The problem for the first Mathematical Modeling Challenge at MathFest (MMCM) was right outside the room where participants were working: the MathFest exhibit hall. 

Held during MathFest 2026 in Boston, the challenge asked participants to take a closer look at the exhibit hall and consider how it could be improved. Some teams even left the working session to walk through the space, observe how people were using it, and gather information for their models.

The opportunity to participate in the MMCM was announced ahead of MathFest, inviting participants to compete individually or in teams and submit a two-page solution.

The Challenge: Design a Better Exhibit Hall

In the MMCM problem, teams were asked to come up with a better layout for the MathFest exhibit hall. They also had to explain how their approach could be used for future exhibit halls, while considering things like accessibility, power needs, and the physical space.

What made the problem interesting was that “best” could mean different things. Each team had to decide what it meant to them and build its solution from there.

Students had an opportunity to participate in a one-hour working session on Thursday morning. They collaborated and compared notes, and then went into the exhibit hall to observe the space themselves and collect information that could inform their models.

Their own MathFest experiences became data, too. Participants noticed narrow aisles that became difficult to navigate when attendees stopped to speak with exhibitors. They also identified destinations that attracted particularly heavy traffic, including the MAA Pavilion and food areas.

Those observations helped teams understand what was actually happening in the exhibit hall before deciding how they would improve it.

Five Teams Earn Top Honors

Judges considered the teams’ modeling process, their proposed solution, and how clearly they explained their work. Five teams were recognized: two Outstanding and three Finalist.

MMCM Outstanding teams included:

Austyn Gerritsen and Yadira Muro
Utah Tech University 

Their solution took a different approach to the traditional exhibit hall layout. They organized booths into smaller pods, grouping similar exhibitors together while giving attendees more opportunities to discover other organizations along the way.  The judges highlighted the creativity in their approach.  

Daniel Li, Andrew Zhang, Ethan Tran
Stuyvesant High School

The Stuyvesant team was recognized for clearly documenting their process and showing how they worked through the problem to reach their recommendations.

MMCM Finalist teams included:

• Anshveer Bindram, Tanish Kulkarni, Nipun Saha from the Indian STEM Society
• Jasmin Enriquez from University of Hartford, Micah Dykhuis from Grand Valley State University, and Aaliyah Blackmon from Stevenson University
• Catherine Goh Hao Xuan, Khoo Hui Ning, Shen Yanxi, Ananya from Raffles Girls' School
  

The prizes included some very cool COMAP socks, but teams also walked away with something harder to pack in a suitcase: experience tackling an open-ended problem, new ideas from seeing how other teams approached it, and recognition for their work at MathFest.

Different Models, Different Strengths

Teams took the problem in different directions, and the judges highlighted different strengths among the submissions. Some stood out for their ideas, while others were especially strong in explaining how they approached the problem.

Seeing the different solutions also showed just how many ways there were to tackle the same exhibit hall. Each team made its own choices about what to prioritize and how to support its recommendations.

And this time, participants could walk right outside the working session and see the system they were trying to improve.

Keep Modeling

The first MMCM brought a new challenge to MathFest, with teams working on a problem they could see firsthand and coming up with very different ideas for improving the exhibit hall.

Missed the MMCM? COMAP offers mathematical modeling contests throughout the year for students at different levels. Find a competition and take on your own modeling challenge.