Con Rules, Registration And Instructions
User Manual:
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(All rules and instructions apply to both ICM and MCM contests.)
To participate in a contest, each team may consist of a maximum of three students and must be sponsored by
a faculty advisor from its institution.
Team Members: A team may consist of up to three students from the same school and is open to all
undergraduate and high school students.
Team Advisors: Any faculty, staff member, or student at your institution can fulfill the role of Advisor. The
advisor will act as the main point of contact for the team, and does not have to be from the mathematics
department. We do however encourage faculty members to serve as team advisors.
MCM-ICM: Procedures and Tips for a Great Experience
The purpose of this article is to assist and guide students and advisors participating in The Mathematical
Contest in Modeling (MCM) and The Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling (ICM). In the article, COMAP,
provides information about the administration of the contests, as well as tips to ensure your contest
experience is smooth, satisfying, and enjoyable.
I. BEFORE THE CONTEST BEGINS:
A. Registration
B. Choose your team members
II. AFTER THE CONTEST BEGINS:
A. View the contest problems via the contest web site
B. Choose a problem
C. Teams prepare solutions
D. Print Summary Sheet and Control Sheet
III. BEFORE THE CONTEST ENDS:
A. Send electronic copy of Solution Paper by email
IV. WHEN THE CONTEST ENDS:
A. Prepare Control Sheet
B. Mail signed Control Sheet
V. AFTER THE CONTEST IS OVER:
A. Confirm that your team’s solution was received
B. Check contest results
C. Prizes/Certificates
2019 Contest changes/updates can be found in red below:
MCM/ICM is an all electronic submission!
You are not required to mail a print copy of your Solution Paper.
You are not required to mail a print copy of your signed Control Sheet.
We have added 3 hours to the contest start time to allow for teams to download, read, discuss, and
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choose a problem. Teams can view the contest problems via the contest web site when the contest
begins at 5PM EST on Thursday January 24, 2019.
2019 Contest dates and times:
Registation Deadline: Before 3PM EST on Thursday, January 24, 2019.
Contest Starts: 5PM EST on Thursday, January 24, 2019.
Contest Ends: 8PM EST on Monday, January 28, 2019.
Email Submission Deadline: 9PM EST on Monday, January 28, 2019.
Control Sheet Submission Deadline: 5PM EST on Friday, February 8, 2019.
Contest Results: The results will be posted on April 29, 2019.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
COMAP is the final arbiter of all rules and policies, and may disqualify or refuse to register any
team that, in its sole discretion, does not follow these contest regulations and procedures.
Decisions of the judges, the contest directors, and the editor of The UMAP Journal are final.
If a team is caught violating the rules, the faculty advisor will not be permitted to advise another
team for one year, and the advisor’s institution will be put on probation for one year.
If a team from the same institution is caught violating the rules a second time, then that school
will not be allowed to compete for a period of at least one year.
All times given in these instructions are in terms of Eastern Standard Time (EST). (COMAP is
located in the U.S. Eastern Time zone.)
By submitting an entry, team members agree that:
Their submission and all rights to its publication become the property of COMAP, Inc.
COMAP may use, edit, excerpt, and publish this submission for promotional use or any other
purpose, including placing it online, distributing it electronically, or publishing it in The UMAP
Journal or otherwise, without compensation of any kind.
COMAP reserves the right to use in materials relating to this contest, the names of the team
members, their advisor(s), and their affiliations, without further notification, permission, or
compensation.
and team members assert that
All images, figures, photographs, tables, and drawings in their submission were either created by
the team or else, if reproduced from another source, the submission cites a specific reference for
each at its location in the submission.
All direct quotations in the submission are enclosed in quotation marks or otherwise identified as
such, with a specific reference cited for each at its location in the submission.
I. BEFORE THE CONTEST BEGINS:
A. Registration
All teams must be registered before 3PM EST on Thursday, January 24, 2019. We recommend
that all teams complete the registration process well in advance, since the registration system will not
accept any new team registrations after the deadline. COMAP will not accept late registrations for
MCM/ICM 2019 under any circumstances. NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE.
1. Register your team online via the contest web site: Go to https://www.comap.com
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/undergraduate/contests/mcm.
a. If you are registering your first team for this year’s contest, click on Register for Contest on
the left-hand side of the screen.
Enter all the required information, including your email address and contact information.
IMPORTANT: Be sure to use a valid and current email address so that we can use it to
contact you at any point before, during, and after the contest, if necessary.
b. If you have already registered a team for this year’s contest and want to register a second
team, click on Advisor Login, then log in with the same email address and password that you
used when you registered your first team. Once you’re logged in, click on Register Another
Team near the upper right corner of the page, then follow the instructions there. There is no
restriction on the number of teams an advisor can register.
