Students win international math contest

A team of three Wake Forest University students submitted a winning solution to the 12th Annual Mathematical Contest in Modeling.

The team’s members include Andrew Frey, a junior from Winston-Salem; Joseph Gagnon, a freshman from Greensboro; and Hunter Tart, a senior from Dunn.

The modeling contest drew entries from 393 teams representing 235 schools in nine countries. The teams, made of one to three undergraduates, were asked to research and find a solution for one of two modeling problems.

Working virtually non-stop over four days in February, the students developed a mathematical description of the change in the surrounding noise field created by a silent submarine entering a region. Using the description, they determined the submarine’s speed, size, location and direction.

Their solution to the modeling problem was one of four announced in April as winners in the contest presented by COMAP Inc., a non-profit organization. COMAP produces mathematical curriculum materials which demonstrate mathematics in real-world contexts.

The team’s faculty advisors are Edward F. Allen and Stephen B. Robinson, both assistant professors of mathematics and computer science at Wake Forest.

Categories: Media Advisory, Recognition, Student