COMAP Mathematical Contest in Modelling (MCM)
The COMAP Mathematical Contest in Modelling (MCM) is an annual international contest for teams of students to solve real-world problems. At the heart of this contest are skills in mathematical thinking to build models and communicate results to a variety of stakeholders by way of a written technical report along with a short non-technical summary.
The problems this year concerned
- (A) the geochemical carbon cycle of the Earth by way of decomposition of woody fibre by fungi
- (B) the coordinated response to wildfires using drones for surveillance and situational awareness
- (C) the spread of hornets by incorporating data from public reports of sightings
Over 10,000 teams from around the world spent a long weekend (4 days) in February modelling and analysing one of these open-ended problems.
UCD School of Mathematics and Statistics has a history of sponsoring teams in the event, now led by Team Advisors Dr James Herterich and Dr Áine Byrne. This year, three teams from Stages 2 and 3 took part,
- Problem A, Successful Participant: Odhrán Dooley, Peter McHale, Mary Tiernan
- Problem B, Successful Participant: Jerry Durkan, Kendra Ní Nualláin, Anne O'Dwyer
- Problem A, Honorable Mention: Nathan Doyle, Diarmuid Egan, Adam Keyes
We congratulate these students for their commitment and well-deserved results.