How effective is the ban on motorcycles and restriction on electric bikes? Which works better in improving water quality, intercepting sewage and rainwater or separating sewage from rainwater for recycling? How stable is the system of dedusting with bag filters in waste incineration plants? How to create a model based on the risk assessment, trend prediction and intervention of metabolic syndrome? All of those four questions will soon be solved by hundreds of fans of mathematical modeling across China in a five-day competition, presenting a feast for the mind.

On August 17, the 2016 “Shenzhen Cup” Mathematical Modeling Challenge, co-organized by the Organizing Committee of Contemporary Undergraduate Mathematical Contest in Modeling, Shenzhen Science and Technology Association (SZSTA) and SUSTech, was inaugurated in SUSTech. The event attracted over 240 students and teachers from such well-known universities as Tsinghua University, Fudan University and Zhejiang University.

Prof. Jiang Yuyang, Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of Shenzhen Municipal People’s Congress and Chairman of SZSTA, Prof. Tang Tao, Vice President of SUSTech, and other officials attended the opening ceremony.  

“The issues selected by the Challenge were highly relevant to people’s well-being and the economic and social development of Shenzhen,” said Prof. Tang Tao, one of the judges, who compared mathematic modeling to a bridge between mathematic theory and real-world problems in his opening speech. He was thrilled to see more students experience the power of math in tackling problems in real life independently. 

After the opening ceremony, Dr. Li Yingrui, Chief Science Officer of iCarbonX, and Prof. Kong Dexing from Zhejiang University gave lectures on the application of mathematic modeling to life sciences and precision medicine respectively.

The Challenge was recognized as a showcase for Shenzhen to attract young talents to fuel innovation and start up business with their passion for technology. It will also promote development of the big data industry and provide theoretical basis to the economic and social development of Shenzhen by addressing down-to-earth problems.