, but our chapter’s local edition usually follows a clear pattern:

• • Qualifiers: written or online rounds to select finalists, with problems grouped by level.
• • Main Bee: a live event where participants solve integrals or ODE-related tasks under time pressure, with clear rules and visible solutions.
• • Recognition: certificates, small prizes when possible, and public acknowledgement on the chapter’s channels.

Current rules, marking schemes, and formats for each edition can be published in this section before registration opens, so that students always know what to expect.

Registration & logistics

Registration for our local ODE–Integration Bee is coordinated by the chapter. This section is reserved for:

• • Eligibility information (levels, departments, and any limits on the number of participants).
• • Links to registration forms, sheets, or portals.
• • Dates, venues, and contact details for questions and clarifications.

Whenever a new edition of the Bee is announced, the organising team can update this section with active links and clear deadlines.

Training & preparation

The Bee is not limited to one day on the calendar. It comes with a training culture that our chapter can develop over time. Students can prepare using:

• • Practice sheets and past questions hosted in the Problems hub.
• • Short notes, slides, and recordings from preparatory sessions organised by the chapter.
• • Coding experiments in the Python Lab, Mathematica Lab, or SageMath Lab.

The broader ODE–Integration Bee project is also supported by expository material such as the slide series on “Elementary Special Functions & Integrals via ODE Conversions” and collections of Mathematica notebooks on integral sequences and related topics, developed by Abdulhafeez A. Abdulsalam. Our chapter can draw on these resources whenever we design training sessions or follow-up seminars.

Problem, poster & media archive

Each edition of the Bee leaves behind material that is useful for future students and organisers. This page keeps those resources organised so that the tradition can grow instead of restarting each year:

• • Problem sets and official solutions, linked to relevant entries in the Problems archive.
• • Posters, banners, and digital designs, which can also appear in the Math-art gallery.
• • Photos, short write-ups, and bulletin-style summaries that capture the atmosphere of each edition.

Longer expository pieces or reflections about the ODE–Integration Bee can be published in the Student Bulletin and linked from this hub.