A team of four Round Rock High School students has been recognized among nine teams internationally in the Annual High School Mathematical Contest in Modeling.
The contest, led by The Consortium for Mathematics and its Applications, tasks student groups from across the globe to solve a math modeling problem within a 36-hour continuous period. According to the organization, the 2014 contest consisted of 671 teams of up to four students from 151 schools.
“I think through this, we put our school on the international map, and that’s definitely something to be proud of,” said Daniel Muñoz, Round Rock senior and team member. “It’s a pretty awesome legacy to leave behind.”
This is the second year the RRHS team has participated in the contest, which they entered independently. This year, the team selected a problem to model the spread of infectious disease in a hypothetical town.
In the 2013 contest, the team received an honorable mention for their model that optimized the location of emergency service centers.
“We were actually pretty reluctant to do it again, but we just felt like it was one more shot, so why not?” said Samuel Zhang, Round Rock senior and team member. “When we got the results back, it was quite a moment.”
Other schools recognized as outstanding winners include two teams from China and three math and science preparatory schools.
“I love their sense of initiative and that they would seek this out themselves,” said Natalie Nichols, Round Rock High School principal. “To be resilient, to try again and really test themselves, I think, is more impressive than anything else.”
