Cornell undergraduate students from all majors are invited to compete in The Cornell Mathematical Contest in Modeling (CMCM). This annual competition, slated for Nov. 10-13, allows students to work on open-ended real world problems, showcasing the multifaceted nature of applied mathematics. 

During the event, students compete in teams of three to build a mathematical model, obtain a solution and write a detailed paper proving their solution’s feasibility. Competition topics vary widely from year to year: from food distribution in underserved communities to monitoring invasive species in Cayuga Lake and even managing idle ambulances between emergency calls. Participants must be prepared to tackle anything, said Alex Vladimirsky, a mathematics professor who founded the competition in 2002.

CMCM “is very much unlike any math competition,” Vladimirsky said. “It's open books, it’s open everything and the problems are open-ended.”

Read the full story and learn more about the competition on the College of Arts & Sciences website.