2. Registration Fee
A $100 registration fee per team is required.
We accept payment with Mastercard or Visa only via our secure web site. We cannot accept other
forms of payment. Our secure site will process your credit card payment, so your credit card
number is protected. Our system will not store your credit card number after it processes your
payment.
3. After we receive approval from your financial institution (this takes only a few seconds), the
system will issue a control number for your team. Your team is not officially registered until you
have received a team control number. Print the page that displays your team control number:
It is your only confirmation that your team has been registered. This page also lists the email
address and password that you entered when registering; you will need this information to
complete the contest procedures.
You will NOT receive an email confirmation of your registration.
4. If you need to change any of the information (name, address, contact information, etc.) that you
specified when you registered, you can do so at any point before or during the contest by logging
in to the contest web site with the same email address and password that you used when
registering (click on the Advisor Login link on the left side of the screen). Once logged in, click
on the Edit Advisor or Institution Data link near the upper right corner of the page.
5. Check the contest web site regularly for any updated instructions or announcements about the
contest. Except in extreme circumstances, COMAP will not send any confirmation, reminders, or
announcements by email. All communication regarding the contest will be via the contest web
site.
6. You will return to the contest web site during the contest to enter and confirm information about
your team, and to print/download out your team’s Control Sheet and Summary Sheets, which you
will use when preparing your team’s solution. Details on these steps follow in the instructions
below.
B. Choose your team members:
1. You must choose your team members before the contest begins at 5PM EST on Thursday
January 24, 2019. Once the contest begins you may not add or change any team members (you
may, however, remove a team member, if he or she decides not to participate).
2. Each team may consist of a maximum of three students. (Teams may consist of 1, 2, or 3
students).
3. Each student may participate on only one team.
4. Team members must be enrolled in school at the time of the contest, but they need not be full-
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time students.
5. Team members must be enrolled at the same school as the advisor and other team members.
6. Team members must be enrolled at the same school. (No exceptions will be made).
7. Team members must be undergraduate students postgraduate students are not allowed.
II. AFTER THE CONTEST BEGINS:
A. View the contest problems via the contest web site:
Teams can view the contest problems via the contest web site when the contest begins at 5PM EST
on Thursday January 24, 2019:
1. The contest problems will become available precisely at 5PM EST on Thursday January 24, 2019;
team members can view them by visiting https://www.comap.com/undergraduate
/contests/mcm. No password will be needed to view the problems; simply go to the contest web
site at or after 5PM EST on Thursday, January 24, 2019 and you will see a link to view the
problems.
2. The contest problems will become available precisely at 4:50PM EST on Thursday January 24,
2019 on the following mirror sites:
http://www.comap-math.com/mcm/index.html
http://www.mathismore.net/mcm/index.html
http://www.mathportals.com/mcm/index.html
http://www.immchallenge.org/mcm/index.html
If you cannot access any of the sites, there may be a problem with your local Internet connection.
Contact your local Internet service provider to resolve the issue.
B. Choose a problem:
Each team may choose any one of the six problem choices and should submit a solution to only one
problem.
• MCM problems are Problem A, Problem B or Problem C.
• ICM problems are Problem D, Problem E or Problem F.
C. Teams prepare solutions:
1. Teams may use any inanimate source of data or materials: computers, software, references, web
sites, books, etc. ALL SOURCES USED MUST BE CREDITED. Failure to credit a source will
result in a team being disqualified from the competition.
2. Team members may not seek help from or discuss the problem with their advisor or anyone else,
except other members of the same team. Input in any form from anyone other than student team
members is strictly forbidden. This includes email, telephone contact, and personal conversation,
communication via web chat or other question-answer systems, or any other form of
communication.
3. Partial solutions are acceptable. There is no passing or failing cut-off score, and numerical scores
will not be assigned. The MCM/ICM contest judges are primarily interested in the team’s
approach and methods.
4. Summary Sheet: The summary is an essential part of your MCM/ICM paper. The judges place
considerable weight on the summary, and winning papers are often distinguished from other
papers based on the quality of the summary.
To write a good summary, imagine that a reader will choose whether to read the body of the paper
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based on your summary: Your concise presentation in the summary should inspire a reader to
learn about the details of your work. Thus, a summary should clearly describe your approach to
the problem and, most prominently, your most important conclusions. Summaries that are mere
restatements of the contest problem, or are a cut-and-paste boilerplate from the Introduction are
generally considered to be weak.
