Modeling Content Offers Challenges from Air Traffic to Wildlife Management, continued

The Mathematical Contest in Modeling, an international event run by the Consortium for Mathematics and its Applications, offers one such experience. Each year, the department sponsors one or more undergraduate teams to compete in this contest, which attracts over 500 entries from around the world. Contestants are given a choice of three problems, which they must research and write a solution for in a four-day period.

Last year, CU undergraduates Bill Woessner (Applied Math major), Rich Younger (Engineering Physics), and Martin Linck (Chemical Engineering) received one of the competition's Outstanding Paper awards. Their problem involved using computers effectively to help automate air traffic control at a busy airport. A second CU team received honorable mention for its work on a population management model for a herd of elephants in a South African national park.

In addition to competing in the modeling contest, Applied Math students have opportunities to act as undergraduate teaching assistants for lower division classes, to work with faculty and graduate students on research projects, and to participate in internships at nearby companies and governmental labs. The department has 15 faculty members, who teach over 3,000 students each year and carry out numerous research projects involving both undergraduates and graduate students.

http://amath.colorado.edu