2014 Mathematical Contest in Modeling
The 30th annual Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM) took place in February 2014 with 6,755 teams representing institutions from 18 countries. Cal Poly fielded five teams of three students each, coached by Professor Charles Camp.
The Cal Poly teams for the 2014 MCM were:
Team 1: Matthew Lee Josten, Ian E. Powell, Justin van Staden
Team 2: Minnal J. Kunnan, Connor J. Sullivan, Sara Rae Jones
Team 3: Donna L Martin, Johnathan D Baird. Maureen N Smith
Team 4: John S. Shamshoian, Ryan F. Gelston, Matthew R. Varble
Team 5: Tanner J. Gibson, Kelly J. Odgers, Lumin E. Sperling
Teams 1 and 2 received designations of honorable mention for their submissions. They worked on Problem A, The Keep-Right-Except-to-Pass Rule: Build and analyze a mathematical model to analyze the performance of this rule in light and heavy traffic. You may wish to examine tradeoffs between throughput and safety, the role of under- or over-posted speed limits (speed limits that are too low or too high) and/or other factors that may not be explicitly called out in this problem statement. Is this rule effective in promoting greater throughput? If not, suggest and analyze alternatives (including deleting the rule totally) that might promote greater throughput, safety, and/or other factors that you deem important.
In countries where driving on the left is the norm, argue whether or not your solution can be implemented with a simple change of orientation, or would additional requirements be needed.
Lastly, the rule as stated relies on human judgment for compliance. If vehicle transportation on the same roadway was fully under the control of an intelligent system, as either part of the road network or embedded in the design of all vehicles, to what extent would this change the outcome of your earlier analysis?
Team 5 received a designation of honorable mention for its submission. Team members worked on Problem B, College Coaching Legends: Sports Illustrated, a magazine for sports enthusiasts, is looking for the best all-time college coach, male or female, for the past century. Build a mathematical model to choose the best college coach or coaches (past or present) from among male or female coaches in such sports as college hockey or field hockey, football, baseball, softball, basketball or soccer. Does it make a difference which time horizon you use in your analysis (i.e., does coaching in 1913 differ from coaching in 2013)? Clearly articulate your metrics for assessment. Discuss how your model can be applied in general across both genders and across all sports. Present your top 5-10 coaches in each of three different sports.
Prepare a one to two page article for Sports Illustrated explaining your results and include a non-technical explanation of your mathematical model that sports fans will understand.
