A team of UF undergraduates earned the department’s highest distinction to date in the 2025 Mathematical/Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling (MCM/ICM), receiving both a Finalist designation and the prestigious INFORMS Award. Out of more than 21,000 teams worldwide, only 343 received Finalist honors, placing our students in the top 2%. The INFORMS Award, presented to just one team per problem, recognizes exceptional real-world modeling and analysis.
Congratulations to team members:
Xavier Gottlieb-Young (Mathematics, 4th year)
Jada Sitchler (Mathematics, 3rd year)
Bryn Nurczyk (Statistics, 2nd year)
This achievement reflects the continued success of the MCM/ICM program at UF, which has grown steadily since it was launched in 2020 by Dr. Tracy Stepien, who co-led this year’s program alongside Dr. Youngmin Park. We also thank graduate students Kyle Adams, Abhiram Hegade, and Hemaho Taboe for their contributions to student training.
Nineteen UF students participated in this year’s contest across seven teams. One additional team earned an Honorable Mention, and five more were recognized as Successful Participants.
Read more on CLAS news.