Besides the summary sheet as described each paper should contain the following sections:
Restatement and clarification of the problem: State in your own words what you are going to
do.
Explain assumptions and rationale/justification: Emphasize the assumptions that bear on the
problem. Clearly list all variables used in your model.
Include your model design and justification for type model used or developed.
Describe model testing and sensitivity analysis, including error analysis, etc.
Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of your model or approach.
5. The judges will evaluate the quality of your writing in the Solution Paper:
ꞏ Conciseness and organization are extremely important.
ꞏ Key statements should present major ideas and results.
ꞏ Present a clarification or restatement of the problem, as appropriate.
ꞏ Present a clear exposition of all variables, assumptions, and hypotheses.
ꞏ Present an analysis of the problem, including the motivation or justification for the model that
is used.
ꞏ Include a design of the model.
ꞏ Discuss how the model could be tested, including error analysis and stability (conditioning,
sensitivity, etc.).
ꞏ Discuss any apparent strengths or weaknesses in your model or approach.
6. Papers must be typed in English, with a readable font of at least 12 point type.
7. The solution must consist entirely of written text, and possibly figures, charts, or other written
material only. No non-paper support materials such as computer files or software will be accepted.
8. The Solution Paper must display the team control number and the page number at the top
of every page; for example, use the following page header on each page:
Team # 321 Page 6 of 13
9. The names of the students, advisor, or institution should NOT appear on any page of the
electronic solution. The solution should not contain any identifying information other than the
team control number.
10. Failure to adhere to any preparation rule is grounds for team disqualification.
D. Advisor Login: Choose a Problem and Print Control Sheet:
After the contest begins at 5PM EST on Thursday January 24, 2019, and while the teams are
preparing their solutions, the advisor should:
1. Login to the contest web site (go to https://www.comap.com/undergraduate/contests/mcm.
Click on Advisor Login, then enter your email address and password).
2. If you have not done so already enter the team member names and confirm that each name is
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spelled correctly. This determines how the names will appear on the contest certificates.
COMAP will not make any changes or reprint certificates for any reason.
3. Specify the problem that your team has chosen to solve.
4. Print/Download one copy of the Control Sheet.
5. Download or copy the team Summary Sheet. (This should be used as the first page of your
electronic email submission.)
III. BEFORE THE CONTEST ENDS:
A. Send electronic copy of Solution Paper by email:
1. Each team is required to submit an electronic copy of its solution paper by email to
solutions@comap.com. Any team member or the advisor may submit this email.
a. Your email MUST be received at COMAP by the email submission deadline of 9PM EST
on January 28, 2019.
b. Failure by a team to submit a solution via email by 9PM EST on January 28, 2019
constitutes a violation of the contest rules and will result in that team’s disqualification.
c. No further modifications, enhancements, additions, or improvements may be made to the
team’s solution paper after 8PM EST on January 28, 2019. Any changes to the solution will
constitute a violation of the contest rules and may result in disqualification.
2. In the subject line of your email write: your team’s control number. For example:
Subject: 1900000
3. Use your team’s control number as the name of your file attachments.
4. COMAP will accept only a Adobe PDF of your solution. DO NOT include your Control Sheet,
programs or software with your email as they will not be used in the judging process. Limit one
solution per email. The names of the students, advisor, or institution should NOT appear on
any page of the electronic solution. Your team's summary should be included as the first page of
your file. *Note: The attachment must be less than 17MB.
!! Do not use a cloud service such as Google Docs your email must contain a Adobe PDF
attachment.
5. See the rules for submitting the signed Control Sheet via email below.
IV. WHEN THE CONTEST ENDS:
A. Prepare Control Sheet:
When the contest ends at 8PM EST on January 28, 2019:
1. Each team member must sign the Control Sheet to pledge that he or she abided by the contest
rules and instructions.
*Note you are not required to mail a print copy of your Solution Paper or Control Sheet.
B. Email The Signed Control Sheet:
1. Send the signed Control Sheet by email to COMAP:
After the signed control sheet is prepared, email it to: forms@comap.com. In the subject line of
your email write: your team's control number. For example: 1900000. COMAP will accept only
an Adobe PDF or a Photo Image of your control sheet. Limit one set of forms per email. Teams
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may take pictures of the signed forms with a phone or digital camera and then email the images to
forms@comap.com. *Note: The attachment must be less than 17MB.
(Note you are not required to mail a print copy of your Control Sheet.) !! Do not use a cloud
service such as Google Docs your email must contain a Adobe PDF or Photo Images.
The Control Sheet must be received by COMAP no later than 5:00 PM EST on Friday, February
8, 2019. COMAP is not responsible for contest forms received after that date.
