A team of students have triumphed in an international maths competition.

The group, from Watford Grammar School for Boys, has earned a position in the finals in the United States, impressing with their solutions to the current affordable housing and homelessness crises.

The event, named the MathWorks Math Modeling Challenge (M3 Challenge), had nearly 3,000 students from the US and UK, including 11th and 12th graders and sixth form students, put their mathematical abilities and creative thinking to the test this year.

 

 

Read more: Watford magician 'deeply grateful' to join The Magic Circle

 

 

Students Dominic De Jonge, Meyer Louka, Neil Nair, Jakub Skop and Kshitij Tyagi were the school's representatives.

Jakub said: "Participating in M3 Challenge is one of the best experiences for applying our knowledge to tackle real world problems.

"You learn to work in group environments, write professional papers, harness complex mathematical models, and think holistically about the world.

"And most importantly, M3 is really fun and we’ll miss being a part of it next year."

Mathematical modelling was used by those involved to brainstorm real-world solutions to questions such as ways to resolve interconnected challenges of homelessness, affordable housing, and the impact of unforeseen events like natural disasters and economic difficulties.

Team entries were examined by judges for the first two rounds of assessment.

The final stage of the competition requires the nine finalist teams to present their proposals to a group of professional mathematicians in New York City on Monday, April 29.

The competition, which is the brainchild of the Philadelphia-based Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) and supported by MathWorks, emphasises the power of applied mathematics as a problem-solving resource.

The aim is to inspire students to pursue further education and careers in the fields of applied math, computational and data sciences, and technical computing.

The team's coach, maths teacher Yachna Tailor, said: "The team has worked exceptionally hard preparing for and completing M3 Challenge.

"They have learned so much, and these skills will be carried on when they go on to university."

Dr Karen Bliss, senior manager of education and outreach at SIAM, said: "The cost of housing in the US and the UK has increased faster than people’s incomes, making rent or mortgage payments challenging for many.

“This issue is often due to a shortage of available housing, which has reached crisis levels and has been associated with a significant increase in homelessness in many large cities.”

The teams will be awarded a share of around £75,000 in scholarships, with the champion team receiving close to £16,000.

Of the total 643 teams that submitted their suggestions, nearly 45 per cent included technical computing to support and boost their results, thereby making them eligible for additional scholarship awards.

For more details about M3 Challenge, further information is available at https://m3challenge.siam.org/the-challenge/.