Math Modeling Competition (Feb. '07)
The Mathematical Contest in Modeling is an international competition held during the spring of each year. Teams of undergraduate students use their mathematical skills to model solutions to real world problems. Some teams participate in the Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling (an extension of the math modeling contest) which is designed to develop and advance interdisciplinary problem-solving skills as well as competence in written communication.
On Feb. 8-12, four Asbury College teams participated in the competition. Each team of three students chose to solve one of these problems:
- forming fair voting districts for U.S. House of Representatives elections
- developing an efficient airline boarding/deboarding plan
- improving the donor/patient matching system for kidney transplants to minimize patient wait time and maximize the chances of successful transplantation
Each team constructed and tested an appropriate math model for their chosen problem and wrote a paper describing their work. According to Dr. David Coulliette, professor and chair of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, the College usually places at least one team in the top 15 percent of the competition (a "Meritorious" rating). This year, two of our teams earned a “Meritorious” rating and a third team earned an “Honorable Mention” rating.
