Math Modeling is taught by Mrs. Burns and is a uniquely nontraditional approach to a math class. We mostly learn through doing, which can be an extremely rewarding, albeit challenging, method for dealing with unfamiliar concepts such as modular arithmetic. Additionally, the wide scope of the material covered in this class provides everyone with a chance to lead and share their knowledge. Our homework mostly consists of selections from whichever problem set we're working through, but classwork often involves working on major modeling projects, POWs, and competitions.
So, what exactly is "math modeling"? The Epsilon School project asked us to manage the allocation of 7 new teachers to a school whose population size is about to change drastically. While the question can be answered without much consideration for the math behind it (you can totally just stick teachers into departments as you see fit), it likely won't be a very fair solution. This introductory modeling project gave us a simple scenario to practice representing an issue numerically. Getting used to the process of making assumptions, documenting processes, and working together to solve a problem in a relatively short period of time was also great exposure to the skills we utilized later in the year during HiMCM, a more intense, 50-hour math modeling competition.
The Modeling The Future Challenge (MTFC) is another competition we do in junior year. MTFC focuses on actuarial science, the mathematical field that pertains to risk assessment and management (people who do this job are called actuaries). As of right now, this project is still ongoing. Our Team, Feel the Burn(s), has just completed the preliminary stages of what will eventually be a 25-page paper detailing our solution to a crisis that we got to choose. Check out our Project Proposal, one of the two documents that qualified our team to move to the semi-finals and actually pursue further research. Big thanks to my fellow team members: Thomas Giolas, Caroline Walczak, Lydia Metcalf, and Jianna Bixho.