Challenge website at http://m3challenge.siam.org and are now available for viewing.
This year's M3 Challenge problem, "Solving the Social Security Stalemate," asked students to "develop a mathematical analysis of the issues, and present one or more approaches that would guarantee the integrity of the system for at least 75 years." Students had just 14 hours to download the problem, research, write, and then upload their solution papers. Some of the solutions ranged from increasing the retirement age to imposing a higher income tax. While many of the entries provided insight into this very timely problem, the top six were chosen for their originality, ingenuity, and creative implementation of mathematical modeling.
Of the 129 teams (572 students) that submitted viable solutions, the top six that were awarded scholarship prizes and whose papers are available to view on the M3 Challenge website are:
Summa Cum Laude Team Prize -- Staples High School, Westport, Connecticut
Magna Cum Laude Team Prize-- Immaculata High School, Somerville, New Jersey
Cum Laude Team Prize-- Herricks High School, New Hyde Park, New York
Meritorious Team Prize-- Great Neck North High School, Great Neck, New York
Exemplary Team Prize-- Manalapan High School, Manalapan, New Jersey
First Honorable Mention-- High Technology High School, Lincroft, New Jersey
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