International Mathematical Modeling Challenge

Last updated
International Mathematical Modeling Challenge
Founder Sol Garfunkel
Founded atBoston, MA
TypeMathematics Competition
HeadquartersBoston, MA
Location
  • International
Official language
English
Co-Founders
Sol Garfunkel and Alfred Cheung
Parent organization
COMAP, NeoUnion
Website immchallenge.org

The International Mathematical Modeling Challenge (IMMC or sometimes IM2C) is an international mathematical modeling competition for high school students in team mathematical modeling co-sponsored by COMAP [1] and the NeoUnion ESC Organization. [2] [3] Teams are selected on a country-by-country basis, with each country sending its top two teams to the competition. The IMMC was inspired by the HiMCM, a similar contest sponsored by COMAP but mainly attracting teams within the United States. [4] The HiMCM in turn was established in the 1990s to create a high school counterpart to COMAP’s MCM. [5] [6] [7] Contestants in the IMMC are given five days to research (the contest permits the use of any inanimate source) and write a mathematical paper detailing their mathematical model for a given situation. [8] At the conclusion of the five-day period, papers are sent to an international expert committee composed of mathematics faculty from the world’s leading universities. Traditionally, 3-4 teams are awarded the top designation of Outstanding and invited to an awards ceremony, held in a different country each year. [9]

Contents

Team selection

Each participating country is expected to choose its two best teams of four contestants each to compete in the IMMC. Globally, different methods have been used to select teams from their respective countries.

Hong Kong holds the contest early and allows any interested team to participate. [10] A national judging panel selects the two best papers to move on to the international round of the competition. In 2015, 60 papers came out of the Greater China region alone. [11]

In 2015, the United States used a different qualification process, inviting the top two teams from the 2014 HiMCM to compete in the IMMC. In 2016, the United States adopted a hybrid of Hong Kong’s approach and its own former approach: any team receiving a score of Meritorious or higher in the 2015 HiMCM (roughly 25% of competing teams) was invited to compete in the 2016 IMMC. As in Hong Kong, the United States held the IMMC early, completed a national round of judging, and selected the two best papers to move on to the international round. [12]

Most countries use a selection process similar to that used by Hong Kong, and countries entering the IMMC for the first time will also likely adopt a similar process. [13] [14]

Judging

Papers passing the national selection round move on to the international expert judging panel. In 2015, the Expert Panel included: [15]

Results

2015

17 teams [16] from the following countries competed in the 2015 IMMC: [17]


Of these teams, four were awarded the top designation of International Outstanding and invited to the awards ceremony in Hong Kong: [17]

Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, CA, USA

The Affiliated High School of Peking University, Beijing, China

Raffles Girls' School (Secondary), Singapore

Shanghai Nanyang Model School, Shanghai, China
[18]


Seven were awarded the Meritorious designation: [17]

Four were awarded the Honorable Mention designation: [17]

Two were awarded the Successful Participant designation: [17]

2016

40 teams from the following 23 countries or regions competed in the 2016 IMMC:

Of these teams, three were awarded the top designation of International Outstanding and invited to the awards ceremony at the International Congress on Mathematics Education in Hamburg, Germany: [21]

Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, CA, USA

Diocesan Girls' School, Kowloon, Hong Kong (SAR)

Pui Ching Middle School , Kowloon, Hong Kong (SAR)

Fourteen were awarded the Meritorious designation: [22]

Nine were awarded the Honorable Mention designation: [22]

Fourteen were awarded the Successful Participant designation: [22]

2017

49 teams from the following 27 countries/regions competed in the 2017 IMMC: [23]

Of these teams, one was awarded the top designation of International Outstanding and invited to the awards ceremony at the Harvard University, Cambridge MA., USA along with three randomly selected Meritorious teams from Argentina, South Korea and Russia. [24] [23]

NC School of Science and Mathematics, NC, USA

Seven were awarded the Meritorious designation: [23]

Twenty-seven were awarded the Honorable Mention designation: [23]

Fourteen were awarded the Successful Participant designation: [23]

2018


Outstanding Team
Radford College, Australia
Advisor, Kym Palfreman
Ryan Stocks
Brianna Wiseman
Emily Li
Stone Sima

