The 2018 American College Mathematical Modeling Contest and Interdisciplinary Modeling Contest was held from 17:00 Eastern Time on 8th February 2018 to 20:00 Eastern Time on 12th February 2018. Nearly 10,000 teams from different countries and regions participated in the competition, including students from world-class universities including Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Columbia University, and Cornell University, as well as students from well-known universities in China such as Tsinghua University, Peking University, Zhejiang University, Fudan University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

This was the first time that CFAU had participated in the competition. A total of eighteen students from across three departments (the School of International Economics, the Department of Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs, and the Department of English and International Studies) participated in the competition, under the detailed organization and guidance of instructors Cao Shengyu and Wang Caixia. They achieved fruitful results. Four of the six teams received the distinction of ‘Honorable Mention’ for the 2018 American College Mathematical Modeling Contest and Interdisciplinary Modeling Contest. The team members included He Lingxiao (School of International Economics), Zhang Yujia (English Department), Xu Xiaoqi (School of International Economics); Cao Deyu (School of International Economics), Xing Yulin (School of International Economics), Lu Jian (School of International Economics); Liu Sennan (English Department), Liu Yuxin (School of International Economics), He Yuxiao (School of International Economics); Wang Zehua (Department of Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs Management), Chen Yu (School of International Economics), and Xiong Shiyin (School of International Economics). The other two teams won the 2018 American College Students Mathematical Contest Modeling and Interdisciplinary Modeling Contest International Success Award. Members of those teams included Shi Haowei (School of International Economics), Miao Ying (School of International Economics), Yan Binyang (School of International Economics); Ren Yifei (School of International Economics), Yuan Hang (School of International Economics), and Wang Zuowei (School of International Economics).

In order to better prepare the students for the competition, Professors Yang Li, Cao Shengyu and Wang Caixia from the International Economics Institute offered pre-competition training, familiarizing the teams with the rules and procedures. They explained the relevant knowledge and data analysis techniques required for the mathematical modeling competition and instructed students to analyze questions used in previous contests in depth. Under the comprehensive and efficient guidance of the teachers, the students made great progress.We congratulate the students who have achieved outstanding results in this competition, and express thanks to Yang Li, Cao Shengyu, and Wang Caixia for their hard work and to the logistics department and other related departments for their great support.