IMSA Student Analysis of Major League Baseball Parks Earns Highest Score in Math Contest
For Immediate Release, February 2004
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AURORA -- A team of three students from the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy® (IMSA) received the highest ranking possible in the fifth annual High School Mathematical Contest in Modeling (HiMCM).
IMSA team members Jeffrey Chang of Glenview, Alex Garivaltis of Hinsdale, and David Xu of Naperville received the rank of National Outstanding Team.
Only 8 teams out of 274 that competed nationwide received this ranking. The High School Mathematical Contest in Modeling is a national 36-hour contest where each team is expected to solve a mathematical modeling problem. IMSA team members' paper focused on the dimensions of various major league baseball parks and how fair they are to player performance.
Students also determined the optimal baseball setting
for major league baseball. Their paper will be published this spring in a special issue of the COMAP (Consortium for Mathematics and Its Applications) bulletin.
Located in Aurora, Illinois, the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy® (IMSA) is an internationally- recognized pioneering educational institution created by the State to develop talent and stimulate excellence in teaching and learning in mathematics, science and technology. IMSA's advanced residential college preparatory program enrolls 650 academically talented Illinois students in grades 10-12. More than 17,000 teachers and 26,000 students in Illinois and beyond have benefited from services of The Center@IMSA, the Academy unit that provides statewide professional development and enrichment programs. IMSA serves the people of Illinois through innovative instructional programs, public and private partnerships, policy leadership and action research.