2019

Meritorious Teams [25]
St. Paul's Co-educational College, China Hong Kong (SAR)
Advisor, Chan Lung Chak
Au Yee Fong
Lam Justin
Yuen Shing Ho Kinsey
He Yixuan
Brisbane Boys' College, Australia
Advisor, Chicri Maksoud
James English
Ethan Jonathan Waugh
Xavier Catford
Ometh Rajapakse
Manurewa High, New Zealand
Advisor, Lawrence Naicker
Aimee Lew
Ella Guiao
Aaron Lew
John Chen
II Liceum Ogólnokształcące z Oddziałami Dwujęzycznymi im. Stefana Batorego, Poland
Advisor, Zbigniew Luchcinski
Adam Harrison
Jakub Sliz
Maksymilian Wolski
Krzysztof Oldakowski
Utrechts Stedelijk Gymnasium, Netherlands
Advisor, Gert Welleweerd
Ties Bloemen
Lucas Baas
Daniel Kunenborg
Guido Siers

2020

Outstanding Teams [26]
Anglo Chinese School (Independent)Singapore
Advisor, Hong Lee Kiat
Matthew Tham Yong'an
Tan Wei Xuan, Keane
Jeong Min Lee
Ng Jun Kiat, Derek
Canford SchoolThe United Kingdom
Advisor, Henry Bishop
Yuanze Xia
Yichen Dong


2021

Outstanding Teams [27]
Diocesan Girls' School

China Hong Kong (SAR)

Advisor, YEUNG Po Ki Dora
CHAN Tsz Ching
CHEUNG Chun Yan Alicia
IP Tsz Oi
TSUI Vivienne
Hwa Chong InstitutionSingapore
Advisor, NG TONG CHEONG
JIANG ZHIHENG
TAN YI KAI
YU WENHAO
TAN JIECONG

2022

Outstanding Teams [28]
St Andrew's College

New Zealand

Advisor, Phil Adams
Tom Edwards
Toby Harvie
Corin Simcock
Luke Zhu
Kamnoetvidya

Science AcademyThailand

Advisor, Guntaphon Tassanasophon
Tanupat Trakulthongchai
Phudit Thanakulkairid
Kanisorn Sawangsawai
Thitiwat Kosolpattanadurong
Charlotte Country Day SchoolUSA
Advisor, Mick Stukes
Yunjia Quan
Oscar Bao
Logan Yuhas
Anna Torstrick

2023

Outstanding Teams [29]
Ridley College

Canada

Advisor, Gary Pimentel
Alex(Zixuan) Li
Bobo(Ziang) Li
Michael(Yan) Xiao
Jocelyn Wang
Heinrich-Heine-GymnasiumGermany
Advisor, Barbara Burckhardt
Hatim Abdel Ghaffar
Marten Maager
Jonas Alexander Daniel Nickel
Aaron Oliver Patschula

Awards ceremony

The 2015 IMMC winning teams from the USA, Singapore, and China were brought to Hong Kong for the IMMC Award Presentation Ceremony on 5 July 2015 at Hong Kong University, sponsored by Guangdong Qtone Education Co., Knowledge Magazine, Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers, Competition on System Modeling & Optimization (COSMO), CUHK, HKACE, and the Hong Kong Entrepreneurs and Executives Club.

Special guests included Hong Kong political leader the Honorable Mrs. Fanny Law and movie directors Mr Tsui Siu-Ming and Mr Tang Yat-Ming. [30] Professor Frederick Leung, Chairman of the Board of Faculty, Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong, gave the opening speech. [31] Law encouraged educators in Hong Kong and elsewhere to continue to pursue the type of educational innovation promoted by the IMMC. Given that the 2015 problem revolved around mathematically modeling a movie filming production schedule, directors Tsui and Tang discussed their own experiences in the movie industry and how applicable teams’ models were to real-world movie filming decisionmaking. [32] [33]

The 2016 IMMC winning teams from the USA and Hong Kong, in addition to the Meritorious German team, were brought to Hamburg, Germany for the IMMC Award Ceremony on 26 July 2016 at the University of Hamburg as part of the quadrennial International Congress on Mathematical Education. Dr. Sol Garfunkel described how the contest has evolved and discussed plans for the future.

On August 7, 2017, with the efforts by COMAP and NeoUnion ESC Organization an award ceremony was held at Harvard University, Cambridge MA., USA. The Outstanding team from the USA and three randomly chosen Meritorious teams from Argentina, South Korea and Russia were invited to attend.

2020 This year due to the closing of venues caused by Covid-19 there will be no formal IMMC awards ceremony. Rather IMMC will make resources available to schools and countries/regions of the Outstanding teams to allow them to fund local ceremonies which they can schedule as their situations permit. It is our hope to hold the 2021 award ceremonies at the new dates for ICME in Shanghai.


