Source: UF College of Liberal Arts and Sciences News

Eleven students from the University of Florida College of Liberal Arts and Sciences put their problem-solving skills — and their teamwork — to the test in an international math modeling competition.

Hosted by the Consortium for Mathematics and Its Applications (COMAP), the contest challenged students to devise solutions to real-world problems in 96 hours. Two UF teams faced more than 10,000 other groups in the 37th annual Mathematics Contest in Modeling (MCM), while another two teams were among more than 16,000 in the 23rd annual Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling (ICM).

To meet the challenge, students had to acquaint themselves with some unfamiliar topics: Two teams examined how fungi contribute to the decomposition of dead plant material and wood fibers, while another measured how pieces of music can influence an entire genre. A fourth was tasked with developing a system to assess the health of systems of higher education.

Congratulations to these students for representing UF well!

Visit the UF CLAS website to read the full article.