Mathematical Contest in Modelling student competition
The COMAP MCM (Mathematical Contest in Modelling), challenges teams of undergraduate students to clarify, analyse, and propose solutions to open-ended problems using mathematics. The contest attracts diverse students and faculty advisors from roughly 1000 institutions around the world.
The Division of Applied Mathematics at Stellenbosch University has taken part in this competition for many years by enlisting one or two teams of three third year students every year. Prof. Jan van Vuuren has acted as advisor for the department's teams from 1997 to 2007. Prof. André Weideman was advisor from 2008 to 2010 and was succeeded by Dr Willie Brink in 2011. After a brief haitus, Stellenbosch returned to the competition under the supervision of Prof Nick Hale in 2017 and 2018, 2020, and again in 2022 after the COVID19 pandemic.
The participating teams and the competition problems tackled by these teams since 1999 are outlined below.
MCM student competition
We had two teams enter in 2025:
Team 1: A, B, C (Problem Alpha)
Team advisor: Dr Pietro Landi
We had two teams enter in 2023; an eclectic mix of mathematicians, physicists, and computer scientists.
Team 1: Carlyle Stewart, Milano Reyneke, Kim Malloch (Problem A).
Team advisor: Prof Nick Hale
Team 2: Danielle Kleyn and Iliya Meyer (Problem C).
Team advisor: Prof Nick Hale
After a break enforced by the COVID19 Pandemic, we returned with one team in 2022 who placed in the Successful Participant category.
Team 1: Alexandra van der Spuy; Adèle Lourens, Hannah Jarvis. (Problem A)
Team advisor: Prof Nick Hale
A single team this year, who were Succesful Participants.
Team 1: Emma Nel, Eugène Fouche, Devon Crowther. (Problem D)
Team advisor: Prof Nick Hale
The increasing popularity of the contest lead to three teams being entered in 2018. All three teams were placed in the Succesful Participant category.
Team 1: Jeandrè Boshoff, Renè Spoerer, and Mbali Tyolo. (Problem A)
Team 2: Roelof Maritz, Shaqir Rodgers, and Nicole Wahl. (Problem A)
Team 3: Wessel Blomerous, Johannes Coetzee, and Andrew Harrison-Miochi. (Problem B)Team advisor: Dr Nick Hale
After a haiatus of a few years, two teams from Stellenbosch were entered into the Mathematical Contest in Modelling in 2017 - one consisting of Renè Spoerer and Jeandrè Boshoff, and the other of Sarah Selkirk, Anthonie de Beer, and Esmari Marè. Both teams attempted MCM Problem B: Merge After Toll.
Both teams chose Problem B and both were placed in the Honourable Mention category
Team advisor: Dr Nick Hale
Our division entered two teams for this contest, which took place in February 2012.
Team 1 consisted of Wiehan Agenbag, Gerard Louw and Jansen du Plessis. They chose to work on Problem B and were placed in the Meritorious Winner category.
Team advisor: Dr Willie Brink
Team 2 consisted of André Dreyer, Lize Cillié and Ricus Gräbe. They also chose Problem B and were placed in the Successful Participant category.
Team advisor: Dr Willie Brink
Team 1 consisted of Rijnard van Tonder, Thomas Weighill and Gerdus Benade. They chose to work on Problem B and were placed in the Meritorious Winner category.
Team advisor: Dr Willie Brink
Team 2 consisted of Wouter Bam, Robert Hagspihl and Ruaan Viljoen. They also chose Problem B and were placed in the Honourable Mention category.
Team advisor: Dr Willie Brink
Team 1 consisted of Jan Buys, Alex Smit and Renier van Rooyen. They chose Problem A and were placed in the Meritorious Winner category.
Team 2 consisted of Hilgard Bell, Marcel Dunaiski and Nereus Joubert. They chose Problem B and were placed in the Successful Participant category.
Advisor for both teams: Prof. André Weideman
Team 1 consisted of Ryno Botha, Erhardt de Kock and Brendan Tighy. They chose Problem A and were placed in the Successful Participant category.
Team advisor: Prof. André Weideman
Team 2 consisted of Dirk Badenhorst, Daniek Joubert and Maryke Thom. They also chose Problem A and were also placed in the Successful Participant category.
Team advisor: Prof. André Weideman
Team 1 consisted of Kirsten Lambert, Ralph Rudd and Bernard Schlünz. They chose Problem A and were placed in the Honourable Mention category.
Team advisor: Prof. André Weideman
Team 2 consisted of Dmitri Marais, Riaan Coetzee and Jason Matthews. They also chose Problem A and were placed in the Successful Participant category.
Team advisor: Prof. André Weideman
Team 1 consisted of Andreas Hafver, Chris Rohwer and Louise Viljoen. They chose Problem B and were placed in the Outstanding Winner category. They also received the SIAM prize.
Team advisor: Prof. Jan van Vuuren
Team 2 consisted of Dirk Basson, Jan Botha and Jaco van Zyl. They also chose Problem B and were placed in the Meritorious Winner category.
Team advisor: Prof. Jan van Vuuren
Team 1 consisted of Morne Chamberlain, Retha Heymann and Corne Potgieter. They chose Problem A and were placed in the Meritorious Winner category.
Team advisor: Prof. Jan van Vuuren
Team 2 consisted of Benjamin Krige, Elsa du Plessis and Milton van Rooy. They also chose Problem A and were placed in the Honourable Mention category.
Team advisor: Prof. Jan van Vuuren
