The 24-hour Mathematical Modeling Challenge

Abstract

Across the mathematics curriculum there is a renewed emphasis on applications of mathematics and on mathematical modeling. Providing students with modeling experiences beyond the ordinary classroom setting remains a challenge, however. In this article, we describe the 24-hour Mathematical Modeling Challenge, an extracurricular event that exposes undergraduate students to mathematics as it can be applied to real-world problem-solving. We give an outline of the rules, structure, and outcomes from the contest, including student feedback and a discussion of the different levels of modeling that we have seen from students in the 6-year span of the contest. Finally, we offer suggestions on how to prepare students for the Challenge, and describe the process for participating.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Benjamin J. Galluzzo

Benjamin J. Galluzzo is an Associate Professor of Mathematics at Shippensburg University in Shippensburg, PA. Theodore J. Wendt is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at his undergraduate alma mater, Carroll College in Helena, MT.

Theodore J. Wendt

Ben and Ted first began collaborating on math modeling-related activities as graduates students at the University of Iowa. Ben developed and ran the first 24MMC at lowa in 2008, and Ted, just a few weeks into his first teaching job at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, drove six students four hours (one-way) to participate in the new contest. The next year Ted wisely eschewed the drive and expanded the reach of the contest by organizing a 24MMC at UW La Crosse. That same fall, Ben, now a new faculty member at Shippensburg University, ran the contest at his new institution. Five 24MMCs are set run this fall, with Ted planning to debut the newest 24MMC at Carroll College.