Bethel Team Competes in International Mathematics Contest

The three-student team ranked as a “Meritorious Winner” in the annual COMAP Mathematical Contest in Modeling.

By Suzanne McInroy, director of communications

June 20, 2019 | 9 a.m.

This spring, more than 14,000 teams from all over the world competed in the annual COMAP MCM—a highly competitive, 96-hour, international mathematical modeling competition. A Bethel team comprised of physics major Aaron Coe ’19 and mathematics majors Lexi Hinsverk ’19 and Kirsten Tetzlaff ’19 ranked as a “Meritorious Winner,” meaning they finished in the top six percent of competitors. This year’s competition included 14,102 participants.

COMAP, the Consortium for Mathematics and Its Applications, sponsors the annual Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM) to challenge teams of students to clarify, analyze, and propose solutions to open-ended problems. The contest attracts diverse students and faculty advisors from around the world, with only two percent of teams from the United States.

Associate Professor of Math and Computer Science Nathan Gossett advised this year’s team as well as past Bethel teams. Bethel has fielded 31 teams since 2001 when the university began participating in the competition. Of those 31 teams, five have placed in the highest “Outstanding Winners” category, 13 in the “Meritorious Winner” category, six have received “Honorable Mentions,” and seven ranked as “Successful Participants.”

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Bethel’s Department of Math and Computer Science provides in-demand skills that help students solve the problems of everyday life. The programs prepare leaders to serve God in ever-changing career fields, as computing technology and the use of mathematics continue to reinvent many areas of life.

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