IMSA ONE OF TOP FOUR SCHOOLS IN WORLD MATH CONTEST
For Immediate Release, Press Release
For comment, contact Brenda Buschbacher at
(630) 907-5033
IMSA® ONE OF TOP FOUR SCHOOLS IN WORLD MATH CONTEST
AURORA – One team from the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy® (IMSA) received the highest ranking possible in the tenth annual international High School Mathematical Contest in Modeling (HiMCM). Their performance placed IMSA among the top four schools in the world in this year’s competition.
The IMSA team including William Hahne of Bull Valley, David Nai of Gurnee, Adam Novak of Naperville and Parker Schmitt of Winnetka received the rank of “National Outstanding”. Only four teams out of 270 that competed worldwide received this ranking. A second IMSA team including Bonny Jain of Moline and Sid Narayanan of Dunlap received the rank of “Regional Outstanding.”
The High School Mathematical Contest in Modeling is a 36-hour contest where each team is expected to solve a mathematical modeling problem. Each team then prepares and submits a paper discussing their solution to the problem.
IMSA’s “National Outstanding” team had to build a mathematical model to determine the number and locations of smoke alarms to provide the maximum time for evacuation. In addition, the students had to include a model to determine the number and location of at-home fire extinguishers to have available. Finally, they also had to build a mathematical model for evacuation of a family from both one and two story homes.
IMSA’s “Regional Outstanding” team had to determine under what conditions renting a car is a more appropriate option. To find the solution, they had to determine mileage limits on one's own car and a break-even value of "ease of mind" for the driver and her family.
The IMSA students' papers will be published this spring in a special issue of COMAP (Consortium for Mathematics and Its Applications) bulletin. More information on the contest can be found at http://www.compa.com/highschool/contests/himcm/.
The internationally recognized Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy® (IMSA) develops creative, ethical leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. As a teaching and learning laboratory created by the State of Illinois, IMSA enrolls academically talented Illinois students (grades 10-12) in its advanced, residential college preparatory program. It also serves thousands of educators and students in Illinois and beyond through innovative instructional programs that foster imagination and inquiry. (www.imsa.edu)