Judge Commentary
Kelly Black, Ph.D., Department of Mathematics, University of Georgia
Introduction
This year’s MathWorks Math Modeling Challenge focused on the growing impact of extreme heat waves. Student teams explored three questions centered around the changing temperature within a family dwelling, the peak demand for electricity, and how to compare the broader impact across multiple communities. The students’ work was outstanding, marked by creativity, perseverance, and analytical rigor. We are deeply grateful for their efforts, which continue to be an inspiration, and we are especially thankful for the teachers and family members who support them throughout the process.
This report offers a broad summary of the students’ submissions, including observations as well as insights into emerging trends compared to previous years. The first section is a brief statement about the overall improvement in the quality of the summaries. The sections that follow delve into observations related to the three questions in this year’s problem statement. The last section provides general comments on the papers.
