Teams led or joined by the University of Michigan-Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute (UM-SJTU JI, JI hereafter) undergraduate students delivered outstanding performance in the 2023 Mathematical Contest in Modeling/ Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling (MCM/ICM), grabbing awards including one Outstanding Winner, two Finalist Winners, 12 Honorable Mentions, and 3 Successful Participants for SJTU, according to the results announced by the organizer recently.
The MCM/ICM competition was launched in 1985 by the Consortium for Mathematics and Its Applications (COMAP). It is the only international mathematical modeling contest of its kind and regarded as the Olympic Game of mathematical modeling attracting worldwide contestants every year. The competition is conducted in teams of three members and requires participants to complete modeling and paper writing for a specific real-world problem within four days. Since 2020, the MCM/ICM has been divided into two rounds, with three questions in each round. Candidates can choose one round and answer one question of their choice. A total of 20,858 teams from over 30 countries and regions participated in the contest this year, including students from renowned universities such as the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, Columbia University, Cornell University, Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
JI students sponsored by the JI Technology and Innovation Association started to attend the MCM/ICM competition in 2012. So far, JI students have won a total of three Outstanding Winners, 15 Finalist Winners, 32 Meritorious Winners, 99 Honorable Mention awards.
Work of the JI Outstanding Winner team
Certificate of Outstanding Winner award
Outstanding Winner team leader, JI sophomore Jingjia Peng said the award was an unexpected joy for the team that participated in the competition for the first time. “I still remember how we created this innovative model together in the conference room of Long Bin Building, how we overcame the challenges in modeling and implementation, and how we stayed up all night until 6 a.m. Of course, the team meetings during winter break, the ten-hour daily online discussions, and the preparation materials shared on the messaging platform all contributed to this unforgettable memory.”
JI sophomore Minjia Tang, who received the Finalist Winner award, said the competition was a memorable team collaboration experience. “It was a very meaningful competition. The three of us cooperated seamlessly, actively communicated, and continuously provided good suggestions in modeling, coding, and writing. Throughout the preparation and participation process, we also learned a lot of knowledge related to mathematical modeling. I’m very grateful to my teammates; it was a truly unforgettable experience.”