2021 This year due to the continued effects of Covid-19 there will be no formal in person IMMC awards ceremony. Rather IMMC will make resources available to schools and countries/regions of the top teams to allow them to fund local ceremonies which they can schedule as their situations permit. However, ICME Shanghai, China was held as a hybrid event where teams will be acknowledged virtually and videos from the winning teams were featured on the afternoon of July 15, 2021.


2022 This year due to the closing of venues caused by Covid-19 there will be no formal IMMC awards ceremony. Rather IMMC will make resources available to schools and countries/regions of the Outstanding teams to allow them to fund local ceremonies which they can schedule as their situations permit.

Media coverage

The IMMC has received broad press coverage throughout the world, with the majority of coverage concentrated in the U.S. and Greater China. The IMMC has been featured by:

Apple Daily
China News Review (CRNTT)
Commercial Radio Hong Kong (人民大道中)
DBC Radio
Hong Kong Commercial Daily
Hong Kong Economic Journal
KRON 4 Television
KTSF Television
Metro Daily
Ming Pao
On.CC
Oriental Daily News
Palo Alto Daily Post
Palo Alto Weekly
San Jose Mercury News
Shumo
Sing Tao Daily
Sky Post
Ta Kung Pao
The Sun
Wen Wei Po
Wo Ke Ji

Leadership

The IMMC is overseen by an international Organizing Committee of the following people: [34]

Advisory/Academic Committee for IMMC in Greater China: [35]

Expert Panel for IMMC in Greater China: [36]

Future contests

The 2017 IMMC contest period will end on May 8, 2017 (national rounds within certain countries will end earlier). Results will be announced in June, and teams awarded the Outstanding designation will be honored.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special administrative regions of China</span> Province-level autonomous subdivisions of the Peoples Republic of China

The special administrative regions (SAR) of the People's Republic of China are one of four types of province-level divisions of the People's Republic of China directly under the control of its Central People's Government, being integral areas of the country. As a region, they possess the highest degree of autonomy from China's central government. However, despite the relative autonomy that the Central People's Government offers the special administrative regions, the National People's Congress and its Standing Committee remains capable of enforcing laws for the special administrative regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Hong Kong</span> Public university in Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong.

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) is a public research university in Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lap-Chee Tsui</span> Hong Kong academic

Lap-Chee Tsui is a Chinese-born Canadian geneticist and served as the 14th Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Hong Kong.

The Primary Mathematics World Contest is an annual math competition for primary school students in Hong Kong. It was first held in 1997 and is sponsored by Po Leung Kuk. The competition has attracted teams from around the world.

Most schools in Macau are private or subsidized schools. As of the 2023–2024 school year, there were 76 schools in Macau, including eight public schools and 68 private schools. Of the 73 schools that offered formal education, six were not a part of Macau's free education network. As of 2006 many of the schools in Macau are operated by Catholic organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siow Lee Chin</span> Singaporean violinist (born 1966)

Siow Lee Chin is a Singaporean violinist.

Pui Ching Middle School is a Baptist secondary school in Ho Man Tin, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Founded in 1889, it currently has sister schools in Macau and Guangzhou.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign relations of Macau</span> Overview of the foreign relations of Macau

Under the Basic Law, Macau's diplomatic relations and defence are the responsibility of the central government of China. Except diplomatic relations and defence, nonetheless, Macau has retained considerable autonomy in all aspects, including economic and commercial relations, customs control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Consular missions in Hong Kong</span> List of diplomatic missions in Hong Kong

There are 122 diplomatic missions in Hong Kong, of which 61 are consulates-general and 61 are consulates and six officially recognised bodies in Hong Kong. As Hong Kong has the status of a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, some consuls-general in Hong Kong report directly to their respective foreign ministries, rather than to their Embassies in Beijing.

The International Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM) is a multi-day mathematical modelling competition held annually in USA, during the first or second weekend in February, since 1985 by COMAP and sponsored by SIAM and INFORMS. It is distinguished from other major mathematical competitions such as the famous Putnam Competition by its strong focus on research, modeling skills, mathematics, originality, teamwork, communication and justification of results. It runs concurrently with the Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling (ICM).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lai Shin-yuan</span> Taiwanese politician

Lai Shin-yuan is a Taiwanese politician who served as minister of the Mainland Affairs Council from 2008 to 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Sung</span> Hong Kong gastroenterologist

Joseph Sung Jao-yiu is a Hong Kong physician and gastroenterologist, and the current Dean of Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), also serving as the Senior Vice President of NTU. Previously, he was the Vice-Chancellor and President of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine</span>

The Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine or LKS Faculty of Medicine (HKUMed), formerly known as the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong, is a medical school which comprises several schools and departments that provide an array of tertiary programmes in medicine, nursing, pharmacy and chinese medicine. English is the medium of instruction in all of the classes while Chinese is also retained for the teaching of Chinese medicine. It is located several kilometres away from the main campus of the university and is near the Queen Mary Hospital which is its main teaching facility and research base. Founded in 1887, it is also one of the oldest western medical schools in the Far East.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doreen Steidle</span> Canadian diplomat (born 1950/1951)

Doreen Steidle is a Harvard University Fellow, participating in the 2018 Advanced Leadership Initiative, former Regional Head for Group Government Affairs with HSBC in Hong Kong, China and former Canadian Head of Mission. She was Canada's High Commissioner to the Republic of Singapore (2000–2003) and Canada's Consul General to the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau, People's Republic of China (2008–2011). She was the first Chief Executive Officer of Passport Canada and an Assistant Deputy Minister in Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

Daniel Tse Chi-wai, GBS, CBE, JP is the chair of the University Council of the University of Macau. He was also the member of the Executive Council and Legislative Council of Hong Kong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Caldwell (mathematician)</span> Northern Irish mathematician

James Caldwell is a Northern Irish mathematician.

The International Student Science Fair (ISSF) is an annual event providing a platform for international interaction to take place in science education. The fair brings together high school students, teachers and school leaders to share and develop the learning and teaching of science research and education. The ISSF is the major event of its type in the world, bringing together students, teachers, school and university leaders to share and develop their ideas about science in the modern world.

The 11th IKF World Korfball Championship was held in August 2019 in Durban, South Africa and won by the Netherlands. The International Korfball Federation awarded the hosting rights for the tournament to South Africa on 7 November 2015, ahead of the bid by New Zealand.

Guan Yi is a Chinese virologist. In 2014, he was ranked as 11th in the world by Thomson Reuters among global researchers in the field of microbiology. He obtained his PhD in microbiology at the University of Hong Kong and is now a professor of microbiology at his alma mater. His research on the viral respiratory disease SARS helped the Chinese government avert the 2004 outbreak of this disease. He is the current director of the State Key Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases University of Hong Kong. In early 2017, Guan warned that the H7N9 influenza virus "poses the greatest threat to humanity than any other in the past 100 years".

References

  1. COMAP
  2. NeoUnion ESC
  3. International Conference on Industrial and Applied Mathematics
  4. HiMCM
  5. IMMC PowerPoint Posted on IMM Challenge Official Facebook Page
  6. "Harvard University -- A Placement Problem" (PDF).
  7. "Mathematical Modeling Contests".
  8. IMMC International Rules
  9. "National Council of Teachers of Mathematics -- Teaching Matters!" (PDF).
  10. China Undergraduate Mathematical Contest in Modeling (CUMCM)
  11. Hong Kong Polytechnic University - CAM Digest
  12. IMMC USA Rules
  13. University of Utrecht -- International Mathematical Modeling Challenge
  14. "Математическая школа -- Международный конкурс "Математическое моделирование"".
  15. IMMC PowerPoint Posted on IMM Challenge Official Facebook Page
  16. MeJ Mathematical Research Association
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 IMMC Results 2015
  18. Nanmo Model High School
  19. "National Junior College -- News".
  20. "Diocesan Girls' School -- Prizes and Awards". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
  21. "The International Mathematical Modeling Challenge (IMMC)". immchallenge.org. Retrieved 2016-06-19.
  22. 1 2 3 COMAP. "2016 IMMC Results" (PDF).
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 COMAP. "2017 IMMC Results" (PDF).
  24. "The International Mathematical Modeling Challenge (IMMC)". immchallenge.org. Retrieved 2019-03-30.
  25. A Complete Results Report, with designations for all participants, is available in portable document format (PDF)
  26. A Complete Results Report, with designations for all participants, is available in portable document format (PDF).
  27. A Complete Results Report, with designations for all participants, is available in portable document format (PDF).
  28. A Complete Results Report, with designations for all participants, is available in portable document format (PDF).
  29. A Complete Results Report, with designations for all participants, is available in portable document format (PDF).
  30. "Sky Post". Archived from the original on 2016-02-20. Retrieved 2015-10-10.
  31. Hong Kong Commercial Daily
  32. IMMC Awards Ceremony
  33. Hong Kong Economic Journal
  34. IMMC PowerPoint Posted on IMM Challenge Official Facebook Page
  35. IMMC PowerPoint Posted on IMM Challenge Official Facebook Page
  36. IMMC PowerPoint Posted on IMM Challenge Official Facebook Page