V. AFTER THE CONTEST IS OVER:
A. Confirm that your team’s solution was received:
1. You may login to the contest web site using the Advisor Login link to verify that your team’s
Electronic Solution was received at COMAP.
B. Check contest results:
1. Judging: Judging will be completed in March and the results will be posted on April 29, 2019.
The Solution Papers will be recognized as Disqualified, Unsuccessful, Successful Participant,
Honorable Mention, Meritorious, Finalist, or Outstanding Winner.
2. We will post the contest results on the web site as soon as they are available, so visit the contest
web site regularly to check for updates. It will take several weeks for the judges to evaluate the
solutions and for COMAP to process the results. Please do NOT call or email COMAP regarding
contest results.
C. Prizes/Certificates:
NEW COMAP is expanding the Two Sigma Scholarship Award to an international award, the
NEW International COMAP Scholarship Award will be awarded to the four(4) top
MCM/ICM teams from any of the participating countries; $9000 being split among the team
members and $1000 to the school represented. Awards will be announced on or before April 30th
each year.
After the results are issued, each successfully participating team advisor and student will receive
a certificate of participation. You may login to the contest web site using the Advisor Login link
to view and print your team's certificates. All international teams will receive ONLY an
electronic (PDF) certificate. US teams should allow several weeks after the results are posted to
the contest web site to receive your print certificate. Click here to download MCM/ICM
certificates.
MCM Awards (Problem A, B and C)
The Ben Fusaro Award will be accorded to an especially creative paper and will be chosen from the
contest finalists.
The Frank R. Giordano Award began in 2012. It honors Brig. Gen. (ret) Frank Giordano who directed
the MCM for 20 years. This award goes to a paper that demonstrates true excellence in the execution of
the modeling process.
ICM Awards (Problem D, E and F)
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The Leonhard Euler Award is presented to a team selected by the head judge of the ICM's Problem D.
The criteria are: 1) a paper in the Meritorious/Finalist/Outstanding rating; 2) contains especially
creative and innovative modeling; and 3) shows good understanding of interdisciplinary science. The
award honors the name of a 18th-century Swiss applied mathematician, who was known for the breadth
of his research applications, volume of written work, excellent teaching, and interdisciplinarity.
The Rachel Carson Award honors an American conservationist whose book "Silent Spring" initiated
the global environmental movement and whose work spanned many disciplines concerned with the
local and global environments. This award is presented to a team selected by the Head Judge of ICM
Problem E for excellence in using scientific theory and data in its modeling.
Vilfredo Pareto was an Italian scholar, modeler and problem solver, who at various times was an
engineer, sociologist, economist, political scientist, mathematician, and philosopher. He lived and
worked in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The ICM Pareto Award for outstanding modeling in
the Policy Modeling problem (ICM Problem F) honors the work and legacy of this famous social
science problem solver. In particular for this award, the head judge seeks to highlight a paper that best
models the more dynamic and challenging contextual human elements that make simplification or
refinement of policy models so difficult.
The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) is the largest
society in the world for professionals in the field of operations research (OR), management
science (MS), and analytics. INFORMS has long recognized the importance of involving
undergraduate students and faculty in an unscripted process of mathematical modeling whose
problems contain many of the modern elements seen by its membership. The MCM/ICM
exemplifies these characteristics. Consequently, INFORMS has been an active supporter of the
MCM/ICM since its inception.
INFORMS carefully selects and designates a single Outstanding team from each of the six
problems - A, B, C, D, E, F - as an INFORMS Outstanding winning team whose modeling and
analyses best exemplify the style and content reflected in its membership's professional practice.
Each student receives a letter of congratulations from the current INFORMS President and a
complimentary one-year INFORMS student membership. Each associated faculty advisor
receives a letter of congratulations and appreciation from the current INFORMS President, along
with complimentary one-year access to the full suite of award-winning INFORMS journals.
The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) will designate one Outstanding
team from MCM Problems A and B as a SIAM winner. Each student member of the winning
team will receive a cash award of $500 and three one-year student memberships in SIAM. A
certificate for the home institutions will be given to the faculty advisers of the winning teams.
The Mathematical Association of America (MAA) will designate two Outstanding teams from
the MCM as a MAA winners. Each student member of the winning team will receive a
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certificate. MAA will partial reimburse teams travel expenses to Math Fest so that they may
present their paper.
The American Statistical Association (ASA) will designate one Outstanding team from MCM
Problem C as a ASA winner.
The American Mathematical Society (AMS) will designate one Outstanding team from MCM
Problems A, B and C as a AMS winners. Each student member of the winning team will receive
a certificate.
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