|
Rensselaer Undergraduate Team Selected to Receive 2005 SIAM Award for Mathematical Modeling Contest
April 21, 2005
TROY, N.Y. — A Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
undergraduate team has been selected to receive the 2005
Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) Award in
the Mathematical Contest in Modeling, besting competitors from
Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and
others.
Rensselaer team members Meral Reyhan, a senior with a dual
major in physics and mathematics, and John Evans, a junior
majoring in applied mathematics, competed in the
21st annual Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM)
with 663 other teams representing academic institutions from 10
countries. The MCM contest is administered by the Consortium
for Mathematics and Its Applications.
In the MCM contest, competing teams have four days to solve
one of two challenging problems by using mathematical tools.
Reyhan and Evans tackled a problem requiring teams to propose a
model to help determine the optimal number of tollbooths in a
barrier toll plaza, “Problem B” in the contest. Their solution
paper is titled “A Quasi-Sequential Cellular Automaton Approach
to Traffic Modeling.” Reyhan and Evans said the most creative
part of their model was the inclusion of psychological factors
when considering how motorists react in certain situations, in
addition to actual traffic rules.
The Rensselaer team was designated as “outstanding” in the
Problem B category, a designation shared by only seven other
teams representing Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, Duke University, University of California,
Berkeley (2 teams), and University of Colorado.
Each year SIAM officials select one team from each problem
group to honor for their winning solution. The Rensselaer team
was selected to receive the 2005 SIAM Award in the Mathematical
Contest in Modeling for Problem B.
“We are proud of Meral Reyhan and John Evans for their
ability to perform at this level as undergraduates,” said G.P.
“Bud” Peterson, Rensselaer provost. “Their accomplishment is a
testament to an exceptional mathematical sciences department at
Rensselaer that prepares our students to creatively apply what
they’ve learned in the classroom to solve complex, realistic
problems.”
“To succeed in this contest, the team must effectively work
together to research, model, and present a creative and
coherent solution by connecting mathematical analysis to a real
problem,” said Peter Kramer, assistant professor of mathematics
at Rensselaer and faculty adviser for the MCM contest. “Meral
and John demonstrated their ability to combine teamwork with
creativity and knowledge to achieve this impressive honor.”
Rensselaer teams compete in the MCM contest each year. This
year’s contest is the first time a Rensselaer team has been
selected to receive the SIAM Award for its mathematical
solution.
Reyhan and Evans have been invited to present their winning
solution at the SIAM Annual Meeting to be held July 11-15 in
New Orleans , where they will each receive a cash prize of $300
and be recognized at an awards luncheon. Their solution paper
will also be published with commentary from judges of the
contest in an upcoming issue of The UMAP Journal, a
journal for undergraduate applied mathematic teaching
modules.
About the Society
for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) is
an organization founded in 1952 that supports and encourages
the important role that applied mathematics and computational
science play in advancing science and technology. Along with
publishing top-rated journals, books, and a monthly periodical,
SIAM News, SIAM holds about 12 conferences per
year. There are currently 30 SIAM Student Chapters, 15
SIAM Activity Groups, and more than 10,000 individual and
institutional members worldwide.
Published
April 21,
2005
|
