Introduction v
The MCM Comes of Age
Paul J. Campbell
Dept. of Mathematics and Computer Science
Beloit College
Beloit, WI 53511
campbell@beloit.edu
This special volume commemorates the second ten years of the Mathemat-
ical Contest in Modeling (MCM). With the 2005 contest, the MCM turned 21.
The idea for the MCM came from Ben Fusaro in late 1983, who envisioned
an“applied”analogueofthefamousannualWilliamLowellPutnamContestin
mathematical problem-solving. Sol Garfunkel, Executive Director of COMAP,
realized the potential for the idea and secured grant funding.
Since the first contest, participation has grown steadily, with the 2005 MCM
involving 828 teams of undergraduates, from more than 300 institutions in 11
countries.
Moreover, the MCM inspired expansion in 1999 to the Interdisciplinary
Contest in Modeling (ICM), which in 2005 involved an additional 164 teams
from 4 countries. In a few more years, we expect to celebrate the ICM’s tenth
anniversary with a volume like this one and its predecessor UMAP Models:
Tools for Teaching 1994, which celebrated the tenth anniversary of the MCM.
That volume is available on COMAP’s special Modeling Resource CD-ROM
(http://www.comap.com/product/?idx=613).
Short articles in this volume give the current rules of the MCM, describe
the process of judging the solution papers, and offer assorted short tips from
advisors of teams. We also reprint here from the earlier volume Ben Fusaro’s
recounting of the history, background, and emergence of the MCM.
This volume contains all of the 20 problems set in the second ten years of
the MCM. For each year, one Outstanding paper is included, together with
abbreviated accompanying commentaries.
We also include a digest of the current contest rules and an account of how
it is judged, by contest director Frank Giordano.
Coaches of multiple Outstanding teams offer tips on how to help teams
succeed. Anne Dougherty emphasizes the importance of student ability, train-
ing, and team preparation. James Morrow notes the importance of publicity
of successes in attracting students to the contest and to major in mathematics
and highlights the excitement of the participants. Garrett Mitchener offers the
unique perspective of someone who was a three-time Outstanding winner as
a student and now coach of an Outstanding team in 2005; his theme is to “go
with what you know” in terms of the mathematics, the computing support,
and the writing. Edward Allen and colleagues comment on how to make the
contest fun and a celebration.
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