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Each year, exceptional UF mathematics students gather for the annual SIMIODE Challenge Using Differential Equation (SCUDEM), held each fall. This year, eight teams of undergraduate students participated, coached by Tracy Stepien, assistant professor of mathematics, and graduate student mentors Gillian Carr, Xiaochen Duan, Seth Foster, and Hemaho Taboe.

In the SCUDEM competition, each team is tasked with picking one of three questions and coming up with a model that explains or answers that question. Then, the team creates a video to explain their model, which is sent to judges for evaluation.

The questions are different each year, and this year’s questions involved infant mortality among kangaroos, child discipline, and helping a dog catch thrown treats. Each question is designed not only to challenge participants but also to show the elegance and beauty of using mathematics to solve complex, real-world problems.

Of the eight UF teams, these four teams won Outstanding designations, the highest award possible:

Team 1 chose to tackle the “Kangaroo Care” question, and consisted of

• Abhiram Bommineni, a sophomore majoring in economics, mathematics, and statistics.
• Aidan Bryant, a sophomore majoring in economics.
• Aryan Tiwari, a sophomore majoring in mathematics and computer science.

Team 2 also chose to tackle the “Kangaroo Care” question, and consisted of

• Tuyen Truong, a freshman majoring in mathematics and minoring in actuarial science.
• Ziwen Zhu, a freshman majoring in mathematics.

Team 3 chose to tackle the “Punishing Infants” question, and consisted of

• Gabriele Di Gianluca, a freshman majoring in physics and mathematics.
• Ethan Stace, a freshman majoring in physics and mathematics.
• Nhat Huy Tran, a junior majoring in physics and mathematics.

Team 4 chose to tackle the “Dog Cannot Catch” question, and consisted of

• Zachary Douillard, a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering.
• Alexa Ernce, a freshman majoring in astrophysics and mathematics.
• John Gracey, a freshman majoring in mathematics and minoring in philosophy.

The other four UF teams, listed here, won Meritorious designations:

Team 5 chose to tackle the “Kangaroo Care” question, and consisted of

• Oscar Camargo, a junior majoring in computer science and mathematics.
• David Castellanos, a junior majoring in entomology and nematology.

Team 6 chose to tackle the “Punishing Infants” question, and consisted of

• Audrey Edwards, a junior majoring in mathematics and minoring in UFTeach Mathematics Education and Spanish.
• John McDonald, a junior majoring in mathematics.
• Olutimilehin Sobanjo, a junior majoring in environmental engineering.

Team 7 chose to tackle the “Punishing Infants” question, and consisted of

• Rong Fang, a freshman majoring in mathematics and economics.
• Natalie Perez, a freshman majoring in aerospace engineering.
• Megan Sin, a freshman majoring in mathematics.

Team 8 chose to tackle the “Dog Cannot Catch” question, and consisted of

• Yixuan Cao, a freshman majoring in mathematics.
• Jessica Wu, a freshman majoring in computer science.
• Zhengmao Zhang, a freshman majoring in mathematics.

All video presentations can be found at SIMIODE’s YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/SIMIODE.

The event, SCUDEM VII 2023 (SIMIODE Challenge Using Differential Equations), for high school and undergraduate students was sponsored by SIMIODE – Systemic Initiative for Modeling investigations and Opportunities with Differential Equations, a 501(c)3 Nonprofit organization, funded in part by the National Science Foundation in the United States. Anyone interested in modeling with mathematics, specifically with the STEM pivotal material known as differential equations, can join SIMIODE free at https://qubeshub.org/community/groups/simiode.