Juniors earn Honorable Mention in national math challenge
May 7, 2020
Juniors earn Honorable Mention in national math challenge
“Of the 760 papers submitted in this year’s MathWorks Math Modeling Challenge, your team’s solution has been selected to receive one of 22 honorable mention awards. You and your team should be very proud of this distinction, especially given the rigorous and intense scrutiny that each paper endured,” Adrianne Ali, a representative from MathWorks Math Modeling Challenge, said. “Only four percent of the submitted papers were selected for recognition.”
Now in its 15th year, the 2020 M3 Challenge saw students spend 14 consecutive hours between Feb. 28-March 2, 2020, using mathematical modeling tools to solve a real-world problem by collecting data and creating models, and submitting their solutions online.
This year’s problem asked teams to create a model to predict what percentage of semi-trucks will be electric in the next few years and decades, determine the number and locations of charging stations along major U.S. trucking routes that are needed for an all-electric trucking industry, and to prioritize which routes should be developed with electric charging infrastructure first.
More than 3,500 students — working in 760 teams — participated in the challenge. Upper St. Clair High School was one of 50 teams from Pennsylvania that competed this year and one of only two Pennsylvania schools to earn recognition.
“They really did impressive work, and I am extremely proud of them!” Kevin Coffman, Upper St. Clair High School math teacher, said.
M3 Challenge is a program of Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) designed to motivate students to study and pursue careers in science, math, and computing. Learn more about M3 Challenge.
View the list of 2020 Finalists, Semifinalists and Honorable Mention teams.
