Source：Leicester International Institute, DUT
Recently, the result of the MCM/ICM (Mathematical Contest in Modeling/ Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling) sponsored by COMAP (the Consortium for Mathematics and Its Application) was announced. More than 20,000 teams from 17 countries and regions such as China, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Australia, etc, participated in the competition. Two teams consisted of Leicester International Institute, Dalian University of Technology (DLI) students, including Shenglun Zhang, Ziyue Sun, Yichen Wang, Yang Yang and Chuying Ren , won the F Prize at the same time (Top Nomination Award- 180 in total this year, with the award rate about 0.8%). They have achieved the best result of DLI in this competition, and made the historic breakthrough.
To build an “Overpass” for the integration of disciplines
MCM focuses on examining students’ ability of the interdisciplinary application, and the application problems they investigate often rely on the knowledge literacy of multiple disciplines. Therefore, how to quickly “break the boundary of disciplines” in the competition, so as to quickly building the “overpass” of the integration of disciplines is particularly important. In this competition, both teams chose "A continuous type", which required the teams to predict the fish Moving North caused by the global ocean temperature rise, and assessed the impact of the fish migration on the business of small-scale fishing companies.
Wang's team proposed the function of water temperature change in combination with the logistic growth model under the condition of fully considering the seasonal and aperiodic factors of water temperature change. The BP neural network algorithm was used to simulate and merge the function to obtain the final result. Combined with the specific situation of small fishing companies, they proposed the process of transforming fishing boats into transporting boats strategy and provided magazine articles to warn Scottish fishermen. Finally, they combined the parameters of small fishing boats to calculate the benefits of fishing companies, and got the timetable that fishing companies need to make response when the benefits are guaranteed.
Sun's team put forward a latitude regression model based on the latitude change of fish group in 50 years and a gravity center migration algorithm, and reasonably estimated the habitat of fish group after 50 years by using’ Catch Per Unit Effort’ (CPUE). On the basis of this model, a high-order logistic growth model was established to predict time. At last, they used the idea of revenue ratio model, periodic inequality and game theory to put forward suggestions on aspects of operation and cooperation communication from the perspective of commercial game, and analyzed the sensitivity of each model to draw the conclusion of reliability.
Innovation-driven and grasp the key of talent training
“The implementation of innovation-driven development strategy proposed by the 18th National Congress of China is to promote comprehensive innovation with scientific and technological innovation as the core.” For higher education, only by adhering to innovation driven can we tightly hold the key to talent training. Over the past three years, DLI has always attached great importance to the cultivation of students' awareness, spirit and ability of scientific and technological innovation, and has formulated a number of policies to lead scientific and technological innovation.
DLI takes advantage of science and technology salon to show cutting-edge issues, invites award-winning teams of science and technology innovation competitions to share experience, and implement "practical experience" to inject new vitality for students to participate in activities. The "Lunch with a Professional" activity is regularly carried out, which provides a platform to discuss cutting-edge scientific and technological achievements and promote academic exchanges and discussions between teachers and students by using “frontier issues” to force the innovation drive of talent training. A handbook for science innovation will be included in the gift package for new students, which introduces competition activities, event compilation.
Looking back on the past three years, DLI has made outstanding achievements in various science and technology innovation competitions. Centering on the fundamental task of cultivating talents by virtue, DLI will continue to base itself on its characteristics, inherit the spirit of DUT and rely on international vision and give full play to the radiation function of scientific and technological innovation on talent training. By consolidating the foundation, focusing on practice and innovation, DLI will promote students' ability and provide the impetus for the construction and career development of "Double-First Class".
Editor: Li Xiang
