Students recognized at international math modeling contest

Three teams of Western Washington University students were recognized internationally for their achievements in the Consortium for Mathematics and Its Applications’ international mathematics modeling competition. The first team placed among the top 10 teams, the second in the top 10 percent of the contest and the third team in the top 40 percent.

Western’s three teams competed in COMAP’s Mathematical Contest in Modeling. The contest challenges teams of students to clarify, analyze and propose solutions to open-ended problems.

The contest questions were posted online, so Western’s teams were able to complete their contest from campus over a long weekend in February. The three Western teams participated as part of Western’s Math 412 class.

Out of the 3,697 teams participating, only 10 were rated outstanding, including one of Western’s teams. This team received the Frank Giordano Award from COMAP for their work and their work will be published in the “Undergraduate Mathematics and Its Applications Journal.” The Western students on the award-winning team are Charles “Chip” Jackson, from Shoreline, Lucas Bourne, from Mill Creek, and Travis Peters, from Kelso. Other teams in the top 10 are from Cornell, University of Colorado Boulder, Beijing University and the National University of Singapore.

Western’s second team was one of the 405 teams rated in the top 10 percent. The team members are Stuart Tsuchida, from Newcastle, Austin Brown, from Kingston, and Philip Robinson, from Lake Forest Park.

Honorable Mention went to the 1,048 teams that landed in the top 40 percent and Western’s third team was one of them. The third team has members Matt Forbes, from Kent, Jameson Clark, from Maple Valley, and Sebastian Imlay, from Sandpoint, Idaho.

For more information please contact Tjalling Ypma, chair and professor for the department of mathematics, at 360-650-3785 or tjalling.ypma@wwu.edu.