Recently, the results of the 2020 Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM) for University Students were announced. Gao Shuo from the Class 181 of Safety Engineering, Xu Xinhang from the Class 171 of Safety Engineering, both of our college, and Qin Lin from the College of Big Data and Information Engineering, under the guidance of Professor Xu Shiqing, have achieved an Honorable Mention in the Problem C (Data Treasure) category of the 2020 MCM.

According to statistics, the 2020 MCM attracted 20,948 teams (13,749 MCM and 7,199 ICM) from over a thousand universities in 23 countries and regions, including the United States, China, Germany, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and prestigious institutions such as Cambridge University, Imperial College London, Columbia University, Cornell University, Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. In China, over 400 universities (undergraduate and above) participated, encompassing all 985 universities, hundreds of 211 universities, and 14 newly established double first-class universities. Due to the pandemic, the competition was temporarily divided into two phases: the first phase from February 14th to 18th, and the second phase from March 6th to 10th. During each phase, three problems were released, and teams had four days to complete all tasks from model building, solving, validation, to paper writing for the assigned problems.

The MCM/ICM, hosted by the Consortium for Mathematics and Its Applications (COMAP), is the only international mathematical modeling competition and one of the most influential worldwide. The contest covers hot topics spanning economics, management, environment, resources, ecology, medicine, security, and many other fields. Participants conduct research, discuss, and utilize mathematical software to complete an all-English paper encompassing model assumptions, establishment, and solutions, demonstrating their problem-solving skills, solution strategies, and teamwork spirit.

In recent years, the School of Mining Engineering has attached great importance to fostering undergraduate students' innovative abilities and comprehensive qualities. It actively organizes students to participate in various innovation, comprehensive, and subject-specific competitions, encourages teachers to mentor students, and builds various scientific and technological innovation platforms for them. Through unremitting efforts, the school has finally reaped the rewards of its dedication.