Individualized Learning Stories
Solving Real World Problems
Jian Gong '12, Lu Yu '11, Fangzhou Qiu '12, and Stefan Debbert
When it comes to solving real world problems that are plaguing our environment, three Lawrence University students showed they could compete with the very best college mathematicians.
Lu Yu ’11, Fangzhou Qiu ’12, and Jian Gong ’12, co-authored a 10-page report analyzing the effects of accumulating plastic debris on the Pacific Ocean. Their report was one of just four that received “Outstanding Winner” honors from 356 entries in an international interdisciplinary modeling contest conducted by the Consortium for Mathematics and Its Applications (COMAP).
Working in teams of three, students had five days to research, analyze, model and communicate a solution to the problem. In their report, the Lawrence team modeled the environmental impact of plastic debris in the ocean and how the impact varies with time, particle size and other factors.
Foreign teams accounted for 333 of the competition’s 356 entries, and only one other U.S. college team—Carroll College in Helena, Mont.— earned top honors in the contest.
“Their report was a tour de force drawn from multiple disciplines — mathematics, physical oceanography and chemistry among them,” said Stefan Debbert, assistant professor of chemistry, who served as the faculty advisor for the project. “It gave concrete advice as to how we can better protect our oceans.”
The report written by Yu, Qiu and Gong will be published later this year in The UMAP Journal, along with commentaries from the problem author and contest judges.
COMAP is a non-profit organization focused on improving math education for students of all ages. Since 1980, it has created learning environments where math is used to investigate and model real world issues.
