Three student teams from the University of Florida received Meritorious Awards after competing in the national math modeling challenge SCUDEM.
Held in October and November 2020, SCUDEM challenges teams of high school and undergraduate students to answer one of three problems by creating a mathematics model using differential equations and preparing a 10-minute video presentation on their work for judging.
Mentored by coach Tracy Stepien, Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics, the three teams from UF joined many from across the nation to participate in the event hosted by SIMIODE, a nonprofit organization that fosters a community approach to studying differential equations.
“This was the first year that any student from UF has participated in SCUDEM, and I think it is impressive that all of our teams earned a Meritorious Award, especially in such an abnormal semester,” Stepien said. “All the teams worked hard, tackling very tough ‘real-world’ problems and finding unique and creative solutions to those problems. I’m extremely proud of their accomplishments, and I look forward to coaching this bright group of students in future modeling competitions!”
The following student participants addressed these problems:
- Grant Renner, JillyAnne Kent, and Alexandria Teter, for Problem A: Decay of Oil Agglomerates from The Deepwater Horizon Accident
- Emily Namm, Shane Gladson, and Madeline Hastie for Problem A: Decay of Oil Agglomerates from The Deepwater Horizon Accident
- Claudia Tariche Fortes, Diana Diaz-Martinez, and Paularis Gomez (not pictured) for Problem B: Spinning A Wheel